According to the Sunday Telegraph, the 14^th century art in Winchester shows figures intended to protect people from witches and the devil, scenes of people on horses accompanied by a figure on foot as well as names of bell ringers.

It’s been reported the graffiti at St John’s Church in Winchester has been newly revealed due to research by the Hampshire Churches Medieval Graffiti Survey.

The project has worked on dozens of churches and old buildings to unveil medieval graffiti.

Medieval graffiti specialist Matthew Champion told the newspaper people inscribed on churches because they knew that it would last.

Winchester was heavily plagued by the Black Death.

Champion said: “Sometimes the graffiti speaks of those who survived [the Black Death].

“People put on the walls what’s important to them. There are times when they put inscriptions on the walls and those tend to be times of social stress.

“There’s the idea that you might not be around. In the Black Death, people are wiped out. They wanted to leave a permanent mark. They knew that paper, life and normal society was insubstantial.”

The curate at the church said the graffiti is an exciting development and is something new they can show to pilgrims who visit in the ancient church.

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According to the Daily Mail, Cardinal Vincent Nichols told a group of Catholic school head teachers in London that even if children question their gender identity, schools should not give transgenderism as a possible solution. 

He said that pupils should know that they are part of a society that has “firm points of reference”.

He added: “In an age of fluidity, even in gender identity, and at a time when the response to “difference” is to become closed in a self-selecting world of the like-minded… such foundations are so important. They affirm that there are “givens” which come with birth…”

Cardinal Nichols’ comments last month have recently triggered criticism.

Heather Ashton, head of transgender charity TG Pals told the newspaper: “It is the responsibility of educators to be accepting, tolerant and understanding, and a religious bias should not have any impact on a transgender child’s needs.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is scheduled to discuss its official stance on transgender issues next month.

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Frances and Derek Baars sued the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), which provides child protection services on behalf of the province, after the agency took away their two foster children and banned them from fostering and adopting in the future.  

In February 2016, the Baars said they told their case worker that they would buy the girls, aged three and five, Easter dresses and hide chocolate eggs around the house. However, the couple said their plan did not satisfy the agency.  

The Baars added that both parties agreed to compromise and allow the children to spend Easter with another family, but the children were permanently taken away by CAS anyway.

According to court documents, CAS said it was the duty of the foster parents to teach the children about the Easter Bunny.

Justice Andrew Goodman wrote in a decision released on Tuesday: “There is ample evidence to support the fact that the children were removed because the Baars refused to either tell or imply that the Easter Bunny was delivering chocolate to the Baars’ home.

“I am more than satisfied that the society actions interfered substantially with the Baars’ religious beliefs.”

According to CTV News, CAS support worker Tracey Lindsay admitted that the girls were well cared for and argued that she “never asked [the Baars] to lie or betray their faith”.

Justice Goodman learned that the couple, who don’t believe…

According to religious freedom charity International Christian Concern (ICC), six vandals attacked St Zechariah Church in Palembang, Indonesia.

The perpetrators blew a large hole in the wall next to the church entrance, smashed a statue, and set fire to stacked chairs.

Residents around the church, who woke up to the commotion, rushed to extinguish the fire as the suspects fled on motorcycles.

The incident came as a shock to locals as such incidents haven’t happened before in the province of South Sumatra.

Msgr. Aloysius Sudarso, Archbishop of Palembang said he was puzzled by the attack but encouraged local Christians not to be disturbed by it.

He said in a report by AsiaNews: “This act is very strange. Nothing like this has ever happened in past decades. Why would people want to destroy this chapel?”

Police also held a meeting with religious figures and local community groups to discuss the incident and caution against rumours circulating on social media.

South Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General of Police Zulkarnain Adinegara said that he was devastated by the incident.

He told Tribun-Medan News: “I feel hit by it. Suddenly there are people who destroy the house of worship. Society entrusts us to investigate.”

It’s been reported local political analysts consider this type of incident “political warming,” targeting Christians and members of the largest…

Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, 89, had served the church “with dedication and love for many years,” Archbishop Jose Gomez said in a statement.

Holzman was a member of an order of elderly nuns involved in a dispute over the sale of their convent in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

Hours before her death, Holzman spoke to television station KTTV , decrying a judge’s ruling that cleared the way for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to sell the convent to Perry.

“To Katy Perry, please stop,” she said.

“It’s not doing anyone any good except hurting a lot of people.”

The singer sought to buy the eight-acre property and its Roman-villa style buildings for 14.5 million US dollars.

Her efforts to buy the hilltop home were stymied when the nuns tried to sell the convent to a local entrepreneur to turn it into a boutique hotel, but a judge ruled in 2016 that the sale was invalid.

The Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary have owned the property for more than four decades but have not lived in the convent for several years.

“I was sad to hear the news of her passing and I have offered a Mass for the repose of her soul,” Archbishop Gomez said.

“We extend our prayers today to the Immaculate Heart of Mary community and to all her friends and loved ones.”

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