Pope Francis called for the worldwide ending of capital punishment, when he returned to Rome from Mexico. He had previously made the same plea when addressing the United States Congress. I have known of too many miscarriages of justice, for example the notorious cases of the Birmingham 6 and the Guildford 4, not to agree…
The first stage of the restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has been completed. Bethlehem was the birth-place of Jesus, known as the Christ by most of the world, and by Muslims as the Prophet Isa. The Church was built in the 4th century CE by Saint Helena, the wife and widow of…
This year Europe as a whole has faced its biggest challenge since the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. Then it responded by helping the ex-communist states and by trying to do something for the people of Russia. Challenged by huge numbers coming from the Middle East, the EU…
Ottoman Treasures Live Again – A few years ago I stood on the famous bridge, Stari Most, the old bridge in Mostar, just before its formal reopening. Last week I saw photographs of the newly re-built and restored Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka, north-west Bosnia. This work of the well-known architect, Sinan (or his pupils),…
This is the full text I would have delivered on 22nd October, but because of the time limit it had to be cut by about a half. A spoken version can be found at House of Lords Grand Committee col 50 for 22.10.2015 “There is good news for this debate because the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of…
