Lambeth Palace prepares to welcome Syrian family
A FAMILY of Syrian refugees is to move into a four-bedroom cottage in the grounds of Lambeth Palace, it was confirmed this week. The Archbishop of Canterbury made the offer last year (News, 25 September) but the process was delayed (News, 11 December). The deputy leader of Lambeth Council, Paul McGlone, confirmed the move to The Times. It is understood that the rent will be paid from charitable funds controlled by the Archbishop.
Archbishop wishes Muslims ‘Eid Mubarak’
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has issued Eid greetings to the Muslim community, with a prayer that they will be “assured of your welcome, and that you are loved and valued” in this country. “We pray for our nation that it will be a place of loving and valuing every single human being,” he said, before expressing a hope that Christians could work with Muslims towards the Common Good. “The capacity to party well as well as to pray well is very good news indeed.”
New CEO for Lapido Media
THE new chief executive of Lapido Media will be Jemima Thackray, a journalist who has written for The Daily Telegraph and Church Times. She succeeds Dr Jenny Taylor, who founded Lapido Media 2004 and registered it as a charity in 2007, seeking to improve religious literacy in journalism. Recent initiatives have included piloting material in lectures on religion at the Press Association and Reuters.
Web community seeks to counteract hatred
AN ONLINE community, “Movement of Love”, was launched this week, “for people who want to spread a message of love across our nation, to counteract the hate”. The two priests behind it — the assistant curate of St John the Baptist, Southover, the Revd Julia Middleton and the Revd Catherine Williams, who is licensed in Gloucester — said: “We may not be able to do anything politically or change decisions that have been made, but we can choose not to partner with hate, darkness, and ill feeling. We can be a part of the healing of our nation’s divisions and the making of a better society.” You can take the pledge at the Facebook page www.facebook.com/MovementOfLove2016/ and follow it on Twitter @MovementOfLove.
Intervention sought to keep families together
GREATER emphasis must be placed on early intervention in children’s lives, the chief executive of Safe Families for Children UK, Keith Danby, said this week, in response to a government review of children’s residential care. Sir Martin Narey, a former chief executive of Barnardo’s, made 34 recommendations in his review, including better use of the voluntary sector in home provision. “We now need to be focusing on the very start of troubles within families if we are to prevent the need for children to have to go into care in the first place,” Mr Danby said. “Families facing difficulties need help to stay together, to provide safer, happier homes for their children and young people.” Safe Families is working with 20 local authorities to reduce the number of children put into care (News, 24 June).