Prayers for victims of South Korean crush
THE acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Revd Dr Ioan Sauca, has offered condolences to those mourning the death of crush victims in Seoul, South Korea, and assured them of his prayers. At least 156 people were killed in the crush last Saturday night as crowds gathered to celebrate Hallowe’en. On Sunday, Pope Francis also prayed for those caught up in the disaster. Dr Sauca wrote on Monday: “We pray for God’s healing grace and blessings upon the efforts of the Korean government, medical officials, and churches to assist those in need.”
Two deaths in one week in Nigerian episcopate
THE Archbishop of Lagos, the Most Revd Humphrey Olumakaiya, and the Bishop of Ndokwa, the Rt Revd David Obiosa, in Nigeria, have died in one week. On Wednesday of last week, a tribute to Bishop Obiosa was posted on the diocese of Ndokwa’s Facebook page, and media reported that he had died suddenly the previous day, at the age of 59. The death of Archbishop Olumakaiya, who was also Bishop of Lagos, was announced in a statement the Church of Nigeria. Archbishop Olumakaiya, who was 53, died on Sunday evening. “His Episcopal sojourn in the Diocese of Lagos and subsequently the Province was characterised by phenomenal physical and spiritual developments, for which all of us shall remain very proud,” the statement read.
Roman Catholics in Brazil call for unity after election
AlamyLula da Silva addresses a crowd of supporters in São Paulo after winning the presidency of Brazil on Sunday
ROMAN Catholic bishops in Brazil, Crux reports, have issued a statement calling for reconciliation, after the narrow defeat of the President, Jair Bolsonaro, in the election on Sunday. The run-off vote was won by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, with 50.9 per cent of the vote to Mr Bolsonaro’s 49.1 per cent. On Wednesday, Mr Bolsonaro thanked his supporters without publicly conceding defeat, although the Brazilian supreme court said that, by agreeing to the transition process, he was acknowledging Mr da Silva’s victory. He had previously said that “only God” could remove him from office. Religion played a prominent part in the campaign, with both candidates courting the Christian vote. Polls suggest that Mr Bolsonaro was favoured by a majority in the growing Evangelical movement in Brazil, while Mr da Silva held a slender advantage among RC voters. Both of the candidates are RC.
US sports coach reinstated after on-field prayers victory
JOSEPH KENNEDY, a high-school football coach who won a legal victory in defence of his right to lead prayers on the playing field, is to return to his job at Bremerton High School, in Washington state, ABC news reports. Mr Kennedy had been suspended by the school in 2015 for leading prayers on the field after games, and his contract had not been renewed. This summer, the US Supreme Court ruled by six to three that Mr Kennedy’s actions were protected by the constitution, and dismissed the argument that they had a coercive effect on students (News, 1 July, Comment, 8 July).
Canadian bishops back First Nations reconciliation call
THE national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Roseanne Archibald, has called on the King to fulfil the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the Anglican Journal reports. The recommendations include issuing a “Royal Proclamation of Reconciliation”. The Bishop of Saskatoon, the Rt Revd Chris Harper, who is the first Indigenous bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada, said that the issue presented the King with an opportunity to “see where he can come together with the community and with the people themselves. . . How he handles it will, I think, determine the strength of the monarchy going ahead in decades.” The Canadian Primate, the Most Revd Linda Nicholls, said: “My understanding from those who have spoken with [the King] or have recently engaged with him is that he has a great empathy for Indigenous issues in Canada.”
US diocese to sell South Carolina church back to ACNA
THE Episcopal diocese of South Carolina has decided to sell St Matthew’s, Fort Motte — one of the properties that were confirmed as its own by the state’s supreme court (News, 29 April) — back to the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), which had contested its ownership. The Episcopal News Service reports that the Bishop of South Carolina, the Rt Revd Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, told his diocese that the decision to sell had been reached “after prayerful consideration, onsite visits and in-depth conversations with many”. She explained that: “Without a seed congregation ready to reopen as an Episcopal church, the displacement of the ACNA congregation would undermine the healing we seek to foster in this particular community.”