https://www.theguardian.com/world/religion Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:29:09 GMT 2026-06-12T12:29:09Z en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.png https://www.theguardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/jun/11/fireworks-light-up-sagrada-familia-pope-leo-blessing-barcelona-video <p>Fireworks and a light show have illuminated the Sagrada Família in Barcelona after the pontiff inaugurated the newest of the building's geometric spires. The addition makes the basilica, which was originally designed by Antoni Gaudí, the world's tallest church</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/10/pope-leo-bless-sagrada-familia-antoni-gaudi"><strong>Crowds turn out in Barcelona for pope blessing Sagrada Família’s final tower</strong></a></p></li></ul> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/jun/11/fireworks-light-up-sagrada-familia-pope-leo-blessing-barcelona-video">Continue reading...</a> Pope Leo XIV Barcelona Religion Antoni Gaudí Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:44:11 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/jun/11/fireworks-light-up-sagrada-familia-pope-leo-blessing-barcelona-video Photograph: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Photograph: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Photograph: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock 2026-06-11T09:44:11Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/10/pope-leo-bless-sagrada-familia-antoni-gaudi <p>As completion of 144-year basilica nears, questions swirl over resemblance of church to architect’s original plans</p><p>It has been a long wait but 144 years after work began, Pope Leo XIV has blessed the recently completed central tower of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família church in the presence of members of the Spanish royal family, the prime minister and hundreds of bishops.</p><p>With the completion of the Jesus Christ tower, the tallest of 18 in the temple, the basilica has reached its full height of 172.5 metres. It is now not only the world’s tallest church but Barcelona’s tallest building. It was consecrated in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/10/pope-leo-bless-sagrada-familia-antoni-gaudi">Continue reading...</a> Pope Leo XIV Barcelona Antoni Gaudí Spain Architecture Catholicism Christianity Religion Europe World news Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:50:19 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/10/pope-leo-bless-sagrada-familia-antoni-gaudi Photograph: José Jordan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: José Jordan/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: José Jordan/AFP/Getty Images Stephen Burgen in Barcelona 2026-06-10T18:50:19Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/christian-leaders-alarmed-by-climate-crisis-raise-questions-over-gb-news-owners-28m-church-donations <p>Exclusive: Sir Paul Marshall’s climate views and those broadcast on GB News said to be ‘in direct opposition’ to those of Church of England</p><p>The co-owner of GB News, a British TV channel accused of broadcasting climate change denial, has donated £28m to influential Church of England institutions that support climate action.</p><p>This raises “serious questions”, say Christian leaders, given that Sir Paul Marshall’s views on the climate crisis and those frequently broadcast on the TV channel are “in direct opposition” to the Church of England, which <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/church-england-environment-programme">believes that</a> “responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our responsibility to safeguard God’s creation and achieve a just world”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/christian-leaders-alarmed-by-climate-crisis-raise-questions-over-gb-news-owners-28m-church-donations">Continue reading...</a> Climate science scepticism and denial GB News Climate crisis Anglicanism Christianity Media Religion Science Tue, 09 Jun 2026 06:00:46 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/christian-leaders-alarmed-by-climate-crisis-raise-questions-over-gb-news-owners-28m-church-donations Photograph: CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images Photograph: CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images Photograph: CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images Damian Carrington Environment editor 2026-06-09T06:00:46Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/my-father-spent-a-lifetime-fighting-for-women-to-be-pastors-his-oam-proves-change-is-slow-but-possible <p>Social change requires patience, as my 94-year-old father has found out, as he pushed against the status quo in his bid to change the Lutheran church</p><p>All around the world people are saying they <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/half-britons-say-they-want-radical-change-reform-uk-seen-both-solution-and-risk">want change</a>.</p><p>The vagueness of what that change might be has political advantages. It can also be a millstone, as the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, who was elected on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/23/change-labour-starmer-hopes-simple-slogan-will-chime-with-exasperated-nation">the one-word promise</a> is finding.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/my-father-spent-a-lifetime-fighting-for-women-to-be-pastors-his-oam-proves-change-is-slow-but-possible">Continue reading...</a> Honours system Australia news Christianity Women Religion Sun, 07 Jun 2026 23:00:10 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/my-father-spent-a-lifetime-fighting-for-women-to-be-pastors-his-oam-proves-change-is-slow-but-possible Photograph: Marinela Malcheva/Getty Images Photograph: Marinela Malcheva/Getty Images Photograph: Marinela Malcheva/Getty Images Julianne Schultz 2026-06-07T23:00:10Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/calls-to-ban-the-sikh-kirpan-are-irrational <p>Retired judge <strong>Hugh Howard </strong>says any review would have to include the Scottish sgian-dubh and swords worn by military personnel at service events</p><p>As a judge, I wrote a scenario for a recruitment exercise for a judicial appointments commission where candidates had to adjudicate between a Sikh boy who wanted to wear the kirpan and his Church of England faith school that wanted to exclude it (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/sikh-community-uk-backlash-murder-henry-nowak-vickrum-digwa">Sikhs wary of UK backlash as they condemn ‘moment of madness’, 2 June</a>). It was based on my advice to a school that wanted to ban it. When I advised the school that it permitted cricket bats and balls and pointed dividers, all of which had been used as weapons, a compromise was reached enabling pupils to wear a swaddled kirpan under clothing. The Sikh community has condemned the illegal use of the kirpan. A Sikh would no more think of using it as a weapon than other faith group would think of using their religious symbols as weapons.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/conviction-sparks-debate-on-ceremonial-blades-carried-by-some-sikhs">suggested review</a> of the wearing of the kirpan would presumably have to include the wearing of the sgian-dubh , which I wear when kilted, the swords worn by serving and retired military personnel at service events, or the short sword I wore when dressed as a Roman soldier at a Christian festival.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/calls-to-ban-the-sikh-kirpan-are-irrational">Continue reading...</a> Sikhism Religion Crime Law UK criminal justice Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:52:35 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/calls-to-ban-the-sikh-kirpan-are-irrational Photograph: Findlay/Alamy Photograph: Findlay/Alamy Photograph: Findlay/Alamy Guardian Staff 2026-06-07T15:52:35Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/million-people-pope-leo-outdoor-mass-madrid <p>Pontiff urges followers to dedicate themselves ‘to our brothers and sisters, to the poor, to those who suffer’</p><p>More than a million people filled the streets of Madrid to join Pope Leo in an open-air mass where the American pontiff appeared to emphasise the disconnect between Christian values and far-right politics, telling worshippers: “No one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother.”</p><p>Queues to access the mass began forming hours before the sun rose on Sunday as people scrambled to secure a spot for what was billed as the biggest gathering of the pope’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/05/divine-intervention-pope-leo-spain-tour-pedro-sanchez-boost">week-long visit</a> to Spain.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/million-people-pope-leo-outdoor-mass-madrid">Continue reading...</a> Pope Leo XIV The papacy Spain Catholicism Christianity Religion Europe World news Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:44:50 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/million-people-pope-leo-outdoor-mass-madrid Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images Ashifa Kassam in Madrid 2026-06-07T15:44:50Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/06/pope-leo-xiv-spain-tour-madrid-catholic-church <p>Pontiff to make marginalised a focus of first papal visit since 2011 including meeting with migrants in the Canaries</p><p>Pope Leo has urged political leaders to seek unity, rather than divide their populations for political gain, and said they must fight for peace, in the opening speech of his tour in Spain.</p><p>The pope has made the marginalised a focus of his visit – his first tour of an EU country, apart from Italy – including meeting homeless people in Madrid and migrants in the Canary Islands. The pope, who has clashed with the US president, Donald Trump, over his immigration policies and war with Iran, said his visit was aimed at setting an example of respecting “every human being”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/06/pope-leo-xiv-spain-tour-madrid-catholic-church">Continue reading...</a> Pope Leo XIV Spain The papacy Migration Refugees Catholicism Christianity Religion Europe World news Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:54:05 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/06/pope-leo-xiv-spain-tour-madrid-catholic-church Photograph: Shutterstock Photograph: Shutterstock Photograph: Shutterstock William Christou 2026-06-06T15:54:05Z https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/06/louisiana-church-odiong-st-anthony-padua <p>St Anthony of Padua asks for prayers for survivors after removing Anthony Odiong’s name from list of intentions</p><p>A Louisiana Catholic church that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/priest-anthony-odiong-catholic-new-orleans">solicited prayers</a> for a former pastor recently sentenced to life imprisonment for criminal clerical sexual assault, then backed off, having offended his victims, is asking its community to pray for survivors of clergy abuse.</p><p>The shift took place in an updated 7 June parochial bulletin published by St Anthony of Padua church in the New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana, where priest Anthony Odiong was pastor from 2015 to late 2023.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/06/louisiana-church-odiong-st-anthony-padua">Continue reading...</a> Louisiana Catholicism US news World news Religion Christianity Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:00:01 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/06/louisiana-church-odiong-st-anthony-padua Photograph: Ramon Antonio Vargas Photograph: Ramon Antonio Vargas Photograph: Ramon Antonio Vargas Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans 2026-06-06T10:00:01Z https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jun/05/ghana-african-charter-family-values-gender-women-sex-lgbtq-reproductive-rights <p>Draft treaty claims sexual and reproductive health and rights are an existential threat to the African family</p><p>An African treaty that rejects longstanding international human rights obligations moved a step closer to becoming policy this week as governments across the continent met in Ghana.</p><p>The draft African charter on family, sovereignty and values, seen by the Guardian, asserts that African values and culture are under attack from “foreign ideologies” and urges states to withdraw from any agreements that do not align with the principles of the charter, including the 2003 <a href="https://au.int/en/treaties/protocol-african-charter-human-and-peoples-rights-rights-women-africa">Maputo protocol</a>, which promotes gender equality and protects the reproductive and health rights of women and girls.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jun/05/ghana-african-charter-family-values-gender-women-sex-lgbtq-reproductive-rights">Continue reading...</a> Human rights Global development LGBTQ+ rights World news Africa Sex Sexuality Society Ghana Reproductive rights Evangelical Christianity Religion Family Children's rights Christianity Abortion Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:29 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jun/05/ghana-african-charter-family-values-gender-women-sex-lgbtq-reproductive-rights Photograph: Francis Kokoroko/Reuters Photograph: Francis Kokoroko/Reuters Photograph: Francis Kokoroko/Reuters Isabel Choat 2026-06-05T08:00:29Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/05/divine-intervention-pope-leo-spain-tour-pedro-sanchez-boost <p>Pontiff’s resolve to highlight plight of migrants has aligned him with Spanish PM, whose inner circle and party are mired in corruption allegations</p><p>While Pope Leo XIV isn’t due to touch down in Madrid until 10.30am on Saturday, his presence in the Spanish capital is already verging on the ubiquitous.</p><p>The smiling, avuncular face of the first US pontiff greets visitors from posters, from the sides of buses, from commemorative travel cards and even from the digital screens on the metro system, where it flickers up between adverts for sun cream and banking deals.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/05/divine-intervention-pope-leo-spain-tour-pedro-sanchez-boost">Continue reading...</a> Spain Pope Leo XIV Catholicism Pedro Sánchez The far right Migration Europe Christianity Religion The papacy World news Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:00:27 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/05/divine-intervention-pope-leo-spain-tour-pedro-sanchez-boost Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images Sam Jones in Madrid 2026-06-05T04:00:27Z https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/washington-priest-exorcist-ufos-demons <p>Catholic archbishop of US capital says Mgr Stephen Rossetti’s statements ‘gravely undermine’ church teaching</p><p>The Catholic archbishop of Washington DC on Wednesday removed a well-known priest as an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.</p><p>Cardinal Robert McElroy said the archdiocese also was cutting ties with the St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based non-profit headed by the priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/washington-priest-exorcist-ufos-demons">Continue reading...</a> Catholicism UFOs Christianity Religion Washington DC US news Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:30:24 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/washington-priest-exorcist-ufos-demons Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP Associated Press 2026-06-04T11:30:24Z https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/04/jesus-christian-energy-drink <p>Drink brands such as Yahweh and Praise Energy say they’re raising awareness for Christianity – but are they just treating Jesus like an uncopyrighted Mickey Mouse?</p><p>By now, you’ve probably noticed the trend: every celebrity and influencer appears to be chasing the same prize. We’re deep in the era of the celebrity beverage.</p><p>Kim Kardashian has Update energy drinks. John and Hank Green have the Awesome Coffee Club. Blake Lively sells sparkling grapefruit juice. Even Danny DeVito, somehow perfectly cast for the role, is the face of a limoncello.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/04/jesus-christian-energy-drink">Continue reading...</a> Food & drink industry Christianity Religion Business Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:00:04 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/04/jesus-christian-energy-drink Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images Lydia Bugg 2026-06-04T11:00:04Z https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/priest-anthony-odiong-catholic-new-orleans <p>Anthony Odiong was sentenced to life in prison for sex crimes against his congregants in Texas</p><p>A Louisiana church where a Roman Catholic priest served as pastor before being recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/29/texas-trial-catholic-priest-sexual-assault">convicted</a> in Texas of criminal clergy sexual assault and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/anthony-odiong-catholic-priest-sentence">sentenced to life in prison</a> has been criticized by his victims and their supporters for soliciting prayers on his behalf in a parochial bulletin published after his guilty verdict – which neglected to mention the survivors.</p><p>One of the two women whom Anthony Odiong was convicted of assaulting in Waco, Texas – identified in court proceedings as Mary Doe – issued a statement on Tuesday encouraging St Anthony of Padua’s community in the New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana, to pray for his victims, too.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/priest-anthony-odiong-catholic-new-orleans">Continue reading...</a> Louisiana Rape and sexual assault New Orleans clergy abuse Catholicism Religion US crime US news Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:00:19 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/priest-anthony-odiong-catholic-new-orleans Photograph: Waco Police Photograph: Waco Police Photograph: Waco Police Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans 2026-06-03T10:00:19Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/03/pope-leo-ai-technology <p>Even for nonbelievers like me, the pope has become a reassuring – and all too rare – voice of moral clarity</p><p>Do you remember the early 2000s, when Silicon Valley buzzed with idealism and tech bros told us they were going to save the world? “Don’t be evil” was Google’s unofficial motto; its <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312504124025/ds1a.htm">2004 IPO prospectus</a> declared that doing “good things for the world” was more important than “short term gains”. Mark Zuckerberg similarly wrote in Facebook’s <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/01/facebook-ipo-letter/">2012 IPO letter</a> that the social network was “built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected”.</p><p>As was obvious to anyone paying attention, this was all performative bullshit. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic about that period of time – which came to a definitive end in <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018-silicon-valley-creepy-social-media-tech/">2018</a>, with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election">Cambridge Analytica</a> scandal. By and large, billionaires and CEOs still cared what the hoi polloi thought of them. They were self-aware enough to realize that, even with all their billions, there’s a lot more of us than there are of them.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/03/pope-leo-ai-technology">Continue reading...</a> Pope Leo XIV US news US politics AI (artificial intelligence) Religion Technology The papacy Donald Trump Trump administration Mark Zuckerberg Elon Musk LGBTQ+ rights Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:00:47 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/03/pope-leo-ai-technology Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters Arwa Mahdawi 2026-06-03T09:00:47Z https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/anthony-odiong-catholic-priest-sentence <p>Anthony Odiong was convicted of exploiting his spiritual authority as a clergyman for sex with his congregants</p><p>A Roman Catholic priest who was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/29/texas-trial-catholic-priest-sexual-assault">convicted</a> recently of criminal clergy sexual assault in Texas has been sentenced to life imprisonment.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/31/anthony-odiong-accuser-speaks-out">Anthony Odiong</a>, 57, received the punishment from a jury at a state courthouse in Waco on Tuesday after some witnesses described his sexually inappropriate behavior going back more than a decade. Character witnesses on behalf of Odiong, meanwhile, advocated for him to get probation, saying he could follow such an arrangement’s rules – such as living near Waco and not committing additional crimes – despite feloniously breaking his priestly vows of chastity.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/anthony-odiong-catholic-priest-sentence">Continue reading...</a> Texas US crime New Orleans clergy abuse New Orleans Catholicism Religion US news World news Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:25:57 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/anthony-odiong-catholic-priest-sentence Photograph: Waco Police Photograph: Waco Police Photograph: Waco Police Charlie Scudder in Waco, Texas, and Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans 2026-06-02T18:25:57Z https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/sikh-community-uk-backlash-murder-henry-nowak-vickrum-digwa <p>Community leaders express disgust at Vickrum Digwa over murder of Henry Nowak amid fears of rise in racial tensions</p><p>Amandeep Singh, an educator with the charity Basics of Sikhi, is proud of his community’s deeply rooted place in British society.</p><p>“We’re a community that has properly been celebrated as one that is very successfully integrated into the British value system,” he said. “We’ve worn kirpans for hundreds of years and since we’ve been invited to settle in this country,” he said.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/sikh-community-uk-backlash-murder-henry-nowak-vickrum-digwa">Continue reading...</a> Race UK news Communities Sikhism Religion Southampton Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:52:33 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/sikh-community-uk-backlash-murder-henry-nowak-vickrum-digwa Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Aamna Mohdin Community affairs correspondent 2026-06-02T16:52:33Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/02/pope-leo-first-lay-woman-top-position-vatican-maria-montserrat-alvarado <p>Maria Montserrat Alvarado will lead communications department, overseeing news site, radio station, press office and more</p><p>Pope Leo has appointed the first lay woman to a top position in the governance of the Roman Catholic church.</p><p>Maria Montserrat Alvarado, who is now president of the US-based Catholic media outlet, EWTN News, will lead the Vatican’s powerful communications department, which was set up by the late Pope Francis in 2015 and oversees the Vatican’s news site as well as its radio station, newspaper, press office, publishing house and film library.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/02/pope-leo-first-lay-woman-top-position-vatican-maria-montserrat-alvarado">Continue reading...</a> Vatican Pope Leo XIV Women The papacy Religion Catholicism World news Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:28:02 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/02/pope-leo-first-lay-woman-top-position-vatican-maria-montserrat-alvarado Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Angela Giuffrida in Rome 2026-06-02T15:28:02Z https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/hampshire-police-commissioner-urges-religious-knives-review <p>Hampshire Police Federation issues statement after criticism in case where victim was falsely accused of racism by Sikh man who killed him </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/02/peter-mandelson-keir-starmer-labour-leadership-snp-peter-murrell-latest-news-updates">UK politics live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Police officers have condemned calls for “vigilante justice” against their colleagues over the handling of the murder of Henry Nowak, who was falsely accused of racism by a Sikh man who had fatally stabbed him with a ceremonial dagger.</p><p>Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced on Monday to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/01/southampton-man-jailed-life-murder-student-religious-knife-vickrum-digwa-henry-nowak">life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years</a> for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/hampshire-police-commissioner-urges-religious-knives-review">Continue reading...</a> Knife crime Crime Sikhism UK news Southampton Police Religion England Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:51:31 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/02/hampshire-police-commissioner-urges-religious-knives-review Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA Steven Morris and Jamie Grierson 2026-06-02T12:51:31Z https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jun/01/british-museum-director-defends-postpone-jewish-culture-month-lecture <p>Nicholas Cullinan says cultural institutions ‘caught between opposing political pressures’ after row over event</p><p>The director of the British Museum has said that cultural institutions are “caught between opposing political pressures”, after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/may/28/british-museum-postpones-jewish-culture-month-lecture-over-protest-fears">a row over the museum’s decision to postpone a Jewish culture month lecture</a> over fears it would be disrupted by protesters.</p><p>Nicholas Cullinan defended the decision, saying “freedom of expression does not require institutions to provide a platform for disruption”, in <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/press-release/sunday-times-dr-nicholas-cullinan-obe">a lengthy statement</a> shared on the British Museum website.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jun/01/british-museum-director-defends-postpone-jewish-culture-month-lecture">Continue reading...</a> British Museum London Judaism Culture Protest Museums Antisemitism Kemi Badenoch UK news Religion Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:47:13 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jun/01/british-museum-director-defends-postpone-jewish-culture-month-lecture Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent 2026-06-01T17:47:13Z https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jun/01/wife-schools-christian-nationalist-movement-us-podcast <p>Alaina Demopoulos reports on the Christian influencers telling women to submit to their husbands</p><p>“Everything kept coming back to ‘if there is a problem in your marriage, it is because of you’.”</p><p><strong>Alaina Demopoulos</strong>, a features writer for Guardian US, tells <strong>Annie Kelly</strong> about her recent experience <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/28/wife-school-christian-women-submissive">attending the influencer Tilly Dillehay’s “wife school”</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jun/01/wife-schools-christian-nationalist-movement-us-podcast">Continue reading...</a> US news Christianity Religion Women Mon, 01 Jun 2026 02:00:04 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jun/01/wife-schools-christian-nationalist-movement-us-podcast Photograph: Rod Lamkey/AP Photograph: Rod Lamkey/AP Photograph: Rod Lamkey/AP Presented by Annie Kelly with Alaina Demopoulos; produced by Hanna Adan, Tom Glasser and Ross Burns; executive producer Homa Khaleeli and Elizabeth Cassin 2026-06-01T02:00:04Z