Christian Aid, Tr贸caire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation are planning to join forces in a response to our planet's growing climate chaos. To coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference, which begins on Monday in Bali, marches and demonstrations will be taking place across the world, including in the UK and Ireland, which will illustrate the demand for strong action to be taken by governments on climate change.
On 8 December, Christian Aid, Tr贸caire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation are asking every cathedral and churche in Northern Ireland to ring their bells at 2pm -- to represent the 2 degrees temperature rise limit that cannot be exceeded if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change.
The main focus in Belfast on 8 December will be St Anne鈥檚 Cathedral. Members of the public are invited to bring alarm clocks with them, to compensate for a lack of bells, which will be set to go off at 2pm. Members of the clergy from each of the four larger church denominations will be there, as well as a diverse range of activists and members of various congregations from across Northern Ireland. The public will be gathering at St Anne's on 8 December at 1.30pm.
If you are interested in joining in any aspect of the event, you can contact Niall Bakewell at on 028 9089 7592 or e-mail niall.bakewell@foe.co.uk.
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The English school teacher Gillian Gibbons has ten more days to serve of the jail sentence she received for allowing her class to name a teddy bear "Muhammad". Meanwhile, today in Khartoum, thousands of protestors have been calling for the 54-year-old to be shot. The incident with the teddy bear has clearly upset a great many people in Sudan, even though it appears to have been an innocent mistake by the teacher. But how should the UK government respond to the incarceration of one of its citizens overseas for the crime of giving a teddy bear a popular Muslim name? One possible response would be for David Milliband to exclude the Sudanese ambassador from the UK for the next ten days. But that would probably inflame the situation even further; and, given , just getting Mrs Gibbons home safely has got to be a more pressing priority.
Many of the newspapers are today leading with the We examined the issues involved on Sunday morning with the president of the Oxford Union and the co-chair of Oxford's Jewish Society. It is absolutely right that the story should receive so much coverage, because the moral questions raised are extremely important.
Into the mix of questions about what limits we should place on public speech, let's add this: 鈥淗ang chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope鈥. That's part of a lyric from the song "Hang 鈥榚m High" by the Jamaican Reggae artist Beenie Man, which was until recently available in many highstreet music shops. Roughly translated, this reads: "Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope.鈥
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of , Westminster politicians. Amnesty International reports that gay men and women in Jamaica have been "", so this debate is not merely about lyricism. The connection between hate-speech and violent action has prompted some Reggae artists (including Beenie Man) to but other performers in the Reggae community continue to perform songs laced with anti-gay sentiments (along with attacks based on a other people's religion, ethnicity and gender).
Until that degree of self-censorship is universal, we are entitled to ask why songs celebrating the murder of lesbians or gay men
Pictured: was beaten with sticks and cut with machetes by assailants who perceived that he was gay.
Gillian Gibbons, 54, a schoolteacher from Liverpool, now working in Sudan, is facing a six-month jail sentence or 40 lashes. Her crime? She allowed a classroom of six and seven-year olds to
Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Moldova, Russia, Armenia, South Korea and the United States.
These are the only 13 countries in the world that completely ban incoming travel across their borders by HIV-positive travellers. The US finds itself in, shall we say, politically interesting company in that list.
Next question: Which one of these countries is considering lifting their 20-year travel ban on HIV-positive travellers? No, it's not the US. In fact, the US has just .
It's . A Chinese Health Department spokesman, Mao Qun'an, has even acknowledged that the rule was introduced at a time when people knew little about how HIV/Aids was spread. Ahead of this year's , it's worth remembering that people living with HIV continue to experience various forms of discrimination, legal and illegal, in many countries of the world. Will you be wearing a red ribbon on Saturday?
Archbishop Se谩n Brady at a ceremony in Rome. Now, for the first time, the small island of Ireland is home to no less than three cardinals (though only one, Cardinal Brady, is currently young enough to have a vote -- or to be a candidate -- in the election of a future pope). At a press gathering in the Irish College, the new cardinal looked to the future of the Irish church:
The years ahead will bring a new emphasis on the role of the lay faithful. This is to be welcomed. It is also appropriate and necessary. Respect for our neighbour, defence of the inherent dignity of the human person, generosity in service of others, concern for those most in need, especially in the developing world, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, these are the things which have made Ireland the great, generous and peace making country that it is. These are the things that will keep Ireland great. These are things which also flow from faith. My prayer is that these will continue to be the outstanding characteristics of the Irish. That will only happen if the foundation of faith remains intact.
The full text of that address to the media is included below.
For those who enjoy the finer details of papal protocol, Pope Benedict granted Cardinal Brady the titular Church of St Cyricus and Julitta, who were martyrs. The story is that Julitta, a widow of Iconium, took her three year old son, Cyricus, to Tarsus, the native city of St Paul, to escape persecution. Here, however, she was recognised and accused, suffered with her child a series of tortures, which, however, rebounded in some way against the persecutors whom Cyricus attacked. Eventually, Julitta and her son were executed and their relics were saved by other Christians. Cyricus was supposed to have come from Antioch, a child martyr of immense popularity.
On tomorrow's programme, we'll have full coverage of the Consistory and an update on the weekend's celebrations in Rome.
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The global coverage of the new iPhone launch has also prompted this e-mail which appears to be doing the rounds:
Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The i-Tit will cost $499 or $599 depending on cup size. This has been hailed as a major breakthrough because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.
Lest you are in any doubt, I can confirm that this story is untrue. ;-)
Could the example of the Republic of Ireland help Gordon Brown and make the UK more environmentally friendly. The prime minister said on monday, 鈥淥ne of the biggest contributors to our greenhouse gas emissions is landfilled waste. And all over the country campaigns are forming to get rid of disposable plastic bags 鈥 one of the most visible symbols of environmental waste.鈥 Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags in 2002 and saw a 95 per cent reduction in the use of disposable plastic bags. Australia is planning to introduce a similar plastic bag levy soon. Sounds like an obvious environmental success story. But . . . the sales of plastic bin-liners .
There is a growing consensus that we need to drastically reduce our use of plastic bags. But there is a bigger issue here, and that is our use of plastic more generally.
Oxford University's famous debating society, the Oxford Union, has invited the historian David Irving and the BNP leader Nick Griffin to talk part in a "free speech forum" next Monday -- much to the annoyance of those who took part in . Oxford Union president Luke Tryl defends the invitations . He writes:
These people are not being given a platform to extol their views, but are coming to talk about the limits of free speech. What is more, they will be speaking in the context of a forum in which there will be other speakers to challenge and attack their views in a head to head manner and with the opportunity for students to challenge them from the floor. It is my belief that pushing the views of these people underground achieves nothing. The best way to deal with these views was summed up by Home Office Minister Tony McNulty on Thursday and that is 'to crush these people in debate'. Stopping them from speaking only allows them to become free speech martyrs, and from my own experience back in Halifax, which has suffered from race relation problems in the past, groups like the BNP do well if they look like they're being censored. Unlike OUSU, I think it's patronising to suggest that Oxford students aren't intelligent enough to debate with these people and I do have great faith in the ability of Oxford students to challenge them.
Others students disagree; not least Stephen Altmann-Richer, co-president of the Oxford University Jewish Society, who believes the Union "legitimises their views" by permitting Irving and Griffin to speak.
It's worth noting that both Irving and Griffin have been interviewed on live radio and television programmes, and that one of them is the leader of a political party that is permitted to stand in general and local elections. (I interviewed Irving myself live on radio a few months ago, soon after his release from prison in Austria.)
Their views on history and politics are another matter entirely; and many people regard those views as nothing less than disgraceful. But should Irving and Griffin have the freedom to express those views in a public forum at a leading university; or should they be forbidden to speak on any subject because their views on these issues are considered beyond the pale? Some may defend censorship as an appropriate response to ideas that the vast majority of us regard as morally despicable, but isn't there a danger that censorship will merely draw more attention (and more supporters) to those ideas by enabling their advocates to be portrayed as victims?
, will be created a cardinal next Saturday in Rome. It's not just a big day for the Catholic primate himself; it's also an historic day for the Irish church. For the first time, Ireland will have three living cardinals. But who should represent Northern Ireland at the Consistory on Saturday?
Clearly, it won't be the First Minister of Northern Ireland, since Dr Paisley has a few unresolved issues with Rome. Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister, will be attending the Consistory; and the Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, will also be there. Mark Devenport has been reporting some gossip at Stormont: Martin McGuinness is understandably very keen to meet Pope Benedict, but rumour has it that he may only be able to meet the pope if he is designated as the British representative. This, I think, is a very unlikely scenario. The Vatican is blessed with some extremely creative theologians whose skills are usually employed dealing with complex questions about eucharistic metaphysics. I am certain that their combined intellectual weight is more than up to the task of getting Martin McGuinness into the presence of the pope without triggering a political crisis, an international incident, or a new passport for the Deputy First Minister.
Senator , the leading Republican on the , has asked six celebrity televangelists to provide financial statements and records for . The TV evangelists -- including and , who recently conducted campaings in Northern Ireland -- have until 6 December to file their accounts with the committee.
The Senate investigation by complaints from Ole Anthony's , "a watchdog monitoring religious media, fraud and abuse".
Television ministries in the US (controversially) enjoy tax-emept status. Senator Grassley has therefore written to six leading ministries requesting accounts and detailed answers to pretty direct questions (see below). In addition to asking about the use of private jets and luxury homes, the Committee would also like to know what possible ministry purpose Joyce Meyers is assigning to her $23,000 "commode with marble top".
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The international community has taken a step closer to a global moratorium on the death penalty. An influential panel at the United Nations has voted for . 99 countries voted for the suspension, but nearly as many either voted against or abstained. The matter will now go to the full General Assembly, which looks like to "call" for a moratorium.
Religion plays a key role in this debate in many countries, not least in the United States where biblical texts have often been used (and abused) to make a case for executions. For example, the Old Testament text, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (see Exodus 21:23鈥27), has been held up by some campaigners as a biblical mandate for execution, when, in fact, this text specifies proportionate restrictions on judicial responses rather than a tit-for-tat policy.
Human rights lawyers with experience of the legal and political debate about capital punishment in the United States, such as , know only too well that the argument is often conducted in the language of biblical religion. It is therefore extremely important that we begin a conversation internationally about how to read the Bible responsibly. The alternative is that we do the Bible an injustice -- and do a lot of human beings an even greater injustice.
I think can only be described as "pedal-ophilia." Oh dear. But apart from the clearly bizarre aspects of this case, aabout the human rights implications of this verdict.
I was filming with the Blueprint team today at Scrabo Tower in Newtownards. 122 steps, in case you didn't know -- it's an architectural step-master. Apparently it's possible to see four counties, on a good day, from the top of the tower. It was built in 1857 as a memorial to Charles William Stewart, the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, with money partly raised from tenants living on the Marquess's estate.
Our team of Natalie, Colin, Barney and myself climbed to the roof platform to film a piece about Scrabo's famous Triassic sandstone. It's a beautiful setting, a landscape shaped by a succession of ice sheets that ground the bedrock for much of the last 1.5 million years.
We're back in the office now, at Broadcasting House, and we're about to meet Sir Michael Lyons and other memebrs of the 大象传媒 Trust, who are currently on a visit to Belfast.
Today's programme didn't exactly run according to plan.
We had intended to broadcast a live special edition from the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen -- built on the site of the old reading rooms where the infamous poppy day bomb had been planted -- with the 830am opening of the programme coming from the cenotaph itself in Belmore Street. I was to stand at the War Memorial accompanied by David Cupples and Selwyn Johnston and we would begin the programme by talking about their memories of Remembrance Day 1987 when twelve people lost their lives.
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This Sunday, I'll be presenting a special edition of Sunday Sequence live from Enniskillen, marking the 20th anniversary of the . I'll be joined by local people who were present on 8 November 1987 when twelve people lost their lives, and by those who have worked hard to help Fermanagh's county town move forward beyond what was an appalling atrocity. The programme begins at 8.30am and we're followed at 10.30 by the Solemn Ceremony of Remembrance from the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
A zero tolerance approach to drinking and driving seems attractive to a growing number of people. But, as Fr Brian D'Arcy was suggesting on today's Good Morning Ulster, that kind of policy on priests carrying out essential sacramental duties. Catholic priests often have to drive between services at which they have consumed small amounts of communion wine. Alcoholic wine is considered an essential eucharistic element in most cases -- a priest may be granted permission to use non-alcoholic wine if he presents a medical certificate to a superior indicating that he has struggled with alcoholism or related conditions, but this is rare.
Currently, the UK and Ireland permit higher blood alcohol levels than many other EU countries (compare levels ) at 80mg. Sweden, by comparison, sets the limit at 20mg. A zero tolerance strategy would certainly raise concerns for priests who have consumed some wine at Mass, but there is still clearly room for a significant reduction in the UK/Irish blood alcohol limit without producing that unintended consequence. On the other hand, this European-wide debate may now force a Vatican rethink of the current rules on alcoholic wine at the Eucharist.
The Elmwood Hall was sold out tonight for -- and he was wonderful. He talked to me about his time living in Belfast while lecturing in law at Queen's, about the influence of Brian Moore's novels on his writing, about the creation of Precious Ramotswe, the 44 Scotland Street series, and The Really Terrible Orchestra. He was hilariously funny and charmed the entire room. At the end of our conversation, I persuaded him to write Belfast into the current series of the 44 Scotland Street novels -- to rousing applause from the audience. Over dinner afterwards, he even began to draft (aloud) a possible narrative thread. He's writing the novel in daily installments which are published in The Scotsman -- so look out for Belfast in the current series.
I took part in , organised by the Human Rights Commission and the Irish School of Ecumenics, which explored the relationship between . I understand that the conference proceedings will be published eventually, which is good news because this is an extremely important topic, particularly for the "new" Northern Ireland. The media often reports a presumed "clash" between faith and human rights, and there are many local examples of that apparent collision of worldviews which come to mind. But is a conflict inevitable? Is it possible for the religious and ethical commitments of religious groups to enjoy as much respect as the claims and values of other groups within a pluralist society? And can we find a way to protect religious freedom whilst at the same time protecting the rights of others? Rebecca Dudley has written an excellent background paper, which examines some of the issues at play in the debate about rights and righteousness. It is available .
