Ideas

WASHINGTON — A divided panel of the D.C. Circuit ruled Oct. 20 that the Episcopal Church and 26 ecumenical and interfaith partners may challenge the Trump administration's rollback of 'sensitive locations' limits on immigration enforcement at houses of worship. The panel reversed a lower-court finding from April 2025 that the plaintiffs had not shown imminent harm. It sent the case back to the district court to decide the merits. The opinion said members face likely imminent harm from increased enforcement and traced that harm to the new policy. Twelve denominations joined the suit, including Methodist, Presbyterian, Mennonite and AME Zion churches. Georgetown University Law Center represents them. They argue the policy violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In August, the Fourth Circuit upheld an order limiting enforcement outside some congregations that had sued separately.

LONDON — A new report by Canon Robin Gill and Professor John Craven, 'Wasted Money in a Diminishing Church,' says the Church of England is heading for financial disaster. It reports 37 of 42 dioceses running deficits, against 18 in 2019. Diocesan staff have grown from 1,300 in 2005 to 2,300 in 2025, while parish clergy numbers have fallen. The authors call for 'ruthless' reform, including cutting dioceses and diocesan bishops to about 30 and shifting money to parishes. They also criticise the £190 million net-zero programme and the £100 million Project Spire slavery-reparations fund. Project Spire already faces a High Court challenge. A church spokesman called the report 'wide-ranging and thoughtful' and said new safeguarding posts are vital. The Church Commissioners said Spire is about 1% of the endowment and that £4.6 billion is being distributed across the church from 2026 to 2034.