Holy Water

The Vatican is to provide a stall to illustrate the divine and human properties of water at "Water and Sustainable Development" an exhibition which will be part of "Expo Zaragoza". Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said the stall at the exhibition in Zaragoza, Spain, would be important "for two reasons. First, the social doctrine of the Church recognizes the nature of water as life-giving. [...] Satisfying the needs of all, especially of those who live in poverty, must guide the use of water and of the services connected with it.The second reason takes us back to our faith. At our baptism, water was used as a sign of cleansing and new life. […] Water is life giving -- both physical and spiritual; it is through water that we are invited to share in the life of Christ."

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Jewish baby boom

The Jewish population of Britain is increasing for the first time since the Second World War, according to research published today. There are now 280,000 Jews in Britain, as compared to 275,000 in 2005. A report from the University of Manchester claims the increase is due to a boom in large families among Britain’s orthodox Jewish community. Dr Yaakov Wise, from the University of Manchester’s Centre for Jewish Studies, said : “Though Britain’s Jewish population is the fifth largest in the world, it has declined by 40 per cent from over 450,000 in 1950 to only 280,000 today. The high birth rate of ultra-orthodox Jews is now reversing this trend and that will have a major impact on the Jewish community in the years to come.”

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Austrian monks signed to Universal Records

A community of Austrian monks who sent a Youtube clip showing them singing Gregorian Chant to Universal Records have been signed by Universal to release an album. The monks of Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross) a Cistercian monastery in the Wienerwald, near Vienna sent the clip after seeing an advert Universal had published seeking “monks, men of the cloth and sacred singers.” Tom Lewis, an executive for Universal, said: “These guys found about the competition through a friend of theirs in London. They're lovely people, they're very passionate about their music and they feel it's an opportunity for this music, that's obviously so special to them, to be heard.” The monastery, which has 80 members, dates from 1133.

BBC report on the singing monks

Iran's Government arrests Bahai leaders

Leading members of the Bahai faith in Iran have been arrested by the Government. A Government spokesman confirmed the arrests, which he described as a judicial matter. In Iran, the Bahai faith, which has approximately 300,000 members and was founded in Iran 1863, is considered a heresy.

BBC report on the arrests of Bahai faith leaders in Iran

Dalai Lama arrives in London

The Dalai Lama, who arrived in London today for an 11-day visit to Britain, is to receive an honorary doctorate from London Metropolitan University. The Tibetan spiritual leader will visit the House of Commons, meet with Prince Charles and give a series of public lectures during his visit.

Read Times report on Dalai Lama's visit