Welsh faith leaders pledge support before Senedd elections
FAITH leaders in Wales have issued a joint statement before the Senedd elections on Thursday, in which they reject “all calls to hatred and dehumanisation”. The statement was signed on Monday of last week at the Temple of Peace in Cathays Park, Cardiff, by, among others, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Cherry Vann. It says: “As Wales heads into a new political chapter . . . we the undersigned commit to working for a Wales built on the ideals of peaceful co-existence, neighbourliness, and freedom of worship. We pray and long for a nation where all may flourish and none need fear. . . We hear the cries of the poor and the marginalised and reject all calls to hatred and dehumanisation.”
Dr Warner to take up Folkestone parish post
THE Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, is to take up a two-year part-time post as Priest-in-Charge of St Peter’s, Folkestone, in the diocese of Canterbury, the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, announced on Sunday. Dr Warner is to retire as diocesan bishop at the end of the month, and will be licensed to his new post on 7 July. The Bishop of Lewes, the Rt Revd Will Hazlewood, is to be the Acting Bishop of Chichester.
McDowell condemns attack on police station
THE Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd John McDowell, has condemned an attack on Dunmurry police station on Saturday, when a bomb exploded in a police car. Archbishop McDowell said in a statement that it was the second attack on a police station in just under a month. “I wish to condemn what happened as a clear attempt to maim and murder. It was an outrageous, cold and soulless effort that caused considerable distress to local residents. . . I thank God no one was injured and offer prayers for those who were traumatised and distressed by this mindless action.”
NatWest AGM adjourned as group protest in song
PROTEST groups, including Christian Climate Action (CCA), disrupted NatWest’s AGM in Edinburgh, on Tuesday, by singing their demands to the tune of the nursery rhyme “Frère Jacques”. CCA said in a statement on Tuesday that “they were calling on the bank to stand by its climate commitments after it recently weakened its oil and gas policy.” CCA says that NatWest has loosened its oil and gas policy and dropped some of its climate targets in relation to aluminium, cement, iron, and steel.
Sixth-former to advise on national examinations
A SIXTH-FORMER at Derby Cathedral School has been selected to sit on the Student Advisory Group for the examination board AQA. Nadia Brodowska, 16, completed a 500-word statement and had an online interview, after which she was selected. As part of the group, Ms Brodowska will take part in meetings, discussing topics such as the future of digital exams; citizenship; and whether areas such as financial literacy should be introduced. She is one of about 20 young people in the group.
Correction: in our coverage of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales last week, we referred to the Archdeacon Missioner in St Davids diocese, the Ven. Mones Farah, as the Archdeacon of St Davids. We apologise for the error.