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Catholic Union calls on Government to rule out Covid passports for churches

The Catholic Union has called on the Government to rule out the use of Covid passports for churches and other places of worship.

 

The Government has said it intends to make certification mandatory for access to certain “crowded” places later this year, but details of the proposals are yet to be confirmed.

 

Faiths Minister, Lord Greenhalgh, said on Twitter that the Government does not intend to make double vaccination a condition of entry to places of worship.

Read More »Catholic Union calls on Government to rule out Covid passports for churches

Catholic Union encourages Government to partner with faith groups

The Catholic Union has called on the Government to unlock the potential of faith groups in helping to tackle local problems.

 

In a letter to the Faiths Minister, Lord Greenhalgh, the Catholic Union has called for better guidance from the Government to encourage local authorities to work with faith groups at the ground level. The Catholic Union believes that “some small changes to existing guidance” could make a big difference in supporting the work of faith groups.

 

The Catholic Union has called for civil society to be at the heart of plans for recovery from the pandemic, and expressed concern that there was no mention of faith or family in the Queen’s Speech on 11 May, which set out the Government’s plans for the year ahead.

 

Read More »Catholic Union encourages Government to partner with faith groups

Catholic Union welcomes lifting of “arbitrary” cap on Mass attendance in Scotland

The Catholic Union has welcomed the decision by the Scottish Government to remove the cap on the number of people allowed to attend religious services in Scotland.

 

Churches in Scotland were able to reopen for public worship on 26 March, having been closed since the beginning of the year, but a maximum of 50 people could attend religious services.

 

The Catholic Union, along with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, argued that this cap was arbitrary and was preventing some people being able to return to Mass.

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‘Moral responsibility’ to tackle climate change, says Lord Deben

The Chair of the UK’s independent Committee on Climate Change, Lord Deben, has said we have “been careless with God’s creation” and have moral responsibility to act on climate change.

The Conservative peer and former Environment Secretary made his remarks in a webinar hosted by the Catholic Union on the Gospel imperative for tackling climate change.

Read More »‘Moral responsibility’ to tackle climate change, says Lord Deben

The Kirk and the Court: Why Scottish church closures were unlawful

The Scottish Court of Session ruled in favour of those who challenged the legality of the Scottish Government’s ban on public worship during the national lockdown in Scotland this year.

 

A coalition of 27 faith leaders, alongside Canon Tom White, challenged the proportionality of the ban in a legal action that was heard in the Scottish Court of Session on March 11 – 12.

Read More »The Kirk and the Court: Why Scottish church closures were unlawful

Britain can be a force for good, says Catholic Union

The Catholic Union has said that Britain can and should be a force for good in the world in its response to the Government’s Integrated Review of security, defence, development, and foreign policy.

 

The report – entitled Global Britain in a Competitive Age – sets out the challenges likely to confront the UK over the next decade and how the Government plans to respond.

 

The Catholic Union called for a focus on promoting fundamental human rights at home and abroad in evidence to the review last year to avoid the concept of human rights being diluted.

 

Read More »Britain can be a force for good, says Catholic Union