Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Stories in The Times by Ruth Gledhill: 22 Dec 2010 to May 2011

Links to Ruth Gledhill's stories in The Times. All links are paywalled.


US courts used to unmask blogger

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 30 May 2011
  • Law
A local authority has defended its legal battle to unmask a blogger after the social network site Twitter was ordered to hand over details of five British-based accounts in what is thought to be the first legal case of its kind from Britain. Twitter has been told by a US court to hand

The Times on Twitter

Kaya Burgess
...Technology @MuradAhmed - Technology reporter Religion @RuthieGledhill - Relgious Affairs Editor, Ruth Gledhill @ArticlesofFaith - Ruth Gledhill’s Articles of Faith blog Olympics @AshlingOC - Olympics Correspondent, Ashling O’Connor...

Live: Obama at State Banquet

David Byers, Jenny Booth and Philippe Naughton
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 May 2011
  • UK News
...premiers how to play. 17.56 Ruth Gledhill, who was present at Westminster...Here’s the picture from Ruth Gledhill, 15.04 The Obamas’ motorcade...who cheer him loudly. 14.35 Ruth Gledhill, our Religion Correspondent... 

You, the editor

...Glasenberg and his empire was exposé journalism of high order. Finally, as a theology student, I was saddened to read Ruth Gledhill’s piece, “End is nigh for Oxford’s Faculty of Theology”. I concurred with the unnamed academic who spoke...


End is nigh for Oxford’s Faculty of Theology

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 20 May 2011
  • Faith
For more than 800 years, the University of Oxford has led the world in the study of the divine. For centuries, it has sat alongside Cambridge as the leading centre for the study of the Bible. Now academics are considering a proposal to rebrand theology at Oxford as “religious studies” because of

Don't let religion hijack the Bible, says Richard Dawkins

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 18 May 2011
  • Faith
Religion should not be allowed to “hijack” the great cultural resource of the Bible, according to the atheist scientist Professor Richard Dawkins. Asked by the Labour MP Frank Field, chairman of the King James Bible Trust, what the Bible meant to him, he said: “I think it is important to

Fish Fridays are back on the menu for Catholics in Britain

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 14 May 2011
  • Faith
Catholics in Britain have been told to return to the practice of not eating meat on Fridays. The move is to enable them to do penance and show solidarity with the poor and suffering. The Catholic bishops of England and Wales decreed at their “Low Week” meeting that the Christian

Humans have inbuilt bias to believe in God, researchers find

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 13 May 2011
  • Faith
Human beings are predisposed to believe in God and the afterlife, according to a study by academics at the University of Oxford. The findings of a three-year, £1.9 million research project suggest that there is an inbuilt bias in the mind towards seeing the world in religious or

National Trust’s dragon appeal is off to a red-hot start

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 09 May 2011
  • UK News
The National Trust is halfway to reaching its £1 million target to secure an historic part of the North Wales landscape, only five weeks after the appeal was announced. The trust’s plan to buy the magnificent Llyndy Isaf, a 614-acre farm and wildlife haven in Snowdonia, is backed by celebrities

Archbishop of Canterbury condemns killing of bin Laden

Ruth Gledhill
The Archbishop of Canterbury was at the centre of a growing row yesterday after he criticised the manner in which Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan. Senior church and military figures lined up to argue over the raid and Washington came under increasing pressure for


We followed Islamic rules and eased him into the sea, says US

Martin Fletcher and Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 03 May 2011
  • Asia
It was not the burial that Osama bin Laden or anyone else would have anticipated: early yesterday his corpse was tipped into the sea from the deck of an American aircraft carrier. The US Navy Seals who assaulted bin Laden’s compound are believed to have taken his body to their base, probably Bagram

Bin Laden was buried at sea to avoid his grave becoming a shrine

Ruth Gledhill
The speed with which the US dealt with the body of Osama bin Laden has surprised some but it was within the constraints of Islamic law which demands burial within 24 hours. In line with Sharia the body would also have been ritually bathed three times and shrouded in white. What was

Live coverage: DNA confirms terror leader's death

Nico Hines, Sadie Gray and Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray
...Laden has surprised some but it was within the constraints of Islamic law which demands burial within 24 hours, writes Ruth Gledhill, The Times’s Religion Correspondent. Sharia was followed also in ritually bathing the body three times and shrouding...

Catholic agencies close down over new ruling on gay adoption

Ruth Gledhill and Rosemary Bennett
  • The Times
  • Published: 02 May 2011
  • UK News
Five Roman Catholic adoption agencies have closed since laws came into force requiring them to recruit gay couples, making it harder for some of the most vulnerable children to be found a home. Eight other agencies have risked their financial future by severing links with the Catholic

The ceremony: a message of love and hope

Ruth Gledhill
Traditional yet modern, formal yet relaxed, uxorious yet innocent, grand yet humble. From the flourish with which the Archbishop of Canterbury donned his gold and red mitre to solemnise the marriage, to the statesmanlike gravity with which the Bishop of London expounded on marriage, the

Cartwheeling verger set for stardom

Ruth Gledhill
An exuberant verger cartwheeled along the red carpet-lined aisle of Westminster Abbey as he celebrated the royal wedding. The clergyman waited until some 1,900 guests had left the abbey before seizing his chance to cartwheel down the carpet William and Kate had just walked along for the

Live: Royal newlyweds take surprise drive in The Mall

Philippe Naughton, Sadie Gray, Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray, Sophie Tedmanson and Sophie Tedmanson/Sophie Tedmanson
...face coverings or be arrested. Adam says there are a number of people masking up around Soho Square... 11.44am Ruth Gledhill, our religion correspondent, points out that Bishop Chartres’ sermon ended with a prayer written especially for...

Couple’s prayer to ‘serve and comfort the suffering’

Ruth Gledhill
The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today published a special prayer written for their ceremony in which they asked God to help them “serve and comfort those who suffer”. They also asked for spiritual guidance to maintain focus on the things that mattered, and that they




Kate will not promise to ‘obey' Prince William

Valentine Low and Ruth Gledhill
Kate Middleton will not promise to “obey” Prince William when the Archbishop of Canterbury solemnises their marriage at Westminster Abbey. Instead, like the Prince’s mother before her, she will pledge “to love and to cherish” her husband “till death us do part”. The choice of service

Professor criticises "offensive language" used about animals

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 28 April 2011
  • UK News
A top Church of England theologian has ruled that animals must no longer be described as "beasts" or "wild" because of the "offensive and derogatory" nature of such terms. Rev Professor Andrew Linzey, of the University of Birmingham and St Stephen's House Oxford, says in a journal

Forget wealth, be happy, says Archbishop in his Easter sermon

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 25 April 2011
  • Faith
Corporate prosperity without personal fulfilment is an “empty thing”, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said yesterday. In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, he said that there was more to life than gross domestic product. Dr Williams argued that true fulfilment could only

Religious leaders call for peace in Easter messages

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 April 2011
  • Faith
The Pope called for “diplomacy and dialogue” in Libya. In his traditional Urbi et Orbi address, to the city and the world, to many thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square in Rome. He prayed that human dignity “may overcome the darkness of division in the Middle East”. War and

Royal couple choose traditional service

Ruth Gledhill
Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen a traditional-language version for their marriage service, a decision taken partly to honour the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible this year. The Prince of Wales is patron of the King James Bible Trust, set up to celebrate the

The rich and powerful should be forced to do good works, says Archbishop

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 22 April 2011
  • Faith
The rich and powerful should be forced to spend a few days each year doing good works such as serving school dinners and helping the poor, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Dr Williams, who last night washed the feet of worshippers at the traditional Maundy

Courage and clarity - Archbishop's wish for royal couple

Ruth Gledhill
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for Prince William and Catherine Middleton to have “courage” and “clarity” as they embark on their public life together at Westminster Abbey next week. Dr Williams, who will officiate as the couple say “I do” and vow to love and cherish each

Archbishops and cardinals to join British on pilgrimage

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 21 April 2011
  • Faith
The former Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, and his successor, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, are among hundreds of British pilgrims expected to join the ranks of cardinals, priests and laity in Rome for the beatification of John Paul II. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop

Catholics to welcome new priest — and his wife and 8 children

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 21 April 2011
  • Faith
When worshippers at Buckfast Abbey welcome their latest recruit to the Roman Catholic priesthood after Easter, they will be getting more than what they usually expect with a new ordinand. Ian Hellyer is due to be received into the Roman Catholic Church today and will be ordained a few

Pope Paul VI’s diamond cross and ring for sale on eBay

Ruth Gledhill
A cross and ring belonging to Pope Paul VI are being sold on eBay with a starting price of £522,000, the Catholic Herald reports. The sale is being handled by US jeweller Alan Perry. The cross, described by the seller as “breathtaking”, has 12 large diamonds on the four arms,

Last Supper on a Thursday? You’re a day late

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 18 April 2011
  • Faith
Millions of Christians in the Western world will commemorate the Last Supper of Christ with His disciples on Maundy Thursday as Holy Week leads into Easter. But they will be a day late, according to research that has reopened the debate over whether the date of Easter should be

Churches aim for new roles in providing a focus for their communities

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 16 April 2011
  • Faith
St Cleopas, Toxteth Parishioners had been attending church services in a dangerously dilapidated mission hall ever since St Cleopas was knocked down in 1975. In 2005 the neighbourhood café, launderette and four shops also closed. An appeal was started to build a church and family centre.

Urgent help is needed to save thousands of crumbling churches

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 16 April 2011
  • Faith
The most comprehensive survey of Britain’s churches ever carried out has shown a “critical” number in desperate need of financial help. Nearly 4,000 of the nation’s 47,000 churches — 8 per cent — are in poor or very poor condition, needing an average of £80,000 spending each for repairs

Church gives City a lesson in being a smarter investor

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 15 April 2011
  • Faith
The investment arm of the Church of England outperformed many companies in the financial markets last year with an above-average 15.2 per cent return on investments. The Church Commissioners, who manage the £5.3 billion Church investments which they grew from £4.8 billion in spite of

London village: Kew

Ruth Gledhill
It has royal connections, schools, restaurants, green spaces to rival that of Kensington and is only 20 minutes out of London on the District Line. But the added draw to Kew, in the borough of Richmond, is the largely period housing that, although not cheap, is a fraction of the price

Kate’s confirmation is good news for the country

Ruth Gledhill
Over the past century, church membership and the number of confirmations have fallen. But more recently the Church of England has reported an increase in adult confirmations, such as that of Kate Middleton. What’s the point of confirmation? Like baptism, it is an initiation ceremony. The particular

Divorce is no obstacle as vicar becomes the new Bishop of Salisbury

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 13 April 2011
  • Faith
A vicar described as a “rising star” in the Church of England is to become the first clergyman married to a divorcee to be made a bishop. The Rev Nicholas Holtam, vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, Central London, has been approved by the Queen to take up the post of

‘Alien monstrosity’ has backing

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 12 April 2011
  • UK News
The Muslim community in Britain is split along traditionalist and progressive lines, with most condemning France’s burka ban but a minority of liberals condemning the full veil as an “alien cultural monstrosity”. Taj Hargey, imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation and chairman of the

St Paul’s Cathedral to gain giant rusty nail

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 09 April 2011
  • Faith
A few weeks after the Christian Church marks Easter, a 12-metre nail is to be hammered into the ground outside St Paul’s Cathedral. The modern sculpture by Gavin Turk, one of the generation of Young British Artists who came to prominence in the 1990s, will stand between Sir Christopher Wren’s

Fury as top scientist Lord Rees takes £1m religion prize

Hannah Devlin and Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 07 April 2011
  • Science
An eminent scientist has provoked a controversy by accepting a £1 million prize for contributions to life’s spiritual dimension. Lord Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal, who was president of the Royal Society until last year, was named as winner of the annual Templeton Prize in

A royal prayer before school gets out for the wedding weekend

Ruth Gledhill
The Church of England is publishing royal wedding prayers for well-wishers to say in the run-up to the big day. In the first prayer, released to The Times, young children are invited to pray for the safety and happiness of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The Church regularly issues prayers

Poetic justice for inmate who robbed Larkin

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 02 April 2011
  • UK News
Philip Larkin came second to a group of amateur poets when an inmate plagiarised one of his best-known compositions for a poetry competition in a prisoners’ magazine. Larkin’s poem, Talking In Bed, took second place in the prisoners’ magazine Inside Time. It lost to Relating, by

‘...help them to look after each other always’

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 01 April 2011
  • Faith
Few people now will be unaware that at the end of this month Prince William and Catherine Middleton will stand before the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey and pledge to love and cherish each other, “till death us do part”. To celebrate the event the Church of England is

Zurbarán paintings saved for the nation by multimillionaire

Ruth Gledhill
A multimillionaire fund manager has given £15 million to save the Zurbarán paintings for the nation. The 17th-century portraits of Jacob and his sons by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán have been at Auckland Castle, home to the Bishop of Durham, since 1756. The Church

Pope calls for peace in Libya and the entire North African region

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 27 March 2011
  • Faith
The Pope has called for an end to arms in Libya and voiced his fears for the safety of civilians. Benedict XVI was believed to be advocating an end to the use of international force in the country when he called for “the suspension of the use of arms” in his Sunday blessing of pilgrims

Choice of coaches means Kate and William will be seen — rain or shine

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 22 March 2011
  • UK News
Prince William and Kate Middleton will leave Westminster Abbey after their wedding service in a procession of five carriages drawn by Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays. The veteran horse, 17-year-old Daniel, will draw the carriage occupied by the Queen. The newlyweds will ride at the head of the

Libya day 3: as it unfolded

David Charter, Deborah Haynes and Nico Hines
...the chaplain at RAF Marham, the Norfolk base for Tornado attacks, has told The Times’s Religion Correspondent, Ruth Gledhill, that the action in Libya is “the lesser of two evils”. Read her interview with him on her blog. 10.26 GMT...

‘Most people would feel this is the lesser of two evils'

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 21 March 2011
  • Defence
In Marham, Norfok, the mood on the shabby housing estate by the RAF base was sombre. “We watched the Tornados take off with their bombs and we heard them come back,” one observer said. “We assume they dropped their bombs.” “We are not allowed to talk about it,” said another, in the store

Three former Anglican bishops are elevated to ‘Monsignor’ by the Pope

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 19 March 2011
  • Faith
Three former bishops in the Church of England have been elevated to the rank of “Monsignor” by the Pope, with one of them being granted the highest possible ecclesiastical title for a non-bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. The three new Monsignori are founding members of the new

Chapel Royal choir to sing at royal wedding

Ruth Gledhill
Choristers from the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace will join the choir of Westminster Abbey to sing at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The two choirs will sing a selection of well-known hymns and choral works chosen by the couple. The London Chamber Orchestra, the

Increase in Church of England members defecting to Catholic Church

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 16 March 2011
  • Faith
Nearly 1,000 members of the Church of England have quit their parishes and begun worshipping in the Roman Catholic Church, according to figures released yesterday. At least 600 laity were expected to join the new ordinariate, set up by the Pope to receive disaffected Anglicans, but the first

Anglo-Catholicism

Sir, In Ruth Gledhill’s report about Anglicans moving to the Ordinariate, she writes in her “Q&A” section: “Is this the end for Anglo...

Go in peace: vicar leads his flock to Rome

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 11 March 2011
  • Faith
In a converted church hall, their vicar shorn of his elaborate High Church clerical vestments and in a simple shirt and tie, 60 former parishioners from St Barnabas in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, gathered after a momentous journey, reversing centuries of religious history. It was only three

Anglican defectors mark start of Lent by joining Catholic Church

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 09 March 2011
  • Faith
At least 600 Church of England lay members and 20 priests will mark the start of Lent today by joining the Roman Catholic Church. They represent the first wave of laity joining the Ordinariate, the new body set up by the Pope for groups of former Anglicans, and are from more than 30

Sexist scholars framed Eve for Original Sin’

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 08 March 2011
  • Faith
Ancient Bible scholars "framed" Eve as the architect of "Original Sin" out of sexism, according to a leading academic. Far from being responsible for the "Fall of Man", she was actually the wife of God himself. Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou, senior lecturer in the Hebrew Bible at the

‘St Shahbaz’ would be a potent message

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 07 March 2011
  • Faith
For all practical purposes, Shahbaz Bhatti died a martyr, the Archbishop of Canterbury writes today. The Church of England does not canonise saints but the Roman Catholic Church does, and Mr Bhatti was Catholic. Some Catholics are asking that Pakistan’s martyr to religious freedom be

Vicar will conduct final service . . . then lead 70 parishioners to Rome

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 05 March 2011
  • Faith
Amid billowing clouds of incense and the encircling gloom of an oversized Victorian Anglican church, Father Ed Tomlinson will celebrate his last Mass tomorrow as vicar of St Barnabas, a glorious, cavernous neo-Gothic red-brick confection in Tunbridge Wells. Appalled by the Church of

Financial sector has failed to serve society, says Archbishop

Jill Sherman and Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 04 March 2011
  • Faith
The Archbishop of Westminster has condemned the financial sector for failing to “wake up” to its moral responsibility to “serve society”. The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, suggested that a spiritual and religious response to the economic

Pope: Jews not to blame for Jesus's death

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 02 March 2011
  • Faith
The Pope has stated explicitly that the Jews are not to blame for the death of Christ. In a new book published next week, Benedict XVI says there is no scriptural justification for the claim of “deicide” - that Jews killed the son of God. The charge of deicide, based on texts in

Christian couple lose battle to foster children because of views on gays

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 01 March 2011
  • Faith
Faith groups are warning that any fostering of children by Christians is now in doubt after the High Court ruled against a couple who want to foster but oppose practising homosexuality because of their faith. Eunice and Owen Johns, aged 62 and 65, from Derby, sought a court ruling that

The Times leads industry with 18 nominations for press awards

  • The Times
  • Published: 26 February 2011
  • Media
...other newspaper. Three of our specialist reporters — Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent; Sean O’Neill, Crime...Brian Deer The Sunday Times Chris Giles Financial Times Ruth Gledhill The Times Deborah Haynes The Times Jason Lewis Mail...

Support builds for gay marriage in Church of England

Ruth Gledhill
...hereafter for ever hold his peace.Ruth Gledhill on Twitter caspari caspari Chairing...video -- Canon Giles Fraser tells Ruth Gledhill why Church should ... http...18 hours ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill @ @TeeBylo thank u for trying...

Religious blessings for gay couples backed by senior clergy

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 20 February 2011
  • Faith
Senior clergy in the Church of England are showing signs of moving towards acceptance of same-sex blessings as a senior government minister disclosed plans to liberalise gay marriage laws. further In an interview with The Times, Canon Giles Fraser, chancellor at St Paul’s, London said: “I am in

Gordon Brown abandoned 'Council of Faiths' idea because of fears over 'slide into theocracy'

Ruth Gledhill
...eT8qJo 1 hour ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill Churches open door to Muslim...twitpic.com/41t3mc *Ruth Gledhill likes I Speak Because I Can by...Check out my latest blog on Ruth Gledhill's site. God and Cities - a...

Weapons of Mass Instruction, by Simon Cohen of Global Tolerance

Ruth Gledhill
(Imam Mohamed Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, by Global Tolerance)Weapons of Mass Instruction: A guest blog for Articles of Faith by Simon Cohen 2000 people –“ mainly women and children –“ are killed every day as a result of armed violence, yet something as harmless as a humble banana has more

Pope John Paul II’s coffin to go on show for prayers of the faithful

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 19 February 2011
  • Europe
The coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II is to be exhumed so that Roman Catholics can pray before it when he is beatified on May 1. More than a million people are expected in Rome for the Mass in St Peter’s Square on the Feast of Divine Mercy, the focal point of three days of

Vatican blocks second term of Caritas head

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 18 February 2011
  • Faith
The Holy See has blocked the appointment of one of the most powerful women in the Roman Catholic church from serving a second term as head of its global development agency. According to The Tablet, the UK-based Catholic weekly, Caritas Internationalis “is reeling” after the Vatican took the highly

Does God care more about Cities than Towns and Villages?

Ruth Gledhill
A guest blog for Articles of Faith by Alan Molineaux Does God care more about Cities than Towns and Villages? A recent church leader’s conference in Belfast had as its theme the idea that cities are strategic for the growth and continuation of the church. This along with similar themes heading our

Government will today announce equal religious rights for civil partnerships

Ruth Gledhill
...equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. See the story in The Times today by Richard Ford and Ruth Gledhill.The change, which will be entirely voluntary and will not force any religious group to host civil partnership registrations...

Civil partnership revolution begins

Richard Ford and Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 17 February 2011
  • Faith
Gay couples may be allowed to marry in register officer under government plans to create equality between civil marriages and civil partnerships. The far-reaching move is heralded today as the Home Office announced that the ban on religous premises holding civil partnerships is to be

New research shows rise in numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers

Ruth Gledhill
New research shows increases in numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers. The survey shows that nearly three-quarters of adults in the UK engaged in gambling in 2010, equivalent to 35.5 million adults.Read my news story in The Times here.Later, the Gambling Commission issued this

Britain - a nation of 35.5 million gamblers

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 15 February 2011
  • UK News
Nearly three-quarters of British adults — about 35.5 million people — took part in some form of gambling last year, according to new research showing a dramatic rise in the numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers. According to the Gambling Commission report on 7,756 people, which

More clergy defect to Catholic Church over women bishops

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 14 February 2011
  • Faith
Four Anglican clergymen have announced their resignations from the Church of England as traditionalists continue their exodus in protest over the consecration of women bishops. Father Simon Ellis, Father Ed Tomlinson and Father Ivan Aquilina, leading the Derbyshire, Tunbridge Wells and

On Valentine's Day, an African primate tells warring Anglican archbishops: 'Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself.'

Ruth Gledhill
...according to its liturgy, is plainly discriminatory. In the US it would be unconstitutional under the First Amendment.'Ruth's latest tweets: Resignations of Church of England clergy joining the #Ordinariate announced today. http://bit.ly...

Gays to be allowed to marry in church

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 13 February 2011
  • Faith
The Government is planning to change the law to allow same-sex couples to marry in a religious ceremony in church. Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister, is to publish plans to lift the ban on same sex partnership ceremonies being held in places of worship. Such ceremonies

Persecution Index: Middle East's largest Christian population facing uncertain future, says Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

Ruth Gledhill
...the world, spoke exclusively to Ruth Gledhill of The Times about his concerns...ruthiegledhill: RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill The part Unitarians, along with...FvHgQnLG 11 hours ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill Beautiful - @thetimeslive teams...

Persecution Index: What steps is UK government taking on Afghanistan persecution of religious minorities?

Ruth Gledhill
Said Musa is a 45-year-old father of six who is facing execution in Afghanistan for converting to from Islam to Christianity. He is one of two Christian converts in Afghanistan currently facing the death sentence for apostasy. Said, a charity worker who is disabled with just one leg and who has

Church ready to accept its first divorced bishop

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 10 February 2011
  • Faith
A divorced man could soon be made a bishop in the Church of England for the first time after its governing body signalled backing for the consecration of divorced and remarried clergy. The General Synod, meeting in London yesterday, rejected an attempt to introduce an extra vetting process for

Lent: a time for humilty and humour in the Church of England

Ruth Gledhill
'The Church must continue to influence debate,' the Archbishop of York told General Synod yesterday. Riazat Butt's report is in The Guardian. The theme of his speech was touched on earlier by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his sermon at the synod eucharist: 'The story that Jesus told about the 


Bless me, Father, for iHave sinned... the confession app

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 09 February 2011
  • Faith
Roman Catholic bishops have approved a new iPhone and iPad app that allows users to make confession with a virtual “priest” over the internet. “Confession: A Roman Catholic App”, which went on sale through Apple’s iTunes website for £1.19 last week, offers “a personalised examination of conscience

'A rare lot of nonsense. For heaven's sake grow up!' Church of England and the Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill
The Church of England has said that "it is desirable" that clergy leaving the CofE should relinquish their Orders, in order to clarify the legal position. See our report in The Times here. The headline on this blog is taken from one of the comments there.The Times package includes a Sky video with

Clergy defecting to Catholic Church risk ‘heresy trials' for disobedience

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 06 February 2011
  • Faith
Church of England clergy who resign and become Roman Catholic priests in the new Ordinariate group set up by the Pope could be subject to Anglican “heresy trials” for disobedience. As the General Synod, the Church’s parliament, opens today in Westminster, legal advisers have warned in

If you annoy me, said Evelyn Waugh, 'I'll put you in my next book!' War-time reminiscences of Times/Sternberg award winner John Majendie.

Ruth Gledhill
By Ruth GledhillTomorrow at Downing Street, John Majendie will receive The Times/Sternberg Active Life Award. I went to see him at...

Church condemned for plan to sell historic paintings

Ruth Gledhill
The head of the British Museum has condemned the Church of England for plans to sell off a £15 million set of historic Spanish paintings that have hung in a bishop’s castle for 260 years. Neil MacGregor, an Anglican who last year presented the BBC’s History of the World in 100 Objects, called for

UK Muslim numbers ‘to double’ by 2030

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 27 January 2011
  • Faith
The number of Muslims in Britain is expected to almost double in the next 20 years, giving it the largest increase in Europe, according to a report published today. The number is expected to increase from 2.9 million in 2010 to 5.6 million in 2030 according to the US-based Pew Forum on Religion and

Vatican letter on priestly sex abuse a cover-up?

Ruth Gledhill
John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter writes: 'A January 1997 letter from the papal ambassador to Ireland, communicating the opinion of the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy about a set of proposed Irish policies on priestly sexual abuse, confirms that in the late 1990s the Vatican was

'We will find a way out of the impasse!' Twelve Anglican Catholic bishops seek a new way.

Ruth Gledhill
...opposed to women's ordination but who wish to remain within the fold of the Church of England.Today in The Times, Ruth Gledhill writes on the Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting in Dublin this week that is to go ahead, in spite of a boycott...

Church unity blow as archbishops boycott summit

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 January 2011
  • Faith
One in three of the archbishops who lead the Anglican Church are expected to boycott a key summit in Dublin this week in a further blow to the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his goal of unity. The Times has learnt that up to 13 archbishops are to stay away from the Primates’ Meeting,

Parishioners ready to join the Roman breakaway

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 January 2011
  • Faith
More priests and laity from the Church of England’s Anglo-Catholic wing have pledged to join the Roman Catholic Church. Seven more clergy and about 300 members of six congregations are committed to joining the new Anglican Ordinariate, the extra-geographical organisation similar to a diocese set up

Retired Vatican prelate lays bare extraordinary divisions in Rome

Ruth Gledhill
Cardinal Walter Kasper appears to have told the Archbishop of Canterbury at a farewell dinner, the night before the ordinations of Frs Newton, Broadhurst and Burnham, that 'the day of tomorrow is not an easy one for you. It is not a day of victory for one side, it should be for both a day of

Pastor Terry Jones ignites new Koran controversy as Home Office bans him from Britain

Ruth Gledhill
Premier Christian Radio broke the story that Pastor Terry Jones was planning to visit Britain in February. Today the Home Office have banned him, as I report in The Times. Premier reported yesterday: The American pastor who wanted to burn the Koran could be coming to the UK in February.

Controversial American preacher barred from UK

Ruth Gledhill
The Home Office has barred the controversial American preacher Pastor Terry Jones from the United Kingdom as he unveiled proposals to “put the Koran on trial” in the US. The extremist Christian pastor sparked outrage when he announced plans by his Florida-based church to burn copies of the Koran to

Baroness Warsi: Islamophobia has 'passed the dinner party test.'

Ruth Gledhill
...that Islamaphobia has passed ‘the dinner table test’ as an acceptable subject of conversation in Britain. Read Ruth Gledhill's news story here. Here are some excerpts. “I have sensed that people were fed up of the patronising, superficial...

Prejudice against Muslims has become acceptable ‘dinner-table talk’

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 20 January 2011
  • Politics
Prejudice against Muslims has “passed the dinner-table test” and become widely socially acceptable in Britain, according to Baroness Warsi, the Conservative chairman. In a speech at the University of Leicester today, Baroness Warsi will warn of increasing misunderstanding and intolerance towards

Persecution Index: 'Despair and helplessness' as attacks on Christians continue in Jos, Nigeria

Ruth Gledhill
See end for European Parliament resolution against religious persecution in fullSince the Christmas Eve attacks, which I wrote about for The Times on Christmas Day, it has dropped out of the headlines but for the unfortunate Christians living in Jos, life continues in conditions of persecution

Vatican ordered Ireland’s Catholic priests not to report clerical abuse

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 19 January 2011
  • Faith
Ireland’s Catholic bishops, accused by the Pope last year of having failed “greviously” to deal properly with child abuse, were ordered by the Vatican not to report suspected child abusing priests to police. In a letter sent to the bishops in 1997 and reported tonight by the broadcaster RTE, the

Persecution Index: church minister shot dead in Jamaica

Ruth Gledhill
This blog marks the recommencement of my Persecution Index series. If I can ever negotiate the unfathomable mysteries of Pluck, I will attempt to list the archive of previous posts in the series.Today, from Kingston, Jamaica, the city where I spent my own early childhood imbibing Anglo-Cathoic

Judge rules against Christian b&b couple but allows appeal

Ruth Gledhill
The Christian Institute, who supported the couple at the Bristol bed and breakfast in their court battle to be allowed to refuse accommodation to a gay couple, have posted this report on the judge's ruling today. 'I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised in Britain. The same laws used

Faith Factor: Week Three

Ruth Gledhill
The big news this week: All Faiths has been signed by WarnerIf the pen is the tongue of the mind, then music is the quill of the soul.'So says ne of the seven members of All Faiths, Rabbi Danny Bergson, Community Rabbi at Newton Mearns Hebrew congregation in Glasgow, who spoke to me, above, when we

Anglican bishop ‘humbled’ by conversion

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 18 January 2011
  • Faith
A married former Anglican bishop with children and a grandchild is to sit alongside Roman Catholic bishops at their permanent assembly for England and Wales and have equal and unprecedented status with full voting rights. The only thing that Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican

‘I do not look back on the Church of England with bitterness’

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 17 January 2011
  • Faith
A married former Anglican bishop with children and a grandchild is to sit alongside Roman Catholic bishops at their conference and have equal and unprecedented status with full voting rights. The only thing that Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican Ordinariate, will not be able to do

Church of England to fight the “new atheism”

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 17 January 2011
  • Faith
The Church of England is to commit itself to fighting the “new atheism” with bishops leading the charge against attempts to marginalise Christianity. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu, along with the Church’s bishops are backing a new plan to combat the

Father Keith Newton, complete with Pectoral Cross and episcopal ring, speaks for first time about Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill
Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican Ordinariate, spoke for the first time about his conversion to Catholicism today. He revealed that he will have a full vote at the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, unprecedented for a married man. He will even have superior voting rights to

The evangelicals who don't like to evangelise

Ruth Gledhill
Ruth Gledhill's story in The Times tonight throws new light on Britain's evangelical...this video. It contains interviews with Phil Green, Amy Orr-Ewing and Ruth Valerio. Read more at Inspire magazine.

Anglican defectors set out on road to Rome

Ruth Gledhill
Ruth Gledhill broke the story in The Times on 1 January of the receptions of John Broadhurst, Keith Newton and Andrew Burnham into the Roman...

The Evangelicals who refuse to spread the Gospel

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 16 January 2011
  • Faith
Surprising numbers of “evangelical” Christians do not believe it is their duty to “evangelise” or attempt to convert non-believers to Christianity, according to new research. A survey of 17,000 Christians showed nearly three out of ten do not agree that it is a

Humbly before God, three former Anglican bishops ordained Roman Catholic priests at Westminster

Ruth Gledhill
Ruth Gledhill reports for The Times on the ordinations of the three former Anglican bishops. Catholic ordinations make wonderful picrtures, and here are the best from today.

Former Anglican bishops ordained as Catholics

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 15 January 2011
  • Faith
Three former Anglican bishops were ordained Roman Catholic priests today in an unprecedented service that will change the Christian landscape in Britain. Father Keith Newton, Father John Broadhurst and Father Andrew Burnham were ordained into the new Ordinariate, an extra-geographical body

Pope John Paul II and the Miracle of Divine Mercy

Ruth Gledhill
Ruth Gledhill's story on the beatification of Pope John Paul II is running in The Times. Bess Twiston Davies has researched the link between...

Does Sarah Palin really understand what she is saying?

Ruth Gledhill
Sarah Palin has shown once again that she has little comprehension of the power of loaded words. “Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible,” she says in a video message

Sarah Palin: journalists and pundits must not manufacture 'blood libel'

Ruth Gledhill
Just hours after such a tragedy, she said, 'journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.' She said violence is not the answer. 'When we take up our arms we are talking about

Anglican bishops to be ordained Catholic priests on Saturday

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 11 January 2011
  • Faith
Three former Church of England bishops are to be ordained Catholic priests on Saturday as the Pope formally establishes the new “Anglican Ordinariate” in England and Wales. The Roman Catholic Church disclosed more details of the new extra-geographical organisation for defecting Anglicans as a

Bless me, Father, for iHave sinned :-(

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 09 January 2011
  • Faith
Roman Catholic bishops have approved a new iPhone and iPad app that allows users to make confession with a virtual “priest” over the internet. “Confession: A Roman Catholic App”, which went on sale through Apple’s iTunes website for £1.19 last week, offers “a personalised examination of conscience

A new era begins: Father John Broadhurst on the start of the new Anglican Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill
...could not be the case. 'I think we are in a mess really.' To join the human rss for Articles of Faith, email ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.ukCatch up on archives for the blog hereLike Articles of Faith on FacebookFollow Articles of Faith...

Conversion tables

Sir, Ruth Gledhill’s article on conversion to Islam (Dec 29) matches my own research on those in the UK who change faith and highlights how...

Secularism the same as fundamentalism, says Pope

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 01 January 2011
  • Faith
The persecution of Christians was highlighted in the Pope’s new year message. He condemned violence against Christians in countries such as Iraq and the “more subtle and sophisticated forms of prejudice and hostility” in other areas. Pope Benedict XVI spoke out for religious freedom and criticised

Welcome to the new decade. Oh, yes it is

Sally Baker
  • The Times
  • Published: 01 January 2011
  • Feedback
...fun.” February brought this puff for our online content: “Expert analysis on the latest religious issues in Ruth Gledhill’s bog.” Patrick Routley wrote: “I suppose it’s as good a place as any.” In March we redesigned the...

Losses could be devastating for Archbishop

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 01 January 2011
  • Faith
If John Broadhurst’s move to Rome is as influential as it has the potential to be, then similar journeys by Anglican clergy, laity and possibly even incumbent bishops will be figuring high on many Anglican lists of new year resolutions. At any other time in the past four centuries, the simultaneous

You, the editor

...was pleased to see an abundance of stories concerning public health and science throughout the newspaper. Alongside Ruth Gledhill’s report on Neanderthal gastronomy and Ben Macintyre’s pro-research Opinion article, I was particularly impressed...

Caught between cultures: how Muslim converts are left to fend for themselves

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 29 December 2010
  • Faith
Thousands of British Muslim converts are cast adrift by their communities and offered inadequate support by mosques, according to an unpublished report seen by The Times. After the most comprehensive survey of Muslim converts in Britain, the influential Islamic organisation Faith Matters calculates

Church liberals must stop feeling like victims

Ruth Gledhill
...believe Christ bought for all humanity on the Cross, whether male or female, evangelical or liberal, straight or gay. Ruth Gledhill is religion correspondent

Neanderthals’ diet was probably more New Man than caveman

Ruth Gledhill
Neanderthal Man may have had a bad press. The popular image is of a hairy, grunting brute gnashing on a steak so rare it bleeds blood like gravy. However, new research shows the Neanderthal diet was probably more New Man than caveman, closer to the dainty fruit and vegetable pickings of nouvelle

William spends day on rescue duty

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Sunday Times
  • Published: 26 December 2010
  • National
Meanwhile, his wife-to-be, Kate Middleton, arrived at her parents’ home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, for a family lunch

32 Christians killed in Christmas bombings

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 25 December 2010
  • Faith
At least 32 members of the Christian community in Nigeria were killed in a multiple bomb attack as they made their way to church. The attacks happened in the city of Jos, an area caught in a violent conflict between Muslims and Christians. Around 74 other people were injured. Gregory Yenlong, the

Pope makes broadcast history on Thought for the Day

Ruth Gledhill, Sadie Gray and Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 December 2010
  • Faith
The Pope made his international radio debut today, telling the people of Britain he was praying for Christ to dispel the “darkness” in their lives and wishing them a “peaceful and joyful Christmas”. The broadcast for Radio 4’s Thought for the Day was the first time that a Pope has recorded a

A quickstep to happiness helps the hearts of older romantics

Ruth Gledhill
Ken and Eleanor Pattison, aged 82 and 79, met at a youth club and have been dancing ever since. In a newly built hall in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, next to the tastefully refurbished cloistered nave of a fire-damaged Victorian church, they lead a cheerful troupe of over-50s through the Mayfair

Prayer is Pope’s thought for the day

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 24 December 2010
  • Faith
The Pope will today tell the people of Britain he is praying for Christ to dispel the “darkness” in their lives and he will promise hope of a God who offers freedom “from whatever weighs us down.” Wishing the people of Britain a “peaceful and joyful Christmas” in his unprecedented broadcast for

Is one of these women a future Archbishop?

Ruth Gledhill
  • The Times
  • Published: 23 December 2010
  • Faith
In the secular world, it is a time of increased job opportunities for women. In the nation’s established Church, however, women who become priests face the stony surface of a vaulted ceiling that prevents them progressing to the episcopate. Moves to consecrate women bishops are proving so

'Sod the National Secular Society: This is Christmas'

Ruth Gledhill
Today we learned that the Pope is to do Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Eve. Regular thoughters, such as Rob Marshall (1 Jan) and Giles Fraser (27 December) are delighted. But the National Secular Society is not so happy. I broke the story on Twitter after receiving this from 

(For more stories, visit The Times website via one of these links and search either name or subject in the search box. )

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