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Shares sting
THE CHURCH of England lost about £150 million at one stage during last week's stock market crash, according to the First Church Estates Commissioner. "If the suggestion is that it (the shares collapse) is some kind of divine retribution on the York Minster model, then I don't go along with that at all", Sir Douglas Lovelock said.
THE launch of the CS Lewis centre in London last week was marked by telegram of congratulations and best wishes from Cardinal Willebrands on behalf of the Vatican, and Cardinal Suenens, among others. The centre can be contacted at 47 Bedford Square, London, WC1.
LONDON'S historic churches were put on alert this week after an arsonist destroyed St Peter's, Eaton Square, and seriously damaged St Matthew's, Westminster.
NORMAN St-John Stevas, who retired at the last election, will take his seat in the House of Lords on Wednesday as Lord St John of Fawsley. One of his sponsors will be Lord Hume, the former Prime Minister.
THE present average age for couples getting married is 22 for a man and 23 for a woman with the proportion of teenage marriages declining, new statistics issued last week reveal. Only three per cent of bridegrooms and ten per cent of brides were teenagers last year compared to nine and twenty seven per cent respectively in 1971.
ON Sunday November 8, the Ampleforth Chamber Orchestra, led by William Leary, will give a concert in the college theatre at 7.45pm. Mozart and Schubert will be on the programme.
DR Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, last week returned from a five day visit to Korea. In Korea he is Metropolitan of the dioceses of Seoul, Tasjon and Pusan. The visit was also aimed at setting up a council of advice to help the Korean Anglican dioceses in their planning to become a selfgoverning province.
ON Monday the Mayor of Birmingham held a reception for the area's new clergy. About 20 different organisations from all Christian denominations in close contact with the Birmingham Council of Christian Churches mounted displays about their work to help welcome the new priests, ministers, members of religious orders and lay workers who have arrived in the city in the last year.
THE Conservative Family Campaign is pressing upon the Government a series of tax reforms aimed at bringing the family back into focus. The campaign is directed against tax policies which make it easier for unmarried people co-habiting to claim tax allowance. At present, says the Conservative Family Campaign, such people can claim 33 per cent more personal tax allownace than married people.