Author: wwedderburn

[Office of the Archbishop of York] Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has expressed concern over the decision by the United Kingdom’s government to cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income, following the prime minister’s announcement of increased defense spending. While acknowledging the need for investment in national security, Cottrell…

[Religion News Service] Religious groups challenging President Donald Trump won a pair of legal victories this week, blocking the administration’s efforts to dismantle the refugee program and reinstating sensitive-location protections from immigration enforcement in some houses of worship. On Feb. 25, a federal judge in Washington state sided with the plaintiffs — which included Church World…

The newly renovated chancel of St. Thomas, Columbus, Georgia, was dedicated on Feb. 23. Renovations also removed steps to the altar rail, moved the choir from a back loft to behind the altar, and created the multi-faceted wooden reredos screen. Photo: Diocese of Atlanta [Diocese of Atlanta] To sing in the choir or take Communion…

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe speaks Feb. 17 to the Executive Council committee that is studying the position of General Convention executive officer. Photo: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service [Episcopal News Service] The realignment plan for churchwide operations that Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe unveiled last week was primarily focused on reorienting and, in some cases, phasing out…

Episcopalians gather in front of exhibition booths at the Episcopal Parish Network’s 40th annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Feb. 25, 2025. Photo: Shireen Korkzan [Episcopal News Service — Kansas City, Missouri] The Episcopal Parish Network’s 40th annual conference is underway as Episcopal clergy and lay leaders come together to learn from each other and…

[Church of England] The National Safeguarding Team has today announced the conclusion of the work to review all clergy under the authority or oversight of the Church of England who are criticized in the Makin review, published in November. The review was commissioned to look at the church’s handling of the allegations of the horrendous abuse…

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Rt. Rev. Paul Colton, bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Church of Ireland, has planted 29 trees as part of a 25th anniversary marking his service as bishop to the United Diocese. The tree planting has been inspired by the Communion Forest program launched at the Lambeth Conference in…

The Rev. Grace Kim, a chaplain and licensed counselor serving in the U.S. Army, imposes ashes on soldiers on Ash Wednesday. Photo: Courtesy of Grace Kim [Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Grace Kim, a chaplain and licensed counselor serving in the U.S. Army, works 24/7, 365 days a year. She wakes up every day at…

[World Council of Churches] As Feb. 24 marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev. Jerry Pillay noted with sadness that the war continues without any immediate signs of an end. “The futility of this war is written in the enormous cost of lives among…

[Anglican Taonga] The Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia’s Tonga Episcopal Unit climate resilience mapping project (CIVA-QGIS) has gone global in a report that’s headed to the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2025. A community resilience mapping system designed by the Diocese of Polynesia and operated by young Anglicans in Tonga (known as…