
How Pope Francis changed the Catholic church, and what happens next
From the beginning, the first Latin American pope wanted his papacy to be different. Catherine Pepinster, the former editor of the Tablet, says one of his first notable actions was to go to a prison, rather than a church, to wash people's feet in the traditional Maundy Thursday rite. It was typical of a pontiff who refused many of the luxuries of his predecessors – from giving up an apartment in the papal palace to only wearing simple leather shoes.
Michael Safi hears how Pope Francis tried to take a different approach to some of the Catholic church's controversies – especially the treatment of LGBTQ+ Catholics. 'Francis spoke about love frequently,' says Pepinster. Yet on this and other issues, from female priests to abuse scandals, many people thought he did not go far enough. Now the church is preparing to choose his successor, with all the ceremony and tradition that entails. But, says Pepinster, it is clear Pope Francis has changed the institution in the eyes of many of the church's followers. 'A lot of Catholics feel that the church is, in many ways, a more compassionate place.'

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The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Nagasaki cathedral blesses a bell that replaces one destroyed by the US atomic bomb
A Nagasaki cathedral has blessed the final piece to complete its restoration nearly 80 years after being destroyed by the second U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Japan: a reproduction of its lost bell restored by a group of Americans. The new bell was blessed and named 'St. Kateri Bell of Hope,' by Peter Michiaki Nakamura, archbishop of Nagasaki, at the Urakami Cathedral in a ceremony Thursday attended by more than 100 followers and other participants. The bell is scheduled to be hung inside the cathedral, filling the empty bell tower for the first time, on Aug. 9, the anniversary of the bombing. The U.S. bomb that was dropped Aug. 9, 1945, fell near the cathedral, killing two priests and 24 followers inside among the more than 70,000 dead in the city. Japan surrendered, ending World War II days later. The bombing of Nagasaki destroyed the cathedral building and the smaller of its two bells. The building was restored earlier, but without the smaller bell. The restoration project was led by James Nolan Jr., who was inspired after hearing about the lost bell when he met a local Catholic follower during his 2023 visit to Nagasaki. Nolan lectured about the atomic bombing in the southern city and its history about Catholic converts who went deep underground during centuries of violent persecution in Japan's feudal era, to raise funds for the bell restoration. 'I think it's beautiful and the bell itself is more beautiful than I ever imagined,' Nolan, who was at the blessing ceremony, said after he test-rang the bell. He said he hoped the bell "will be a symbol of unity and that will bear the fruits of fostering hope and peace in a world where there is division and war and hurt." A sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, Nolan is the grandson of a doctor who was in the Manhattan Project — the secret effort to build the bombs — and who was on a survey team that visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after the bombings. Nolan, based on materials his grandfather left behind, wrote a book 'Atomic Doctors,' about the moral dilemma of medical doctors who took part in the Manhattan Project.


Scottish Sun
16-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Parents could get free school meals for kids during summer holidays but they must apply NOW
Applications must be submitted before the deadline CHILD'S PLAY Parents could get free school meals for kids during summer holidays but they must apply NOW Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PARENTS could get a helping hand with free school meals throughout the summer holidays. The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme will offer support worth £100s after it was given the green light to run for another financial year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The HAF programme was rolled out in England in 2021, following successful pilots between 2018 and 2020 Credit: Getty It is funded by the Department for Education but is administered by local authorities, so each area varies in its offerings. Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, has issued a warning to parents to apply for the scheme ahead of the deadline. He warned that HAF isn't automatic and even if you've had help during previous school holidays, you will have to apply each time. Parents will need to apply for free school meals every year before the school year starts in September. Most local authorities offer to help families with children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. But local councils are also allowed to offer help to children outside of this group. The HAF programme was rolled out in England in 2021, following successful pilots between 2018 and 2020. The government says research has found the school holidays can be "pressure points" for families, leading to a "holiday experience gap". Children from low-income households are less likely to get access to organised out-of-school activities, more likely to experience social isolation and see their nutrition and physical health suffer. The HAF programme looks to address this, by providing free food and activities to children. The initiative is mostly for Reception-aged children up to Year 11. The application process and what help you can get varies based on where you live. For example, Waltham Forest Council, in North East London, is offering holiday clubs and a daily meal over the Easter school holidays to children on benefits-related free school meals. The provision is open to children from Reception up to Year 11. Children in the borough are entitled to four sessions across the holidays. If you are not eligible for the HAF programme in your local area, you might be able to get help via the Household Support Fund. The latest round of funding closes on March 31, but a new round is running from April 2025 until March 2026. The current round of funding is worth £421million and has been split between councils in England who then decide how to allocate their share. Free money is usually transferred to your bank account or you are awarded vouchers to spend on energy bills or at supermarkets. You usually qualify for help if you are on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable. Speak to your local council to see what help is on offer. You can find what council area you fall under by visiting Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.


Spectator
16-07-2025
- Spectator
Recovering the Sacred: Why young Christians are returning to church
Something mysterious is happening in churches across Britain: a growing number of young Christians are showing up. Millennial men, in particular, appear to be turning back to Christianity: there has been a four to five-fold increase since 2018 in 18-to-24-year-old males attending church. What's going on? Three hundred Spectator subscribers gathered in the beautiful surroundings of St Bartholomew the Great, the oldest parish church in the City of London – and one which has seen for itself this surge in young Christians worshipping – to find out why. Michael Gove, Editor of The Spectator, was joined by Damian Thompson, presenter of the Holy Smoke podcast, and the Revd. Marcus Walker, Rector of St Barts. The Provost of the London Oratory, Father Julian Large; the Revd. Professor Andrew Davison, Oxford Regius Professor of Divinity; and Dr Cosima Gillhammer, Fellow in Medieval English at Oxford's Lady Margaret Hall, also shared their thoughts on what appears to be an unexpected recovery of the sacred. As well as hearing from the panel, the audience enjoyed sung Catholic and Anglican motets from the choir of St Barts. – and rounded off the event with a glass of wine and a chance to speak to the panellists. Marcus Walker said that the 'signs of resurrection go well beyond St Barts: 'The Pentecostals are doing well. Conservative and charismatic evangelicals are booming. The rural church, much ignored by national church visions and strategies are seeing green shoots rising. And we hear of a huge uptick in baptisms in once Catholic France – 10,000 at Easter – and once Lutheran Sweden.' St Barts has fostered a sense of community among its younger members with annual retreats for young adults, active WhatsApp groups and pub trips after church services. But Walker suggests that these things are 'less important than the broader pan-ecclesial elements which are drawing people to church' – not least the collapse of the humanist creed. The end of the 'heady optimism of the 1990s and noughties' – and the fading idea that humanity 'has got it all right and it's only going to get better' – means God is firmly back in the picture, he said. 'Reconnecting with eternity gives us a peace which the world cannot give,' Walker said. It's a picture that Father Julian Large recognises. He says that the uptick in young worshippers has been particularly noticeable since the pandemic: 'After the doors were reopened, we found ourselves facing a veritable tsunami of new parishioners. The average age of the congregation now is considerably younger than it was before.' Many young people, he says, have become more sceptical towards traditional voices of authority and the mainstream media after Covid and lockdown. 'They are in search of truth and authenticity,' he says. 'I think that we can agree that something's happening. Even on the train and in the street, I seem to hear young people talking about Christianity more than ever', says Davison. He told the audience of Spectator readers that, even during midweek services which traditionally were less popular, there are now few empty pews. The reason why, suggests Davidson, is that the church offers something in short supply: hope. 'There seems to be some correlation between the people for whom life seems particularly bleak and those…who are coming to church – especially the young, perhaps even especially young men,' Davison said. To join us at the next Spectator event, click here.