US Episcopal truth-and-reconciliation work continues
A NEW working group on truth and reconciliation was announced by the Episcopal Church in the United States this week, as part of its efforts to confront racism, the Episcopal News Service reports. The Executive Council, a body of elected lay and ordained representatives that serves as the Church’s governing body between meetings of the General Convention, met for four days this week. Its chair, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Revd Michael Curry, said that the new group would develop proposals for the 80th General Convention, scheduled for July 2022. These would include ways to “tell the truth about our collective racial and ethnic history and present realities, to reckon with our Church’s historic and current complicity with racial injustice, make commitments to right old wrongs and repair breaches, and discern a vision for healing and reconciliation”.
Iranian Christians sentenced to five years
THREE Christians from the Church of Iran have each been sentenced to five years in prison, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi, and Alireza Nourmohammadi received the sentences on Saturday, after being convicted of “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic regime” (News 25 June). All three are appealing. The president of CSW, Mervyn Thomas, called for their acquittal, and urged the Iranian authorities to “end the relentless campaign of harassment of Christians and other religious minorities through the judicial system”.
Nigerian orphanage-founder acquitted
A NIGERIAN professor who co-founded orphanages for vulnerable children has been acquitted of abducting 19 children from their legal guardians and confining them in an unregistered orphanage, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports (News, 17 January 2020). A high court in Kano state made the ruling in favour of Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa on 24 June. He must return to court on 27 July on a final charge of forgery, which was submitted by the lawyer for the prosecution a day before he rested his case.