Support for traditional funeral custom

Cardiff City Council responds to need of Muslim and Jewish communities to hold funeral services as close to the time of death - same day if possible or at least within 24 hours of death according to custom.

This improves on the existing fast track arrangement, which allowed for funerals at public cemeteries over weekends wherever practicable.

Read about it here - http://tinyurl.com/7zr9ug9

A non-religious civil funeral ceremony

Wrexham Council have appointed and trained a council official to arrange and officiate at funerals where deceased or their family want to have a service but do not want to use either a minister of religion or a humanist as officiant.

Read about it here

A Spiritual Capital approach to values

Although a philosophical rather than a religious approach is taken, American hotelier Chip Conley speaks on Ted.com about reappraising what we value and how we go about valuing things that matter to us most, and its an approach that may well give religious leaders something to think about.

Watch his lecture here

A Common Voice celebration

Cardiff City Hall last night hosted a dinner to mark the tenth anniversary of top level Muslim and Christian regional leadership in dialogue, with guests from the Welsh Assembly and the City Council. There's a press release here describing the occasion.

Archbishop Peter Smith on the social aim of faith

Former Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith was enthroned yesterday in Southwark Roman Catholic Cathedral at the heart of Britain's capital city.

His sermon contained this concise and pertinent account of the role of faith in society.

“The historic, present, and future value of religion to the secular and spiritual life of the country has come under increasing criticism, and is often summarily dismissed as irrelevant and even dangerous… However, the reality is that the Church is not a threat to the legitimate independence and proper role of the secular State ... The ambition of the Church is to see every person flourish and achieve his or her full potential, irrespective of race, religion, colour or creed ...the Church has a clear vision of what religion and faith can offer to a confused and fragmented society and world.”

Faith groups have lost the simple confidence of a large proportion of the population, and all are now faced, together or individually, with earning public trust in the genuineness of this intent.

Archbishop's move

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff has been appointed by the Pope to be the next Archbishop of Southwark after eight and a half years here in Wales. For him it will be a return to the area in which he was born to become one of the Capital's senior faith community leaders. He will be enthroned this coming 10th June.

Read about it here

Secular Society to protest during Pope's visit

The National Secular Society has launched and on-line petition as part of a campaign of protest against Pope Benedict's state visit.

This had been stimulated by the Pope's recent outspoken comments on the UK Equalities legislation.

Read about it here

Full coverage of responses to papal remarks are to be found on the Thinking Anglicans blog postings for Feb 1st,