Church

Divine Playhouse promoter and founder says venue faces significant operational, legal and financial challengesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former church turned arts venue at the centre of a culture war is exploring legal action after receiving a notice from its landlord that forced its organisers to close the space and cancel planned events.Divine Playhouse is facing possible eviction, with its landlord ordering the venue’s organisers, Heaps Gay Events, to stop “engaging in offensive trade”, days after religious groups protested its opening night. Continue reading...

Campaigners criticise C of E for failing to show moral leadership as one of country’s biggest landownersThe Church of England has voted against plans to restore 30% of its land for nature, with campaigners criticising its failure to show moral leadership.The C of E owns about 425,000 hectares (105,000 acres) of land, making it one of England’s biggest landowners. Currently just 3.5% of its land is used for nature restoration. Continue reading...

Landlord of deconsecrated building sends notice of breach to Divine Playhouse, claiming it ‘insulted and mocked’ beliefs of Christian AustraliansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA deconsecrated Sydney church newly transformed into an LGBTQ+ venue has had to cancel events and been ordered to stop “engaging in offensive trade” by its landlord after religious groups protested against its opening night.Divine Playhouse opened last Wednesday with the intention of being a safe and inclusive space for artists to work and connect with audiences, its organiser said. Continue reading...

Anonymous gift of nine Britannia coins worth nearly £30,000 were discovered in a bag beneath the altarUnable to raise the £750,000 needed for urgent repairs, St Wilfrid’s Church looked likely to shut its doors after more than 700 years in the town of Melling, Lancashire.But, on Good Friday, the church was saved from closure by the discovery, in a plastic bag hidden under the altar, of a box with nine gold Britannia coins worth nearly £30,000. Continue reading...

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States.Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October. Continue reading...

• The European Union is facing legal action following allegations that it is "dismantling democracy" within one of its member states. • The crisis centers on Armenia, where the Prime Minister failed to secure a majority of votes in a recent election. • Tensions have escalated due to reported attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world's oldest Christian institutions.

Diocese officials in south Texas say a nun was released after members of Congress intervenedA Roman Catholic nun was released from the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency arrested her while she walked to mass in her habit in south Texas.Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the US-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by ICE officers, the church said in a statement on social media. Continue reading...