'I was horrified': Witnesses injured by police testify about Trump's photo op at Lafayette Square

From USA Today-

Members of Congress heard from a series of witnesses, including several who were injured in the forcible clearing of protesters before President Donald Trump's controversial walk this month to St. John's Church for a photo opportunity.

The House Natural Resources Committee held its first hearing Monday on the incident June 1, in which protesters were removed from the park by authorities using chemical irritants, rubber bullets, shields and horses. Trump, who posed with a Bible in front of the historic church along with members of his administration, drew wide condemnation for the force used on demonstrators. 

House Democrats pressed the Trump administration for information on its response to the protesters, who were cleared roughly a half-hour before a 7 p.m. curfew in Washington. The Interior Department's inspector general's office opened an investigation.

More here-

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/29/trumps-photo-op-lafayette-square-focuses-hearing-congress/3270064001/

The Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria officially inaugurated as 41st Province of the Anglican Communion

From Anglican News-

The former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa has completed its transition into an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion. The approval for the move was given by the Primates of the Anglican Communion when they met in Jordan in January. The Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council had already given the new Province the go-ahead.

The General Synod of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East approved the request from the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East to secede from its province. Under its constitution, the diocese fell under the temporary Metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who signed a Dead of Relinquishment legally inaugurating the new Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria.

The Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria will serve 10 countries as the official Anglican Communion presence: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Mauritania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. It is named after the north Egyptian city which was home to one of the earliest branches of the Christian Church.

Announcing the development, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, said: “In recent years we have seen enormous growth in what was the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, particularly – but not only – in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. It was one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in the Anglican Communion and also one of the fastest growing regions.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2020/06/the-episcopal-anglican-province-of-alexandria-officially-inaugurated-as-41st-province-of-the-anglican-communion.aspx

Archdiocese of Toronto modifies Eucharist rite to observe safety protocols

From Canada-

For the past three months, the Archdiocese of Toronto has worked on different ways to serve its parishioners safely when the time came for Ontario to reopen.

But the Eucharist, one of the most important sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church, remains a difficult rite to navigate.

It traditionally involves a priest placing a wafer of bread on a congregant's tongue or in their hand, then serving them with sacramental wine from a communal goblet.

Neil MacCarthy, director of public relations and communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto, said the organization wanted to make sure the ritual could be performed safely.

"It would be difficult for someone to look at (the Archdiocese's safety protocols) and say, 'These guys aren't concerned about this,"' MacCarthy said in an interview.

More here-

https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010/news/archdiocese-of-toronto-modifies-eucharist-rite-to-observe-safety-protocols-1.12818734

Was Jesus Black Or White? How One Church Leader Just Changed The Debate

From Forbes-

What race was Jesus of Nazareth, one of the most consequential figures in the history of the world? Nobody can say for certain, but based on recent comments by the head of the Church of England, it is time to revisit whether or not Jesus should be portrayed as a white man.

In an interview with the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby addressed the question of how the western church portrays Jesus’s race. When asked by the interviewer if the way Jesus is represented through imagery, and whether it is time to “reimagine” the physical presentation, the Archbishop was candid.

"Yes, of course it does," Welby said, noting that in many locations of the Anglican church Jesus was already represented other than as a white man.

More here-

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/06/27/was-jesus-black-or-white/#4261eda348e5