Welsh AM changes role - becomes humanist celebrant

Welsh Assembly member Lorraine Barrett will not be seeking re-election but is to take on a new role as a Humanist celebrant and will officiate at wedding and funeral ceremonies.

Read about it here

Soup run convention

Following some preliminary discussions with members of the Council's Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal programme, and City Centre Outreach team, concerning the work done by volunteers in caring for homeless people on the city's streets, a meeting of two dozen volunteers (hereafter to be called Street Carers) was held tonight at City United Reformed Church in Windsor Place, to share ideas about the work and see if there was any common ground on which to establish a common training, mutual support and a measure of public recognition that would make possible an effective partnership with the local authority's social services, for the benefit of people on the streets.

A new blog has been created to record further development as it happens. Cardiff Street Care Chronicle

Sikh right to display religious identity upheld

The High Court has ruled that Sikh pupil Sarika Singh was discriminated against by being excluded from Aberdare Girls' Grammar School for wearing the kara - a bangle which is one of the five distinctive signs of Sikh identity.

The school governors will need to examine their position very carefully, in the light of such a judgement against their action. Perhaps if they had read more carefully the school's own statement of principles, with its encouragement of respect for individuals regardless of background, they would have thought twice about their action. Or, is it possible that they were simply ignorant of the significance of the five 'k' s to the Sikh faithful?

Spiritual Capital Cardiff Conference

This afternoon the Spiritual Capital Cardiff research project report was launched at a conference in the Future inn Hotel Cardiff Bay, before a multi-faith audience.

It was due to gather in County Hall but the venue had to be changed at short notice because of industrial action. Deputy Leader Judith Woodman and Policy advisor Paul Orders were among the speakers.

The conference report illustrates the great variety of ways in which faith communities contribute to the social capital and well being of city life, and called for the establishment of a worker whose role would enable a much fuller partnership to be developed between voluntary faith community organisations and the work of the city council.

A full account of the work of the project, its report and the conference can be found at the Spiritual Capital Cardiff website.

Common Word follow through

The Archbishop of Canterbury has today issued a very positive and detailed response to the 'Common Word' document issued recently by Muslim scholars, affirming the initiative and the grounds on which further dialogue should be pursued. A .pdf for the document is available for download with the title 'A Common Word for the Common Good'

With the Lambeth Conference due to start on Wednesday faced with contention, strife and the beginnings of schism on the part of the more conservative Anglicans of the world, this document shows how profoundly and patiently +Rowan is committed to reconcilaition through dialogue on every religious and spiritual direction. Which is more than can be said for his detractors.

Welsh Archbishop takes a stand

Archbishop Barry Morgan declares that should a Welsh Electoral College knowing choose as the most suitable episcopal suitable candidate a gay person living in a committed partnership, he would have no problem about consecrating them. Read about it on the BBC news website and at Wales on-line

Apart from stating that he personally has no moral qualms about this, he is more importantly indicating that he would not use his 'apostolic' office to over-ride an electoral decision which was made with full knowledge and legality. Servant episcopate in place of the monarchical despotic kind with which the church is more familiar.

Groundbreaking Christian Muslim dialogue

The Archbishop of Canterbury has brought together an international and ecumenical group of Christian theologians to discuss ways in which engagement in dialogue between Christians and Muslims might be strengthend. Read about it here

This is response to an historic open letter issued last year by the most comprehensive international group of Muslim Theologians ever to have deliberated together inviting dialogue with Christians on the subject of the great twofold love commandments. This was a follow up to a letter written to Pope Benedict after he had made some contentious remarks in a lecutre about Christinity and Islam a year ago.

A Jordanian website : www.acommonword.com gives an account of the work of the Muslim theologians, and a list of contributors.