1. Two female C of E bishops appointed in a week
On Wednesday, the church appointed its second woman bishop, Alison White, 58, as suffragan bishop of Hull. Her husband is also a bishop, so they won't be seeing very much of each other. With all due respect to her, rather bigger news is the appointment of the first diocesan woman bishop: the Ven Rachel Treweek, Archdeacon of Hackney, is to be the new Bishop of Gloucester in succession to Rt Rev Michael Perham. This is a big deal: Gloucester is a historic diocese whose bishop has a seat in the Lords. All credit to the Anglicans: they take a long time to decide something, but when they've done it they don't hang about. Is there a very, very small amount of sympathy due to senior male clergy who see their expectations of the top jobs evaporating? Perhaps not.
2. The Germanwings plane is deliberately crashed in the Alps
A Germanwings plane carrying 150 people crashed in the French Alps, killing them all. The voice recorder from the cockpit survived the impact and it seems likely that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, may have deliberately crashed it having locked the pilot out of the cockpit. The story becomes one of ghastly murder rather than tragic accident. At the time of writing no motive had been established for the act, which left hundreds grieving – especially in Germany, where 16 pupils from the same school were returning from an exchange holiday in Spain.
3. Two Christians are accused of lynching Lahore suspects
Two Christians were accused of lynching people suspected of being responsible for the terrorist attack on churches in Lahore a fortnight ago. Brothers Sohail and Yousaf Johnson were charged with the killings of the two suspects on the basis of mobile phone footage. Both are well known in the Christian community, with Sohail running a prisons ministry. They were two of more than 100 suspects to be arrested after the incident, and given Pakistan's chaotic judicial and law enforcement systems, fears are justifiably high that their trial will be anything but fair. Pakistan is a dangerous place to be a minority.
4. Ted Cruz launches presidential campaign at Christian college
Republican Senator Ted Cruz became the first official presidential candidate in the race for 2016, marking his campaign launch in a speech at Liberty University, Virginia, said to be the world's largest Christian university. Cruz was making an unashamed plea for the Christian vote, saying: "Today, roughly half of born-again Christians aren't voting. They're staying home. Imagine instead millions of people of faith all across America coming out to the polls and voting our values." Analysts pointed out that three-quarters of all white evangelicals already voted Republican, but that a Democratic candidate had already won twice; Cruz will need a wider support base to win.
5. The Modern Slavery Bill became law
This Act is the first of its kind in Europe, and one of the first in the world, to address slavery and trafficking in the 21st century. It enhances support and protection for victims, gives law enforcers the tools they need to target today's slave drivers, ensures perpetrators can be severely punished, and includes a provision to encourage businesses to ensure their supply chains are slavery free. It is not perfect, but it is a very good thing indeed. In the end, slavery, like many other ills, is a disease of poverty. This Act won't stop it until that swamp is drained, but it will help.
A good week for:
Richard III, his reputation strangely rehabilitated, reburied with a good deal of pomp and circumstance at Leicester Cathedral.
A bad week for:
Heaven tourism: people who say they've died and met Jesus will find it harder to market their experiences after Lifeway pulled their titles.
The story you might not have read but ought to know about:
The mother of Milad Makeen Zaky, one of 21 Christians murdered in Libya, said: "I thank God that my son kept the faith and died for the cross, because he was the son of Christ from his birth, not my son."
And one for pure enjoyment:
Pope Francis was mobbed by a group of nuns in Naples. "Sisters ... later," said Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, who was officiating. "Well, would you look at that. And these are the cloistered ones. Just imagine the non-cloistered ones. They are going to eat him! Sisters... sisters!"
