Michael Smith 🏳️‍🌈🌈

Pope Leo on Pentecost Sunday: "The Holy Spirit opens the doors of our hearts, helping us to overcome resistance, selfishness, mistrust, and prejudice, and enabling us to live as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another. Where the Spirit of the Lord is present, brotherhood arises among individuals, groups, and the peoples of the Earth, and all speak the one language of love, which unites and harmonizes diversity. Brothers and sisters, even in our own day, especially on this day of Pentecost, we must invoke the Holy Spirit, so that He might open all the doors that still remain closed."

With fervent hearts, let us pray today that the Spirit of the Risen One may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome not by a superpower, but by the omnipotence of love. Let us #PrayTogether that God may free humanity from misery, which is redeemed not by immeasurable wealth, but by an inexhaustible gift.

That’s me signing off for the season 🍒 Thanks to everyone who has read any of my bits this term or interacted on here, been some campaign for #afcb and I hope you’ve enjoyed my coverage. See you next season in the Europa League!

From an elected president. Lord have mercy.

My word. That's mental.

Your 2026 @Womens6Nations CHAMPIONS! 🌹🏆

Don't you just love it @UPS when you're another company that apparently is 'experiencing a higher than usual volume of calls....' Straight out of the book of excuses!

Exodus 32 anyone?

@TomTugendhat @Conservatives Living on a completely different planet! Away with the fairies!

@Conservatives That’s a puzzling take on the results!

The Conservatives are coming back!

@RhonddaBryant May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

I’m very sorry to hear that Richard Harries has died. He was a lovely kind intelligent and spiritual man who served as Bishop of Oxford and a member of the House of Lords. Many will know his books or his radio appearances. But I knew him as the man who ordained me. RIP

As I leave Rome today, I do so with profound gratitude for all the encounters, and all that I have received, over these days of pilgrimage. From the warm welcome from our Catholic brothers and sisters, to praying and worship with Anglicans and Catholics, to seeing churches supporting those in need. I’m particularly grateful to Pope Leo XIV for his welcome, his words of hope, and the opportunity to pray together. It’s been a privilege to reaffirm the friendship and bonds of affection between our Churches that have grown over recent decades. May God bless our ongoing pilgrimage as we seek the unity that Christ prayed for. In our divided world, Christians must have a more hopeful story and keep modelling something different - walking and working together to serve the world that God loves. Whatever may divide us, the love of Jesus Christ is greater. Our world needs the Gospel, and we are called to share it together. I leave Rome today with gratitude and prayers for all the people I have met and for continuing friendship and partnership - and with a renewed sense of the reality that in Christ we are one.

So hopefully and encouraging. Alleluia!

This is so hopeful and encouraging. Praise God.

@AngelaTilby @fathereddy I’m guessing whatever she did it would attract some sour and negative comments from some quarters. That’s she’s gone to Rome and will have an audience with the Pope so early on in her ministry as Archbishop is very encouraging.

@fathereddy Come on Ed you can do better than this. Your tone makes me question whether you understand anything about contemporary Catholicism. You sound sour, patronising and ill-informed.

Dame Mullaly should have been invited to tea at the Vatican with nice cake. It was wrong to allow her to offer faux blessings in St Peter’s Modernists rejoice but confusion arises and it scandalises the faithful. No sex before marriage No blessings before unity is embraced

Delighted to join two Anglican services with the new Archbishop of Canterbury today. At All Saints and St Paul’s within the walls. A chance to reflect on the power of walking together.

@QuinsFOTS It will be interesting to see what happens at the start of next season. We’ve had the excuses and injuries this season. In September the slate is wiped clean. If we don’t start well how long will the coaches be given before there’s another search on?

Harlequins boss Jason Gilmore believes that his side has one or two more shock results left in the final few weeks of the season as they chase qualification for next season’s Champions Cup rugbypass.com/news/the-main-…

1st time back to The Stoop since retiring. Feel for the fans. Shame. Think some of the upper hierarchy need to do the honourable thing this summer.

Only caught some of his time in front of the select committee. Very impressed with his responses. I think @Keir_Starmer needs to take a long hard look at himself and his leadership right now and the responsibilities that come with the office of PM.

I have listened to Sir Olly Robbins evidence for last hour and forty minutes and am seeing the very best of the civil service. I am left incredulous that the decision was made to fire him. Has there been a more egregious and shameful decision by a political master desperate to save his own skin?