Polling stations and nativity plays
07 Nov 2019Election officers have hit back angrily at calls from the education secretary for polling stations not to be placed in schools. Gavin Williamson wanted to avoid disruption to school nativity plays and Christmas concerts, which could clash with the 12 December election. He said that councils would be funded to find alternative venues for polling stations. Election officers have written to the education secretary to express their ‘extreme disappointment’, saying in many areas schools are polling stations because they are well-known local venues and are likely to be accessible for people with disabilities. Often there are not any other practical options.
Telling people how to vote stokes fear
07 Nov 2019A British rabbi has written to his community urging them to vote for whichever party is most likely to defeat Labour in their constituency. Many believe his letter crossed a professional and ethical red line. The Torah’s vision is filled with concern for the poor and marginalised, care for outsiders, love of strangers, etc. Ethical principles affecting social, legal, economic and environmental policies of a country are themes leaders will preach about. However we must pray that all community leaders, rabbis, imams, clergy, elders, acharya and guides help their communities to manage their anxieties, not stoke fears or increase unease. Pray that minority groups across the country who in the past have been influenced over political decision-making by local people of status will cast unbiased votes. Pray also for honesty in postal voting.
Belgium: church welcomes migrants
07 Nov 2019The parish of Riches Claires has a dedicated committee that has worked for thirty years helping new arrivals to Europe. For many residents in Brussels the Christian outreach was a key step for their integration into the city. Most refugees in the church arrive after fleeing their countries of origin for economic or political reasons. However, arriving in their new home has not been easy for most, particularly those from Latin America who, for the most part, had to learn from scratch the intricacies of the local language. ‘The uprooting of our culture, of leaving our family members and leaving our friends is very painful,’ said Zoraida, a Colombian human rights defender. Over the years, the church community has evolved following the migratory waves. The first to arrive were Spaniards, then Chileans. More recently, it has been Venezuelans and Central Americans fleeing violence.
Italy: two nuns expecting babies
07 Nov 2019An investigation has been launched by the Catholic Church after two missionary nuns became pregnant whilst working in Africa. One of the nuns, a mother superior, aged 34, only realised she was pregnant when she visited the hospital, complaining of stomach pains. The two women are nuns in Sicily, but belong to separate orders and are expecting children despite their vows of chastity, causing ‘consternation at this news’. They are believed to be originally from Africa and were posted to their home continent as part of their charity missions. They have now returned to Italy to prepare for the births of their children.
Hong Kong: student casualties
07 Nov 2019Chow, a university student, fell from the third floor of a car park while fleeing tear gas and suffered a significant brain injury as a result. A third-year journalism student, surnamed Tang, was arrested on 2 November when covering protests in Taikoo Shing. His university’s student union said that when he was arrested, he was wearing his press card and journalists’ association membership card, and had not taken part in any of the frontline protest activities. Pray for police to respect the rights of student reporters and ensure their safety when they are performing their duties. Also, the university has asked the police commissioner for full details about a qualified St John Ambulance first aider student who suffered serious burn injuries after being hit by a tear-gas canister while performing his duties. Students and alumni are demanding that the universities condemn police violence as they handle anti-government protests.
Saudi Arabia: punishing cost of change
07 Nov 2019Human Rights Watch reported on 4 November that important social reforms enacted under Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have been accompanied by deepening repression and abusive practices meant to silence dissidents and critics. The 62-page report documents ongoing arbitrary and abusive practices by Saudi authorities targeting dissidents and activists since mid-2017 and a total lack of accountability for those responsible for abuses. Despite landmark reforms for Saudi women and youth, ongoing abuses demonstrate that the rule of law remains weak and can be undermined at will by political leadership. The authorities have locked away many leading reformist thinkers and activists. HRW said that detaining citizens for peaceful criticism of the government’s policies or human rights advocacy is not new in Saudi Arabia, but what has made the post-2017 arrest waves notable is the sheer number and range of people targeted over a short period, and new repressive practices.
Syriac Christian community
07 Nov 2019In the northeast of Syria, in a number of cities and their surrounding villages, a renaissance is under way in the area’s beleaguered Syriac Christian community, which is attempting to revive the Syriac language and culture after decades of neglect and oppression. The Christian community as a whole has suffered immensely during the ongoing eight-year conflict, and this minority is no exception. The conflict has, however, also brought about social changes that previously would have been thought impossible, particularly in areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Escalating its threat to invade the area despite the presence of American, British, and French troops, Turkey could reverse these changes and even jeopardise the continued existence of the Christian community there. These Christians have preserved their unique languages and cultures in the face of decades of Arabisation. Syriac Christians will teach their children their ancestral language, derived from Aramaic, the native tongue of Jerusalem, where the church was born.
Horn of Africa: flood devastation
07 Nov 2019Increased temperatures in the Indian Ocean have caused heavy rainfall and widespread flooding and destruction in different countries. In Kenya 29 people were killed in flash floods, nearly 12,000 have been displaced, and agriculture is hard hit, with 10,000+ livestock animals drowning. Caritas has appealed for food, first aid, and funds to distribute to the needy. In South Sudan, Bishop Majwok has requested the government to declare a state of national disaster as 283,000 square kilometres of his diocese are under water. Rains have devastated the country since July. Wet weather has worsened the humanitarian situation in 32 counties, where over three million people already needed assistance. In Somalia over 182,000 people are homeless due to flooding; most are from the central town of Beledweyne, where the UN reports people drowning. East Africa's rainy season, which runs from October to December, is likely to be unusually wet this year due to a process known as Indian Ocean Dipole (similar to the Pacific El Nino) by which atmospheric humidity is dumped inland as rainfall.