Clerical abuse in Northern Ireland
The Reference Group of Northern Ireland’s Interdepartmental Working Group set up to oversee research and develop recommendations relating to historical mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and historical clerical child abuse more generally, may institute proceedings against the Northern Ireland Executive over its failure to respond to a report backing a public inquiry into clerical sexual abuse.
Irish Legal News reports that KRW LAW LLP has been instructed to issue formal pre-action protocol correspondence to the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) on behalf of members of the reference group, while Amnesty International has written to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in support of calls for a public inquiry. The report itself, submitted in July, has still not been published.
R v Hamit Coskun again
In October, Hamit Coskun was successful in an appeal to Southwark Crown Court against his conviction in the Magistrates’ Court under s.5 Public Order Act 1986, enhanced by the aggravation provisions of s.31 Crime and Disorder Act 1998, for setting fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Consulate in London in February 2025. On setting the book alight, he had shouted, “Koran is burning”, “Fuck Islam”, and “Islam is the religion of terrorism”; he was attacked by one Moussa Kadri, who chased him brandishing a knife, and by a passing delivery driver who kicked him then cycled away. Kadri was subsequently convicted of assault and possession of a knife.
Allowing the appeal, Bennathan J said at [1] that it was a “clear and well-established” proposition in the law of England and Wales that there was no offence of blasphemy and that the right to freedom of expression must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb. We noted the judgment here.
The Times now reports that the Crown Prosecution Service has appealed to the High Court for a ruling on whether that decision was correct. If successful, the High Court could overturn Coskun’s acquittal or order a fresh hearing. According to the report, the CPS said in documents obtained by The Times that Mr Coskun had carried out an “act of desecration” in burning the Quran and described it as an “obviously provocative act”. The CPS contends that Bennathan J had been wrong to conclude that Mr Coskun’s conduct was neither “disorderly” nor “likely” to cause harassment, alarm or distress to the public under s.5 of the Public Order Act.
Charities: advancement of religion
In reply to an Oral Question from Bs Burt of Solihull about ensuring that “charities cannot use ‘the advancement of religion’ charitable purpose to advance ideologies which promote misogyny, sexism or violence against women”, Bs Twycross, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DCMS, said that the Government
“will consult in due course on new powers for the Charity Commission to automatically ban individuals convicted of hate crimes from serving as charity trustees or senior managers. We will also make it easier for the commission to take regulatory action against people promoting violence, terrorism or hatred.”
The full text of the exchange is here.
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
On Wednesday, the Government Chief Whip in the Lords announced that, in addition to the three Fridays already announced, the House is to sit on eight additional Fridays in the new year, ending on 24 April, to consider amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Burial and cremation law in Scotland
The Burial and Cremation (Applications and Registers) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 were laid in the Scottish Parliament on 24 November 2025. They amend the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019 (“the Cremation Regulations”) and the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (“the Burial Applications Regulations”). The Regulations:
- update the burial and cremation application forms in the Burial Applications Regulations and the Cremation Regulations, with the intention of improving usability, removing guidance notes from the cremation application forms and ensuring that the forms reflect current practice; and
- update the cremation register requirements by removing the need for a prescribed form for the register and instead specifying the data that must be recorded.
If approved by the Scottish Parliament, they will come into force on 2 March 2026.
Same-sex ceremonies: Church in Wales
On 20 November 2025, in a Road map for the future of ceremonies for same-sex couples in the Church in Wales, the five bishops currently in post in the Church in Wales issued a pastoral letter regarding the future of ceremonies for same-sex couples. In it they announce that they will introduce proposals:
- to the Governing Body in April 2026 to make the authorisation of Blessings for Same Sex Couples permanent in the life of the Church; and
- to bring further proposals in April 2027 to allow the law of the state and of the Church to be changed to permit same sex marriage in our Churches.
Same-sex ceremonies: Lincoln and Chelmsford diocesan synods
The Church Times has reported that the Lincoln diocesan synod has called on the House of Bishops to “proceed at pace” to implement stand-alone blessing services for same-sex couples; and on the same day, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, told her diocesan synod that she was “dismayed and disappointed” by recent decisions of the House of Bishops which have been decried by those seeking greater inclusion for LGBTQ+ people.
Legalisation of abortion blocked in Monaco
The Catholic Herald reports that Prince Albert II of Monaco has declined to sign a bill passed by the National Council that would have legalised abortion in the Principality. This has halted the proposed reform and leaves unchanged the current law, under which abortion remains formally illegal, though it has been decriminalised since 2019. Termination of pregnancy is permitted only in three circumstances: rape, serious risk to the mother’s life, or significant foetal malformation.
The article notes that in 1990 King Baudouin of Belgium refused to sign a law legalising abortion up to 12 weeks. The Government declared the King “temporarily unable to reign” for one day, and during that 36-hour period, the Council of Ministers collectively signed the law, making it valid without his endorsement. The next day, Parliament restored him to the throne. Similarly, in 2008, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg refused to sign a bill that would legalise euthanasia. Unlike Belgium, Luxembourg amended its constitution so that the monarch no longer “sanctions” laws but merely “promulgates” them.
Quick links
- Matteo Corsalini, BYU Law: Liberal and Post-Liberal Religious Freedom in Church Employment: An Appraisal of the Strasbourg’s Case Law.
- Matthew England, Hansard Society: The assisted dying bill: Is the number of Lords amendments a parliamentary record?
- Matthew England, Hansard Society: The assisted dying bill: Will it run out of time? The parliamentary options explained.
- Rosalind English, UK Human Rights Blog: Faith, Freedom, and Fairness: Supreme Court Rules Christian-only religious education in Northern Ireland schools unlawful.
- Charlotte Kay and Yasmin Kibble, Lexology: Spiritual Abuse and Coercive Control.
And finally…
Everyone’s favourite Establishmentarian politico, Andrew Rosindell (Con, Romford), asked the Secretary of State for Defence, “if he will make it his Department’s policy to reinstate compulsory chapels on Royal Navy vessels”. To which Louise Sandher-Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the MoD, replied:
“The Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service (RNCS) provides spiritual, pastoral and moral support to all personnel, regardless of faith and belief. Chaplains are routinely embarked on Royal Navy vessels, particularly major warships and deployed task groups, and will use and suitable quiet space for services, prayers and one-to-one support.”
Or more briefly, “No”.