Today

Daily Briefing: A former bishop sentenced, a hailstorm in Zimbabwe, and the Archbishop of Canterbury marks three years since 7 October

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. The most consequential item came from Australia. Religion News Service, carrying an Associated Press report from Perth, said a former Australian Catholic bishop, Christopher Saunders, 76, has been sentenced for abusing Indigenous men. A District Court of Western Australia jury convicted Saunders in August on 13 of 19 charges of sexual abuse. The offences occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his Broome Diocese, on the country's tropical northwest coast.

Several of the day's reports concerned the Church of England. Anglican Ink published a statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury marking three years since the Hamas-led terror attacks of 7 October 2023 in Israel. In it the Archbishop prayed for those who grieve the dead, for survivors, and for all who still carry the trauma of that day, and especially for Jewish people in Britain. Separately, Anglican Ink carried a statement from the Church of England's Inter Faith Advisors addressing rising antisemitism, Zionism and the Green Party. The same outlet published a question-and-answer piece with William Taylor on what it called the Church of England crisis.

In Australia's Anglican church, Anglican Ink reported that Bishop Matt Brain of Bendigo has been elected Bishop of Bunbury in Western Australia. In a letter to the Bendigo faithful, Brain said he had been praying about where he should serve.

From southern Africa, United Methodist News reported that United Methodists in Masvingo town, Zimbabwe, are counting their losses after a severe hailstorm smashed church properties and members' homes.

In the United States, Charisma News reported that two TikTok influencers, Dakota Harper and Felicity Eatmon, both 22, face felony arson charges. Authorities say they set fire to an abandoned West Virginia house and that flames reached a neighbouring church, causing more than $10,000 in estimated damage. The two were arrested on 29 September. Charisma News also reported a religious liberty lawsuit in Dearborn, Michigan, over how the city has handled Christian and Jewish holiday displays, citing journalist Margot Cleveland.

Elsewhere, Charisma News reported that the Vatican is preparing to publish The Private Diary of Pope Francis, a collection of personal writings spanning nearly 32 years, more than a year after his death. The Gospel Coalition, meanwhile, explained why it has renamed its biennial gathering from its national conference to a church conference for 2027.