Conversations between Jews and Muslims in Britain have been “very difficult” over the past two years since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. But community leaders taking part in a Religion Media Centre briefing said that, two years on, there is a growing desire to rebuild good relations — despite continuing anxiety and mistrust. The ren…

The decision to place Religious Education in the national curriculum in England has delighted RE teachers and campaigners who have been seeking improvements for years. The recommendation was made by the government’s curriculum and assessment review, after the panel heard evidence that RE was not being taught very well, and in some cases, not taught…

A survey for the National Churches Trust has gauged the scale of repair, restoration and maintenance required by Britain's church buildings, and the challenges of local communities to keep them usable and standing. One in 20 may not be used as a place of worship in five years time, and one in ten need to make urgent repairs to roofs and guttering i…

The state visit of the King and Queen Camilla to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo on Thursday 23 October will be a historic occasion. The monarch and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church will pray together in the Sistine Chapel for the first time since the Reformation. The King, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will participate in a…

A report on the role of faith groups in planning and designing new towns and housing developments states that their contribution is crucial to building community and social cohesion. Housing with Values: faith and belief perspectives on housing and community planning was discussed in this Religion Media Centre briefing, which heard that "housing is…

Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, has been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury — the first woman to lead the Church of England in its 500-year history. At a Religion Media Centre briefing, journalists and church leaders reflected on her qualities and achievements, outlining their hopes and expectations for her leadership. Speakers described her…

Later this month, the Crown Nominations Commission is expected to decide the name of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be the spiritual leader of the Church of England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The appointment comes at a time of unprecedented turbulence in the church, the country and the world. In this Religion Media C…

The number of British universities offering single-honours Theology and Religious Studies degrees in UK universities has fallen to just 21, driven by financial pressures and falling student demand. Departments have been closed, merged, and subject to redundancies. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel explored why students studying A-le…

Muslims in the UK feel hugely under-represented in the media, and research suggests almost 60 per cent of all articles are negative, according to speakers at the Religion Media Festival’s panel discussion on “Muslims in Britain”. Burhan Wazir, editor-in-chief of Hyphen Online, told the audience that the vast majority of stories tend to look at Musl…

A panel discussion on British Media and British Jews considered how the war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, had impacted coverage of the community in Britain. There have been reports on rising antisemitism and divisions within the Jewish community itself, with 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews object…

The media landscape is changing at speed, and in this panel, millennials who are talking about religion in podcasts, film and online, explained why and how they do it. They said their audience wants to ask questions in a safe space and that millennials (currently aged 29 – 44) accept that society is pluralist. They all grew up and went to school wi…

There aren’t that many reporters who specialise in reporting religion in the UK, but their diary has been overflowing in the past year. There are religious angles to all the main stories of today – the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the riots in the summer of 2024, and the needs of people in poverty helped by people of faith. The religious organisations…

When Labour swept to power in July 2024, it promised to work with faith leaders in a programme of national renewal. Soon after, summer riots across Britain, after the murder of three girls in Southport, revealed a breakdown in social cohesion and tested community relations. One year on, a panel at the Religion Media Festival discussed what had happ…

Football and religion have a lot in common; in fact, according to Dal Darroch, head of diversity and inclusion programmes at the Football Association, they are inextricably linked. In a presentation to the Religion Media Festival, he explained how they both give a sense of purpose, identity and belonging. The FA is, he said, trying to inspire posit…

Sir Mark Thompson, chief executive of CNN and former director-general of the BBC, told the Religion Media Festival that religion is important for journalists to understand and report well, not least because the overwhelming majority of people in the world have some level of commitment to it. A committed Catholic, he found religion “intriguing and f…

The Religion Media Festival 2025 opened with an interview by Roger Bolton with Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman, who exposed the scandal of serial abuser John Smyth and the Church of England’s cover-up. She spoke of the way she got the incredible story of Smyth’s ‘barbaric’ abuse, her editor’s immediate response to investigate, and her impressions…

The Church of England General Synod has concluded its annual residential meeting in York, after a wide-ranging agenda on internal affairs, as well as issues affecting the country. They heard from a Brigadier about the dangerous world and the need for the church to prepare for war and support the chaplains. The Archbishop of Jerusalem addressed the …

A global project to examine the changing role of religion in society during the Covid pandemic has reviewed what happened in five societies - Canada, Germany, Poland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Academics looked at the place of religion in the health services with, for example, disagreements over the ethics of using certain vaccines; the changing…

Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost, the man chosen to be the next Pope? Made a cardinal only in 2023, born in Chicago, a citizen of Peru where he spent much of his ministry, an Augustinian, a linguist, a tennis player, a calm and quietly spoken man, but his views on major issues facing the church today are largely unknown. In this Religion Media Centre…

Catholic cardinals are in Rome, preparing for the conclave when the next Pope is chosen. The process is familiar to millions through the film "Conclave" which tells the story of the rituals, ambition and politics involved as candidates emerge for consideration. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, journalists and commentators joined Catholics fr…

Pope Francis’ death at 88 has been mourned across the world, with tributes to his compassion, defence of the marginalised, advocacy for the poor, consistent appeals for world peace, and brave moves to open up decision making in the church. Among the tributes, he was described as ‘the very human, holy man of God’. In this Religion Media Centre brief…

"The Quiet Revival" , a report by The Bible Society, indicates a revival of Christianity in England and Wales, with congregations up in the last four years from 8 to 12 per cent, a growth largely fuelled by Gen Z – young people aged 18-24. The conclusion is based on a survey of 13,000 people by YouGov, commissioned by The Bible Society. It found 16…

It's five years since the Church of England began producing a National Online Service. Since its inception during the first COVID lockdown, it has become a fixture, especially for people who are ill, housebound or living remotely. More than a third of parish churches and those of other denominations have maintained their online Sunday service since…

The British Muslim Network is a new organisation which will talk to the government about issues affecting Muslim communities such as health, education, immigration, equalities and the economy. The network will include public figures from politics, media, business, entertainment and sport, as well as imams, lawyers, doctors and academics. Events wil…

The Church of England's General Synod has met for the first time since the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned and the Bishop of Liverpool retired, events related to safeguarding which have shocked the church. In this discussion, journalists who reported on the meeting reflect on how synod dealt with the crisis on its hands, fudging a vote on making …

The sudden and shocking departure of the Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalah, following allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment against two women, one of whom was a bishop, has stunned the Church of England. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel discussed the impact of his retirement on the city of Liverpool, the wider Church…

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp, will be commemorated across the world on 27 January. 1.1 million people were killed there, mostly Jews, but also Polish people, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, gays, and criminals. Auschwitz is a symbol of the Holocaust and 27 January is remembered as the International…

What stories about religion can journalists expect to make the headlines in 2025? That was the question for our first briefing of the year, when a panel of journalists and commentators gingerly made predictions for the year ahead. At home, the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the volatile state of the Church of England will be centre…

2024 turned out to be quite a year for news about religion and in our last briefing of the year, we looked back at some of the headlines, the arguments, the characters, and the public events that brought religion to the fore. Headlines include the historic resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury; the way religion met public policy with a vote t…

The Assisted Dying bill was passed in the House of Commons by 55 votes and now moves on for further consideration. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, a panel of religious leaders, academics and hospice chaplains consider the repercussions of the bill after a hotly contested debate that was highly emotional. Among their issues of concern were w…

The resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury has left the Church of England reeling. There is consensus that he had no option after the publication of the Makin report which exposed the horrific abuse of young men and boys by the barrister, John Smyth, and a decades-long cover-up by the Church of England. Smyth led Christian summer c…

Ninety financial sector leaders and church leaders from sixteen countries, all of whom oversee significant investment portfolios, are taking part in a meeting in London this week to turbocharge the market for investments that fit Christian beliefs. The Mensuram Bonam summit, on 11 and 12 November, is the second of its kind and seeks to engage the w…

As the US presidential election campaign draws to a close, we use this opportunity to speak to faith leaders and election watchers to assess the importance of religion in the election campaign. Traditionally, white evangelicals have supported Donald Trump and this briefing made clear that they appear to have largely remained loyal. The majority of …

The National Churches Trust has produced a report pointing out that churches provide health care which would otherwise cost the NHS £8.4 billion to deliver. "The House of Good Health" lists services such as youth groups, food banks, support for drug and alcohol addiction, and a listening ear for mental health counselling. But the report warns that …

A bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales will be put before the Commons on 16 October, the first time in nine years that MPs will have had the chance to vote on the issue. The Lords have debated it many times, but in all cases, the measures have been defeated. This time, with a new intake of Labour MPs, and support from the Prime Ministe…

One year on from Hamas' attack on Israel, we brought together British Muslim and Jewish community leaders to find out how the war had impacted life in this country. Their discussion illustrates how each group "mirrored each other". Both communities have faced spikes in hate crime, leading to feelings across the board that Britain is not a safe plac…

Community and faith leaders from towns and cities across England have spoken of the importance of free and open discussion on the causes of the riots this summer. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, bringing together participants from our 11 Creating Connections events, they spoke of their local efforts to provide opportunities for dialogue betwee…

The report into the fire at Grenfell Tower, which claimed 72 lives in 2017, says the disaster was a devastating critique of failure, incompetence, dishonesty and greed at all levels, in government and business. In a section on how religion was part of the story, the report said Muslims felt abandoned and neglected by the council. But there was one …

The US Vice President Kamala Harris will be formally nominated as the Democrat's presidential candidate at the party’s convention in Chicago this week. With a Hindu mother, Baptist father and Jewish husband, she embodies religious pluralism in a diverse country. But will this make her more or less appealing to constituencies of faith, or the non-re…

Fear and anxiety immediately followed the riots which spread across England last week, with Muslims in particular afraid to leave the house because of the hatred and violence on the streets. But in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith leaders described how within 24 hours, faith and community leaders sought and found solidarity and support fr…

Violent thuggery in more than 20 towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland has targeted British Muslims, who are now in fear for their lives. Mosques have been attacked, hotels with asylum seekers have been surrounded by protesters, shops with Muslim owners have been ransacked or burned, and areas with high immigrant populations have been va…

For a secular country hosting the 33rd Olympic Games, France finds itself dealing with religion dominating the headlines. The controversial tableau in the rain-swept opening ceremony depicting the Last Supper (or was it the Festival of Dionysius) with drag queens and a woman comedian wearing a crown, widely seen as representing Jesus, caused anger …

The three-day swearing in ceremony for MPs in the new parliament has proved a remarkably popular watch, with the oath of allegiance to the King spoken in English, Welsh, Scottish, Gaelic, Irish and Kernewek, on a wide variety of texts including the Bible, Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Sundar Gutka, Tanakh - and none. The latest tally of MPs’ religious affi…

The decision by the Church of England general synod in York, to move towards allowing services for same-sex blessings, has once more revealed deep divisions, hurt, anger and anxieties. Speakers in this Religion Media Centre briefing discussed what possible moves could come next to keep the church together, where both sides are certain they are righ…

How should the incoming government work with faith groups in modern, diverse Britain? In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel discussed the current vacuum of communication, and heard that Muslims in particular feel alienated and ostracised. The government refuses to speak to the Muslim Council of Britain and there is no mechanism for fait…

Faith groups across the globe are passionately engaged in climate change campaigns, with a deep desire to save the planet. Representatives of faith organisations and campaign groups told this Religion Media Centre election briefing that they saw signs of hope in several of the parties' manifestos. While each manifesto has different pledges on the d…

The cost of living is a top election issue, yet the increasing wealth divide and extent of poverty have not really figured in election debates. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, Theos Think Tank pointed to data that indicated the majority of Christians are concerned about the growing wealth divide and want income inequality addressed. And 88 …

Immigration is among the top four concerns driving voters at the general election, and their religious identity impacts how they regard the issue, according to speakers at a Religion Media Centre briefing. Polling analysed by the Theos think tank has found that the British public is not overly positive about asylum seekers, but non-practising Angli…

A range of experts from across the education and faith spectrum joined this Religion Media Centre election briefing, reviewing the various parties’ manifestos on education. It’s a topic not regarded as a key election priority issue by voters, who instead tend to focus on the economy, the NHS and immigration. But religion is long associated with edu…

How will people from the religious traditions in the UK affect the vote in the General Election on 4 July? The majority of the UK population is affiliated to a religion - 63 per cent in England and Wales, 49 per cent in Scotland and 83 per cent in Northern Ireland. And in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith representatives explained the issu…