4+ day, 9+ hour ago (337+ words) My former colleague Hugh Nowell, who has died aged 98, was for many years a senior figure at Grosvenor Books, a publishing company connected to the Moral Re-Armament movement. A co-founder of the firm in the early 1960s, Hugh continued there until his retirement at the age of 70 in 1997. During this time he worked as joint chief executive and then managing director. Grosvenor Books published " and still publishes " a variety of Christian and non-Christian titles, including children's books and magazines. Among its most successful releases was Listen to the Children, a book about family life by Annejet Campbell, which was published in 11 languages. Born in Runcorn, Cheshire, Hugh was the son of John, who ran the family tannery business, and Margaret (nee Vanes), who before her marriage had been a private tutor to the children of the Maharaja of Bangalore in India,…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (216+ words) My friend Patricia Crowther, who has died aged 97, was one of the elders of Wicca, a movement that grew, during her lifetime, from an underground witchcraft cult into a global religion known to its adherents as "the Craft. Born in Sheffield to Clare and Alfred Dawson, local tobacconists, Patricia attended Eastbank high school and Whiteley's secretarial college, and also studied at the Constance Grant school of dance. A keen dancer and accordionist, she made her career in the theatre playing in revue, variety, pantomime and the summer season across Britain. The Crowthers became prominent representatives of the Craft in public life, giving media interviews and lectures, and publishing books about Wicca. These include The Witches Speak (1965), Witchcraft in Yorkshire (1973), Witch Blood! (1974) and The Secrets of Ancient Witchcraft (1974). In 1971 they wrote and presented a BBC radio series, A Spell of Witchcraft....

2+ week, 5+ day ago (357+ words) Women, in St Peter's Square for audience with Pope Leo in which he condemned antisemitism, say guard "noticeably hissed at us' A member of the Vatican's Swiss Guards, the world's smallest army whose primary role is to protect the pope, is under investigation for allegedly making a spitting gesture towards two Jewish women. The alleged incident occurred at one of the side entrances to St Peter's Square as people gathered for a general audience on 29 October, during which Pope Leo condemned antisemitism. The women were among a Jewish delegation attending the event marking the 60th anniversary of the Nostra aetate, a declaration on the Catholic church's relations with non-Christian religions. In an interview with Kathpress, an Austrian Catholic news agency, Michal Govrin, a Tel Aviv-based author and theatre director, said that as she and another woman entered the square a Swiss…...

4+ day, 23+ hour ago (1177+ words) Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals But beneath the surface, the Buddhism practised across Asia has shifted. While still widely followed as a peaceful, nonviolent philosophy, it has been weaponised, in some quarters, in the service of nationalism, and in support of governments embracing a global trend toward majoritarianism and autocracy. Fihar brought me tea in a delicate white cup but refused to sit. She stood with her gaze fixed on the open window overlooking the empty road. "Did you see the videos?" she asked. "It was purely against Muslims. "Don't go to their shops. Don't eat their food." Fihar was referring to a speech by a Buddhist monk named Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara. By 2023, Sri Lanka had no shortage of controversial clergy, but Gnanasara stood…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (507+ words) Pontiff backs statement by US bishops condemning raids and mass deportations under Trump administration Pope Leo has reiterated his disapproval of Donald Trump's immigration policies, saying foreigners in the US are being treated in an "extremely disrespectful way. Leo, the first US pontiff in the history of the Catholic church, made the remarks in response to questions about a statement adopted last week during a special assembly of US bishops that criticised the Trump administration's mass deportations and lamented the fear and anxiety caused by immigration raids. Leo said the statement was "very important and urged Catholics to take heed. "I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have, he told reporters as he left the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town south of Rome, on Tuesday....

1+ day, 12+ hour ago (453+ words) Trio given leave to stay in their abandoned convent near Salzburg until further notice, church officials say Three octogenarian nuns who gained a global following after breaking out of their care home and moving back to their abandoned convent near Salzburg have been given leave to stay in the nunnery "until further notice, church officials have said. The rebel sisters " Bernadette, 88, Regina, 86, and Rita, 82, all former teachers at the school adjacent to their convent " broke back into their old home of Goldenstein Castle in Elsbethen in September in defiance of their spiritual superiors. The story prompted headlines around the world. It also fostered a huge affection for the trio, who have built up a loyal following on social media where they post regular reports about their tumultuous experience and joy at their return. They have been helped by local supporters…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (343+ words) The 52-episode Christian podcast was announced with a number of actors involved yet many claim they had no idea about it The Fox News announcement of a new podcast series on Jesus Christ has turned into a bizarre holiday tale in Hollywood, as several actors attached to massive, 52-episode project claim their recordings date back 15 years and are being released without their prior knowledge. The new audiobook titled The Life of Jesus Christ Podcast, announced on Wednesday as part of a splashy rollout for the network's new Christian vertical called Fox Faith, purports to guide listeners "through the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus Christ, with each episode introduced by Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt. The announcement boasted that over 100 actors had signed on to participate in the project, with a voice cast including Kristen Bell as Mary Magdalene, Sean…...

6+ day, 14+ hour ago (238+ words) Trump's wrecking-ball approach to America has a precedent: the Maga evangelical perversion of Jesus's message of radical love to one of hate and aggression As disorienting as it is to watch the president try to upend the old idea of democracy and replace it with its polar opposite, there is one large group of Americans who should not find it completely novel. That is those of us " in older age cohorts a near majority " who were raised as mainline Protestant Christians. What particularly hurts is the fact that at no point did we manage to fight back, not effectively anyway. Without intending to, we surrendered control of the idea of Jesus. It is a story that may provide some insights into how to fight the attack on democracy. In the 60 years since, all that has changed; the mainline denominations are…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (665+ words) Worshippers prepare to start using first completed building and hope to host formal opening in early 2026 On a bush block on the industrial outskirts of Bendigo, a minaret rises from the facade of a mosque. There are no fences, making the site of the central Victorian city's first mosque visible from adjacent roads. This is no accident. Sameer Syed, who has been involved in the Bendigo Islamic Community Centre's inception from its start, says the vision was an "open mosque. "We wanted something very welcoming " very open, very visible, he says. "We want people to feel the same way. Just drop in, have a coffee. The centre's spokesperson, Aisha Neelam, chimes in and jokes: "People can come meet a Muslim. More than a decade ago, fierce pushback against the vision to create a place of worship for Bendigo's Muslim community…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (1529+ words) Two of the world's leading cult interventionists live (with their parrot) in Philadelphia. They explain the art of coaxing people out of the most pernicious groups in the world These families had tried everything else. When nothing worked, they heard there were two men in Philadelphia who might still be able to bring their loved one home. Although many people are involved in cultic studies and education, fewer than 10 people in the US do anything like what Ryan and Kelly do. And among those, only Kelly and Ryan practice their strange and unique method: embedding themselves in families' lives, pulling on threads like marionettists, sometimes for years. I met Kelly and Ryan at their place in south Philadelphia, a three-story house they share with a big dog named Kenny and a bright green parrot named Greta. Greta was a consolation…...