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Canterbury convenes the Communion as a petition against its Archbishop grows

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. Anglican Ink reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has called the next Primates' Meeting of the Anglican Communion for 28 February to 5 March 2027, to be held in Johannesburg and hosted by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. A Primates' Meeting gathers the senior leaders of the Communion's national churches. Formal notification of the dates has gone to the primates.

The same day brought a harder story about the same figure. Charisma News reports that opposition to Mullally is widening rather than fading. What began as anger over an interfaith award presented on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks has grown into a petition that, the outlet says, thousands have now signed.

Washington ran through much of the rest of the day. Charisma News reports that President Donald Trump met the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, on Monday, and that the two spoke to reporters outside Gracie Mansion afterward; Trump said Mamdani has "great potential." Christianity Today asked whether the administration cares about religious freedom abroad, noting Trump's 14 September nomination of Jane "Cissie" Graham Lynch — a granddaughter of the evangelist Billy Graham — as ambassador at large for international religious freedom, a post that requires Senate confirmation. And Charisma News reports growing calls for Trump to raise China's treatment of Christians and other believers with President Xi Jinping when the two meet, a meeting expected to focus on trade and artificial intelligence.

Three findings landed from the research world. Religion News Service, citing Pew Research Center, reports that Latter-day Saints have grown more diverse and somewhat less religious, with more leaving the church. Barna Group research, reported by Charisma News, finds that prayer is the leading reason young adults give for attending church. And Charisma News reports an annual Annenberg survey in which 24% of American adults could not name a single one of the five rights in the First Amendment.

Elsewhere in church life, Religion News Service reports that Fulton Sheen, the Catholic bishop known for the television programme "Life Is Worth Living," will be beatified in St Louis on Thursday, a step toward sainthood. Religion News Service also reports that Adam Shoemaker has become the first Arab bishop in the history of the Episcopal Church; a Christian minister with a Muslim father and a mother of Jewish heritage, he told the outlet he hopes to draw on that background to encourage reconciliation. And United Methodist News reports a free online course to help faith communities recognise the warning signs of suicide and connect people with professional care.

Finally, in commentary, Religion News Service carried a piece arguing that artificial intelligence can resemble a charismatic religious leader.

Zoom out: Across the day's coverage, faith kept turning up beside political power — over New York's mayoralty, a Washington nomination and China's treatment of believers.

What we're following

Religion News Service: Texans have real reasons to be worried. Indian Americans enjoying football isn’t one of them. Read it
Charisma News: Trump Says Mamdani Has ‘Great Potential’ as Two Address Media Together After Meeting Read it
Anglican Ink: Archbishop of Canterbury calls next Primates’ Meeting in Johannesburg in 2027 Read it
Christianity Today: Does Trump 2.0 Care About Religious Freedom Abroad? Read it

Sources

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