Irish cleric undertakes a barefoot pilgrimage to St. Patrick’s Cathedral

[Church of Ireland] A Church of Ireland rector in the Diocese of Clogher is undertaking a pilgrimage of a different kind by walking from his church in Fermanagh to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. The Rev. Stephen McWhirter, rector of Rossorry Parish Church, will be walking from the landmark church on the outskirts of Enniskillen in…

Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop offers statement after Welby’s interview with the BBC

On March 30, former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did an interview with the BBC in which he said he failed to follow up allegations of abuse by John Smyth within the Church of England because the scale of the problem was “absolutely overwhelming.” He added the scale of the problem was “a reason –…

Episcopalians reflect on women’s rights progress 30 years after Beijing Declaration

Participants react to the adoption of the resolution titled “Political Declaration on the occasion of thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women” during the opening of the 69th Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW69 / Beijing+30. March 10, 2025. Photo: Manuel Elías/United Nations [Episcopal News Service] Some of the Episcopal delegates…

Massachusetts bishop decries arrest of graduate student from Turkey by ICE agents

[Episcopal News Service] Massachusetts Bishop Julia Whitworth issued a statement April 1 decrying the Trump administration’s abrupt detention of a Boston-area graduate student from Turkey who is in the United States legally on a student visa. “Our Christian faith calls us to renounce the promotion of xenophobia and fear to foment dehumanization of any of…

Bishop of Edinburgh is one of 20 people at international Anglican-Lutheran summit

[Diocese of Edinburgh] The Rt. Rev. John Armes, bishop of the Diocese of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal Church, is in Amman, Jordan, for the Summit of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission on Unity and Mission. That event is taking place March 28 to April 3. The summit will bring together ten pairs of senior church…

Anglicans raise the plight of South Sudan at U.N. human rights meeting

[Anglican Communion News Service] On March 27, the Anglican Communion raised South Sudan’s plight at the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva, emphasizing the human rights of women in the country, which is again on the brink of war. With high poverty levels, large refugee movements, inter-ethnic communal violence…

Diocese of Florida announces plans for new bishop election after process of healing

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Florida Standing Committee is calling for the election of a diocesan bishop, nearly two years after the last election was negated amid divisions within the diocese under the former bishop and churchwide concerns about the election process and the bishop-elect. Florida’s standing committee announced March 31 that it has…

Film tells the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, pediatric oncologist and devout Episcopalian who co-founded Ronald McDonald House

Dr. Audrey Evans, center, poses with students at St. James School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Evans, a devout Episcopalian, was a pioneering British American pediatric oncologist who co-founded Ronald McDonald House Charities. Later, she co-founded St. James School shortly after retiring from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2009. Photo: Courtesy of David Kasievich [Episcopal News…

Episcopalians to observe Transgender Day of Visibility in celebration of trans, nonbinary people

A transgender pride flag is displayed at a booth during Portland Pride on July 21, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Jenny Kane/AP [Episcopal News Service] Over the next week, some Episcopal churches will recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, with special worship services and educational events to celebrate transgender people and their contributions…

Africa-Europe forum calls on churches to enhance protection of migrants

[World Council of Churches] The Second Africa-Europe Ecumenical Forum on Migration took place March 17-21 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe.  The forum built on the outcomes of the first forum held in Hamburg, Germany, in March 2023. A communiqué released by…