The Most Rev John Wilson was appointed by Pope Francis last month and will be the eleventh Archbishop of Southwark.

In a statement on Wednesday, Bishop Wilson said: “I begin my new ministry in the joy and hope that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus, once crucified and now forever risen from the dead. In the Gospel reading from St Matthew, which we shall hear during the Installation Mass, the Lord Jesus proclaims that he came ‘not to be served, but to serve.’ This is the pattern for all discipleship and mission in the Church. We are to be servants of each other in the strength of the love of Christ which has been poured into our hearts.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols together with Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham and Archbishop George Stack of Cardiff were among those in attendance.

The service was broadcast live on the RC Southwark YouTube Channel to allow all those unable to attend in person to “engage with this important new beginning for Southwark.”

Ahead of Bishop Wilson’s installation, the Archdiocese released this statement: “The clergy and laity of the Diocese warmly welcome Archbishop John Wilson to Southwark and greatly look forward to working with him in fulfilling God’s mission for the Archdiocese.”

Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Southwark, Rev Wilson was a priest in the Diocese of Leeds before becoming the…

Bijaya Sanaseth spent over ten years behind bars after being held responsible – alongside six others believers – for the death of the highly revered social leader.

Although initial media reports said that the Communist Party of India (Maoist) were behind the killing, many Hindu nationalists accused the Christians of perpetrating the murder.

The murder sparked the country’s worst ever anti-Christian violence in India’s independent history. After three months of violence, at least 91 Christians were killed, many hacked to death by axes and machetes, and at least three Christian women were gang raped. 

Sanaseth is the second of the accused Christians to be released after Garanath Challanseth, who was released on bail this year on 21st May. 

Bhaskar Sunamajhi, Buddhadev Nayak, Durjo Sunamajhi, Sanatan Badamajhl and Munda Badamajhl all remain in jail.

John Dayal, a civil rights activist and writer, said in a statement: “Any freedom loving human will rejoice that this man can breathe free after more than ten years of unjust incarceration.

“Five others remain in jail, denied this right under the law. We are with them in solidarity. But it needs be remembered that the two [Bijaya Sanaseth and Garanath Challanseth] are out on bail.

“The High Court must hear the appeals and throw out the shameful ruling of the lower court, which reeks of religious…

The researchers found that a record increase in restrictions on religion have been imposed by many governments around the world, with Christians facing harassment in 143 countries. 

Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, said while it “welcomes the report”, it didn’t paint an entirely accurate picture of global Christian persecution.

“The sheer breadth of their investigation means it is behind the times,” a statement from the charity states. 

“From our own findings, we would say that insufficient emphasis is placed on the growing restrictions in China and the severe persecution of Christians in North Korea.” 

Release International said the persecution level in China is even higher than this research reveals as the research stops at 2017.

“The following year, China imposed even tougher new restrictions to clamp down on Christians in their country,” Paul Robinson from the charity explained. 

China has also restricted the number of religious groups who can register with the government to hold worship services. 

However, there are reports that even registered Christian churches are being shut down by the government. North Korea isn’t included at all in the Pew report.

The explanation given reads:…

The statue has been built to recognise the love for the sport in the city.

The Gloucester Gargoyle, known as ‘Glaaaawster’ in homage to the chant by local rugby supporters, is a rugby player tightly holding a ball while kneeling on the ground.

Very Rev Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester said: “Since 1891, Gloucester Rugby Club has played its home matches at Kingsholm Stadium. The matches attract large numbers of loyal followers filling the city with enthusiastic fans, and with the other ‘hallowed ground’ just a stone’s throw away from the Cathedral, it seemed only fitting that ‘Glaaaawster’ should pay tribute to this much-loved sport.”

The clay model has been sculpted by the Cathedral’s master mason and over the next six months will be carved into stone.

It’s the first of six being introduced to replace those which have worn away on the building.

Each gargoyle represents a different region of the County, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean by reflecting local traditions and heritage.

Their installation will form part of a £530,000 restoration project.

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