The Ecclesiastical Committee recently met, and a report of its proceedings is available on the Parliament website. As it says here,
The Ecclesiastical Committee is not a committee of Parliament, but its reports and their associated Measures are, for convenience, made available here. Papers in these categories are printed by order of both Houses.
Members of the Ecclesiastical Committee are appointed by the Speaker and the Lord Chancellor under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919. Reports on proposed Church of England Measures are made by the Committee under the provisions of section 4 of that Act.
The terms of reference and the current membership of the committee are listed here.
Ecclesiastical Committee – Two Hundred and Twenty Eighth Report
This page has further links to:
The Crown Benefices (Parish Representatives) Measure
Ecclesiastical Committee – Minutes of Evidence leading finally to:
Deliberation – Wednesday 25 November 2009 (this transcript is the most interesting part)
There is also a report about this in Private Eye but that is not available online. However, it makes the point that:
Desmond Swayne MP, who objected strongly – and revealed that David Cameron did too. “As the leader of the opposition’s PPS, I did ask him about this today and he is not content that this should be done.” Although the prime minister has always chosen the first of two names submitted to him, “that does not mean that the choice was automatic”.
And Mr Swayne is reported to have voted against the measure.
Just a scintilla of research into any of these documents gives those of us who happen to live outside of the enclosed Church-State religion of the Church of England cause to be joyful; that we are not directly subject to the political sway ofany government of the day – at least as far as the appointment of our Bishops or clergy is one of the responsibilities of our national governments.
The jurisdiction of the House of Commons is one thing, but the House of Lords…?
Those reading the Report will see a typical intervention by David Taylor, concerned about ‘also rans’ for suffragan sees.
David died suddenly on Boxing Day and is mourned across Leicestershire as an example of an MP who worked himself to death on behalf of the marginalised (even marginalised potential bishops). He was backbencher of the year in 2007, and an example of a Christian who took his faith into public life. May he rest in peace
“Lebanon”? “Northern Ireland”?
Isn’t it about time to free the Church of England from this State connection?
“Isn’t it about time to free the Church of England from this State connection?” – Tim Chesterton – Sadly, Tim, in view of the more recent tendency of Islamic Republics to provide special privilege to Muslims; the English Church/State relationship may be the only answer to providing an equal protection to Anglican Christians in England. At least, the English relationship of Monarchy, Church and state is well-attested in history. The Islamic state/religion connection is something slightly different and, may I suggest, somewhat more erratic in its prospects of the establishment or maintenance of world peace – something which both Christian… Read more »
To use the words ‘Ecclesiastical Committee’ of a state parliamentary body, might alert one to the problem of state-sponsored religious disciplinary measures. I wonder what such bodies are called in the more militant Muslim countries?
However, in the case of the Church of England, such a body might yet outlaw the concept of a Covenant in which the Church of England may have to bow to the wishes of the Churches of Nigeria or Uganda on gender, capital punishment, and gender and sexual-orientation issues. Sometimes, civil law can be more humanitarian than that of any religious body.