Condemnation for latest executions in Gaza
NEWS of the deaths of six more Israeli hostages has provoked widespread outrage. The Archbishop of Canterbury described the killings as “yet another evil deed in this terrible war”. He wrote on X: “The slaughter of hostages is and always has been a terrible war crime and must be con demned. I call out to God to comfort the bereaved and to bring justice.” The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, said that reports suggested that all six hostages had been shot multiple times at close range, in the hours or days before the bodies were retrieved. “We abhor such brutality and call for all the re main ing hostages to be released immediately, unconditionally and safely to their families and loved ones,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated on the streets to demand a ceasefire deal with Hamas. A total of 97 hostages remain unaccounted for after being kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October last year.
Crackdown on churches continues in Nicaragua
ANOTHER mass closure of NGOs has been decreed in Nicaragua, following the decision of President Ortega’s government to revoke the legal status of 169 non-profit institutions operating in the country, Vatican News reports. The announcement was made just days after another, which applied to 1500 NGOs, bringing the total number of civil society organisations outlawed since the start of the anti-government protests in 2018 to more than 5600. The government has accused NGOs of failing to provide transparent financial reports, and of diverting funds to undermine it. On 20 August, the National Assembly voted to remove tax exemptions for religious institutions, requiring them to pay income tax on activities and assets even if exclusively intended for religious purposes. A report from the UN’s human-rights office, published on Tuesday, said that “persecution of opponents to the government or those perceived as dissenting voices has progressively been extended and intensified”.
Ghana’s bishops pray for peaceful election
THE Anglican Bishops in Ghana have called for a campaign season “devoid of violence, rancour, and bitterness” as the nation prepares for a general election in December. The communiqué, signed by Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa and Archbishop of the internal province of Ghana, urged citizens to “embrace peace, unity, and love”. The elections will produce a new leader, as President Nana Akufo-Addo steps down after completing his constitutionally limited second term in office. BBC Africa reports that Ghana is facing its “worst economic crisis in more than a generation”, with “soaring” government debt prompting an IMF loan.
New York church to expand social services
A $1.5-million grant has been awarded to the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, in New York, by the city of New York to renovate its building and expand its social action offering (the Cathedral Community Cares programme), Episcopal News Service reports. The goal is to transform the cathedral’s Synod Hall into a “larger community hub” that can serve as a soup kitchen and food pantry, and provide other services. It was built in 1913 by J. P. Morgan to serve as a convention space for the Episcopal Church. The cathedral’s canon for community engagement, the Revd Eva Suarez, said that the programme had had more than 35,000 visitors last year: “New Yorkers from all walks of life are finding themselves in dire need of food, clothing, and access to social services.”