Thinking Anglicans

More safeguarding updates

Updated Thursday and Friday

My previous post on this topic is here: Church Safeguarding: Updates for General Synod

Some more recent items:

Church Times Hattie Williams Disputes undermine effectiveness of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board

THE Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has upheld a third complaint of a data-breach made by a survivor against the chair of the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB), Professor Maggie Atkinson, the Church Times has learned.

This paper also understands that, despite being informed of this, the Archbishops’ Council, who employ the ISB as independent contractors, has recently reinstated Professor Atkinson’s access to her ISB email account against the wishes of the two other ISB board members.

The two have requested that her access be removed until they are reassured and can assure survivors that their data is safe…

and the report continues with a great deal of detail on the confusion, ending with:

“…However, due to ongoing concerns about the current working relationships, the Council agreed at its January meeting that members should enter into a dispute-resolution process to ensure this important independent work can continue with effective collaborative working between its members. This will enable the ISB to reach decisions including on outstanding work and to provide services to the Church agreed in its contract.”.

Read the whole report if you can.

The Acting Bishop of Lincoln has written this letter: The Retirement of the Dean of Lincoln, The Very Reverend Christine Wilson. It concludes:

…It is well-known that Dean Christine was caught up in the safeguarding debacle leading from allegations made against the Canon Chancellor. He was subsequently found not guilty; but both the Bishop of Lincoln and Dean Christine were disciplined for a reporting error with regard to the safeguarding breach. Dean Christine voluntarily stepped away from her duties. The Bishop was suspended. Later the Bishop received an apology from the National Church for the undue duration of his suspension. Perhaps because the Dean’s situation was more informal and local, she received no corresponding recognition. A subsequent independent review of the case found that Dean Christine paid too high a price for her mistake, which she apologised publicly for on her return to work. The review, conducted by a senior and highly-esteemed barrister, also found that Christine was never a threat to children or vulnerable adults as had been asserted.

Of course, the first priority of the Diocese was to ensure that no breach of process could possibly lead to a vulnerable adult being hurt. The Court finally determined that there was no case to answer; but the two senior leaders involved paid the price in the meantime. That price has been high and provides a media narrative which will linger for a long time. However, the whole matter can now be seen in perspective, and Dean Christine should in the years ahead be allowed to celebrate her many achievements in ministry under God, as I am celebrating today.

Archbishop of York Press Release: Bishopthorpe Palace publishes its Independent Safeguarding Audit from SCIE  and the full text of the audit report is here.

Church of England Press Release: Statement on ISB and Christ Church review

The Archbishops’ Council, at its meeting last week, has agreed that the review of the handling of safeguarding issues regarding the former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, Dr Martyn Percy, originally referred to the Independent Safeguarding Board, ISB, should be led by another person.

All parties have been informed of this decision and next steps will be announced in due course.

The Archbishops’ Council and the Diocese of Oxford originally referred the review to the ISB early in 2022 and Terms of Reference were announced in May. In the autumn, the ISB announced it was pausing work on the review due to finite resources, current workload and a desire to study the outcomes of other independent reviews into Christ Church.

Due to ongoing concerns about current working relationships and the conclusion of the ICO investigation into the Chair the Council also agreed at its January meeting that the three ISB members should enter into a dispute resolution process to ensure this important independent work can continue with effective collaborative working between its members. This will enable the ISB to reach decisions including on outstanding work and to provide services to the Church agreed in its contract.

The ISB, was set up to provide vital scrutiny of the Church’s safeguarding work and we remain committed to this principle and would like to thank members for their work to date.

Church Times:Review of Dean Percy case will not be conducted by Independent Safeguarding Board

…Early last year, the ISB had agreed — at the request of the diocese of Oxford and the Archbishops’ Council — to undertake a review of the quality of earlier safeguarding investigations into what became a long and protracted dispute between the college authorities and Dean Percy (News, 24 June 2022). The Secretary-General of the Archbishops’ Council, William Nye, later defended the ISB’s ability to do so, after its competence and capacity to investigate were questioned by a General Synod member, Martin Sewell (News, 1 July 2022).

Last October, however, the ISB “paused” its review indefinitely because it was not confident in its own independence and resources (News, 21 October 2022).

On Wednesday, the Archbishops’ Council announced that the Christ Church review “should be led by another person” — the day after the Church Times reported that a third complaint of a data breach had been made by a survivor against the ISB, and that this had been upheld by the Independent Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The complaint concerned an email exchange between the survivor and the chair of the ISB, Professor Maggie Atkinson.

Updates

Statement from the ISB about the Cbrist Church review

Church Times Member’s motion to tackle exclusion of Independent Safeguarding Board from Synod

The full text of this motion as originally submitted appears in the comments below.

Report from the ISB to General Synod

“The Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) is committed to sharing its thinking and emerging findings. Despite attempts to secure an opportunity to update Synod in person, no time was made available. We do not believe that the importance of ISB work is consistent with a ‘fringe’ activity. This paper is published in accordance with our commitment to transparency and accountability.”

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LLF: a paper on the Doctrine of Marriage

A new document has been published today, signed by the following bishops

The Bishop of Fulham, Jonathan Baker
The Bishop of Horsham, Ruth Bushyager
The Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth
The Bishop of Woolwich, Karowei Dorgu
The Bishop of Lancaster, Jill Duff
The Bishop of Rochester, Jonathan Gibbs
The Bishop of Hereford, Richard Jackson
The Bishop of Carlisle, James Newcombe [sic]
The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow
The Bishop of Islington, Ric Thorpe
The Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner
The Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson
The Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox
The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, Paul Williams

The full document can be read here.
The paper begins this way:

Since the publication of the Bishops’ LLF Proposal for the consideration of General Synod, a range of lay and ordained people from across the church have asked for some guidance in understanding why many Christians in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, together with Christians from across the churches of world Christianity, continue to believe that marriage is given by God for the union of a man and woman and that it cannot be extended to those who are of the same sex. 

We felt, therefore, that it would be constructive to make available a relatively short theological summary of the doctrine of marriage as the Church of England has received it, and how it relates particularly to changes in society around same-sex partnerships. This paper does not seek to repeat what is set out more comprehensively in chapter 3 of the LLF Book but rather to build upon it. 

This paper emerged from study and conversations in recent months among a number of bishops, evangelical and catholic. It was helpful not only to us but also to other bishops of the same mind, in clarifying some of our own thinking and prayerful discernment on these important matters as we contributed to the LLF deliberations in the College of Bishops. We now offer the paper below to clergy and congregations at this important time in the life of the Church to inform their understanding, recognising that for some it will be welcome support while for others it may clarify points of disagreement. In offering this paper we are committed to continue to listen and learn from those with whom we disagree. 

Few readers of this paper will feel neutral about it. Some will be instinctively grateful for it, while for others it may compound their sense of disappointment. Without seeking to diminish the value of many committed same-sex relationships, for which there is much to give thanks, we find ourselves constrained by what we sincerely believe the Scriptures teach which cannot be set aside. We pray this will be a constructive contribution to the life and ministry of the Church while the work of discernment continues in General Synod and elsewhere. 

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LLF: News and Views

Updated

Spectator Theo Hobson The C of E is right to prevaricate on gay marriage

Church Times Jayne Ozanne Why the Church must decide now on same-sex marriage

ViaMedia.News Neil Patterson Time for the Church to Come Out

St Helen’s Bishopsgate PCC Letter to Bishop of London

Premier Christianity Sean Doherty 8 reasons why the CofE’s same-sex proposals won’t work

Church Times Church holds ‘Orwellian position’ on sexuality, Sandi Toksvig tells Archbishop Welby over tea and As the Actress said to the Bishop…

College of Deans Living in Love and Faith: College of Deans response

Anglican Orthodox  Grassroots Anglicans call on Evangelical Bishops to reject plans for blessing same-sex unions

Trevor Thurston-Smith Same Sex Marriage – A Battle for the Soul of the CofE?

Update

Fulcrum Andrew Goddard Last Rites for LLF?

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LLF – Holy Matrimony®

GS Misc 1339 Prayers of Love and Faith: a note from the Legal Office has provoked a lot of critical comment on social media.
This further* blog post by Paul Roberts analyses some of the reasons for this:

LLF – Holy Matrimony®

*see his two earlier articles here.

Update

The Church Times has published a news article: Clergy will bless same-sex couples not their marriage, say church lawyers

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CEEC responds to LLF proposals from the bishops

CEEC formally responds to House of Bishops’ proposals and subsequent public communications

The Church of England Evangelical Council has published its formal response to the House of Bishops’ proposals and subsequent public communications. The full text of the response can be found at the link above, and is copied below the fold.

CEEC calls for action and offers the Church of England a better way forward

CEEC is grieved and dismayed by the House of Bishops’ response to Living in Love & Faith, and subsequent public communications, believing them to be contrary to the doctrine and teaching of the Church of England. If pursued, we believe these proposals will create further division and broken fellowship within the Church of England and a greater tearing of the fabric of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

We wish to alert the House of Bishops to the depth, breadth and strength of opposition to their proposals among members of CEEC, which represents lay and ordained, charismatic and conservative and open, egalitarian and complementarian evangelicals. The Council is drawn from numerous networks including Diocesan Evangelical Fellowships, EGGS, The Junia Network, ReNew, New Wine, Living Out, Latimer Trust, JAEC, Fulcrum, Fellowship of Word and Spirit, Crosslinks, CPAS, Count Everyone In, CMS, Christianity Explored, Church Society and evangelical College Principals.

(more…)

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LLF: some further developments

Updated Thursday and again Friday

An additional General Synod document has been published today: GS Misc 1339 (Prayers of Love and Faith: a note from the Legal Office).

Update this post from Law & Rellgion UK helpfully brings together on one page the two items on LFF from the Legal Office.

The BBC radio programme Sunday interviewed the Archbishop of York. You can listen to the interview (starts at 37 min 31 sec) or read this transcript.

In the House of Commons yesterday, 24 January, Ben Bradshaw asked an Urgent Question to the Second Church Estates Commisioner:

To ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of Church of England bishops on Equal Marriage in the Church of England

There is a video recording of the debate here, and the Hansard transcript is over here.

Update On Thursday, while answering Questions, he issued this clarification of his earlier remarks:

With you permission, Mr Speaker, following my response to the urgent question on Tuesday, the advice I was given then was by the Church legal office, and I was yesterday asked to make a small clarification. A simple majority in each of the three Houses of the General Synod could suffice to pass a measure and amending canon to change the definition of marriage in ecclesiastical law, but circumstances could also arise in which two-thirds majorities in the House of Bishops and the House of Clergy would be needed, and, as with all authorised forms of service, a two-thirds majority in each House would be required for the approval of the Synod as a form of service for the marriage of a same-sex couple. I apologise, Mr Speaker, but I was only informed yesterday. Given that I was answering questions today, I thought you would find it acceptable that I put that slight clarification on the record.

Christopher Landau has written, at Psephizo, Good disagreement? This isn’t it.

Ruth Harley has written Wrestling for a Blessing in a Time of “Theological Nonsense”.

Church Times news reports:

Update

The full text of the statement from the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches is available here. The Church of England has issued this press release in response: Statement from the Church of England regarding GSFA statement.

Friday updates

Two opinion articles in the Church Times:

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Church Safeguarding: Updates for General Synod

The General Synod has an item on Safeguarding scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday 9 February.

  1. Presentation under SO 107

    Note: the Business Committee has determined under SO 107(3) that this presentation should include an opportunity for questions.

    The Bishop of Rochester to move:

  2. ‘That this Synod do take note of this Report.’

There are two synod documents relating to this topic

A group of survivors has also published a briefing for synod members which can be found here. This is something that all synod members should also read.

Martin Sewell has written an article for Surviving Church which discusses this, see General Synod and Safeguarding Issues: Will the problems be faced?

The Church Times has published a detailed report on all this, see Survivors of abuse in the C of E still feel threatened — and so do church staff helping them.

See also a more recent post.

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What bishops have to say about the LFF proposals

There is a video recording of Friday’s press conference to launch the LLF proposals, available here. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishop of London were among those taking part.

Oxford Prayers of thanksgiving and for God’s blessing for same-sex couples published

Bristol  Bishop of Bristol’s statement on the proposal regarding same-sex relationships

St Edmundsbury A message from Bishop Martin and Bishop Mike

Norwich A pastoral letter regarding the proposals from the House of Bishops following the Living in Love and Faith report

Manchester Bishop of Manchester | Living in Love and Faith Letter

Liverpool Bishops’ response to the Living in Love and Faith process outlined

Europe A letter to the Diocese from Bishop David on the publication of proposals to General Synod following LLF

Hereford Bishop Richard: statement on Living in Love and Faith

Chichester Living in Love and Faith – recent bishops’ meeting

Gloucester A message from Bishop Rachel and Bishop Robert

York Living in Love and Faith: a letter from the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of York

Southwark Living In Love and Faith – Letter from Bishop Christopher to the Diocese of Southwark

Salisbury Ad clerum | Living in Love and Faith

Ely Living in Love and Faith (20 January 2022)

Lincoln Pastoral Letter to the Diocese

Birmingham Living in Love and Faith

Carlisle Bishops respond to Living In Love and Faith proposals

Derby Living in Love and Faith

Worcester Bishops publish draft prayers for blessing same-sex couples

Exeter Bishops Respond to Living in Love and Faith Proposals

Canterbury (Bp of Dover)

Truro LIVING IN LOVE & FAITH: COLLEGE OF BISHOPS PROPOSALS

Rochester Next Steps for Living in Love and Faith

Peterborough Living in Love and Faith

Coventry Living in Love and Faith – January 2023

Chelmsford Travelling Well Together – a pastoral letter from Bishop Guli, Bishop Roger and Bishop Lynne

More to be added as I discover them. Readers are welcome to submit additional links via the comments.

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Initial responses to the LLF statement

Updated Monday evening

Several organisational responses in support of the statement from the bishops have already been published:

There are also several responses expressing opposition to the statement

Some of these items were issued before the release of the full LFF response on Friday. I will update them if newer statements appear, and I will update this post with additional items as I discover them.

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Prayers of Love and Faith analysed

The full texts of the proposed Prayers of Love and Faith can be found here.

Paul Roberts has written two blog posts, discussing the concept of blessing, and then analysing these texts, and comparing them with others from the Church of England and the Church in Wales.

When is a liturgical blessing a blessing?

Prayers of Love and Faith – the draft rites

…The House of Bishops’ draft of Prayers of Love and Faith that will be laid before the General Synod next month do not contain any prayer or statement in which a priest blesses a same-sex couple. God, however, is petitioned to bless the couple. So, indeed, the bishops have hedged their bets in a way which says “God, we’re not sure you approve of homosexual acts, so if you do, could you bless this couple? But we’re not going be doing it ourselves, just to be on the safe side…”

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Bishops make proposals for same-sex couples

Updated again Thursday

Church of England press release

Bishops propose prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and for God’s blessing for same-sex couples

The full text of the press release linked above is also in this PDF document:  Prayers of Love and Faith 18.1.23.

There is a second press release here.

The Church Times has some additional information, and quotes from bishops, in this report: Bishops opt for blessings for same-sex couples in church, but not marriage.

And there is a further article reporting reactions to the press releases: Campaigners respond with fear and dismay to Bishops’ proposals to bless same-sex unions.

Thursday updates
Two further articles from the Church Times:

Conservative Anglicans add their criticism of the Bishops’ same-sex blessing plan

Bishops’ same-sex plans do not need General Synod’s consent

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Portsmouth MP writes to Bishop about LLF

Updated Tuesday

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North, Penny Mordaunt, has written to Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Portsmouth, about LLF.  You can see her letter in full here. Her tweet summarises:

I have written to the Bishop of Portsmouth in advance of February’s General Synod regarding discussions on how the Church will move forward on the issue of same sex relationships. I hope they will back reform.

The Diocese has replied on Twitter:

Dear Penny, thank you for your letter. The views of @JonathanHFrost have been in the public domain since last November. You can find them at portsmouth.anglican.org/LLF Scroll down for more

Updates

Church Times reports further: MPs seek movement from Bishops on same-sex marriage

…The Church Times understands that at least 16 MPs have written to their area or diocesan bishops recommending that the Church change its position on same-sex marriage. This is understood to include the Labour MPs Saron Hodgson, Lilian Greenwood, Nadia Whittome, Alex Norris, Lyn Brown, Kim Leadbetter, Angela Eagle, and Luke Pollard. Neil Coyle, who sits as an independent after his suspension from the Labour Party last year, is also reported to have sent a letter, as has Alicia Kearns, the Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton…

 

(more…)

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Church of England responses to IICSA Final Report

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its final report on 20 October 2022.

The Church of England’s initial responses were reported here.

Today, the National Safeguarding Steering Group, the House of Bishops and the Archbishops’ Council have published a joint response to recommendations in relation to the safeguarding work of the Church of England. It’s a six-page PDF, available here. The covering press release is over here.

Following the October report publication, there was also a response from the (then new) National Safeguarding Director, reported here.

An earlier report relating to the Seal of the Confessional, was reported in this further roundup of responses.

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Bishop of Worcester writes on same-sex relationships

Bishop John Inge has written an open letter to the Diocese, setting out why he believes that the celebration and honouring of monogamous, faithful same-sex relationships by the Church of England would be consonant with the scriptural witness.

The letter begins:

Dear Friends in Christ,

In our recent letter to the clergy of the Diocese of Worcester, the Bishop of Dudley and I wrote that we think the time has come for the Church of England to celebrate and honour monogamous, faithful same-sex relationships. We added that we believe this to be consonant with the scriptural witness but did not set out our reasoning. We merely commended the Bishop of Oxford’s booklet, Living together in Love and Faith.[i] I feel I should summarise my own thinking on the subject and shall attempt to do so here.

The full text of his letter can be read here.

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Former diocesan registrar sanctioned by Solicitors Regulation Authority

Christopher Peak was the registrar to the Diocese of Gloucester between January 1985 and November 2012. During this period he also represented the then-bishop of Gloucester, Peter Ball, in his personal capacity, when indecent assault allegations were made against the bishop. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, in response to a complaint from the National Secular Society, found this constituted a conflict of interest with his official duties towards the diocese. Mr Peak has accepted their findings, and has agreed to permanently remove his name from the roll of solicitors maintained by the SRA.

The matter is reported in detail as follows:

Solicitors Regulation Authority Christopher Peak

Law Society Gazette Retired solicitor agrees to quit roll over conflict of interest in defending bishop

National Secular Society Solicitor struck off for conflict of interests in defending bishop

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London diocese fraud case: Martin Sargeant sentenced

Back in October, Martin Sargeant pleaded guilty to fraud. The Cburch Times reported this: Sargeant pleads guilty in £5-million fraud case. Today, he was sentenced by the court.

Reports:

Press releases:

The Evening Standard includes this information:

…Sargeant, who grew up in Bournemouth, was handed a community order in 1992 for theft by employee and was jailed for 21 months on 1995 for offences including 19 counts of theft.

The court heard the convictions related to his previous employers, including a shoe shop and a bar, which he claimed to have disclosed to the CoE before he was employed – an assertion the church has neither confirmed nor denied…

Further references to these earlier events are included in this article: Life and Learning – Addiction and Recovery.

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Charity Commission asked to investigate Church of England safeguarding

The Church Times reports (under the news story about further delay in the review of the John Smyth case):

Charity Commission appeal. A letter has been sent to the Charity Commission asking it to investigate the Church of England’s safeguarding practices. The 51 signatories include lay and ordained church members, survivors, and some elected members of General Synod.

The signatories express concern about safeguarding policies and practice in the Church of England, referring to “a highly dysfunctional church culture” that is “uniformly poor in responses to allegations of abuse”.

The Church lacks any “functional leadership” in safeguarding, the letter says; “current safeguarding processes, bodies, panels, and their personnel are incompetent, ineffective and unfit for purpose.”

A Church of England spokesperson said: “The Church is committed to the highest standards of safeguarding and this is carried out by professionals both nationally and in its 42 dioceses who support parish safeguarding officers who work in every church across the country. The Church is always open to scrutiny of its processes and will listen and respond to concerns when raised.”

See here for the full text of the  Open Letter to the Charity Commission.

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LLF: College of Bishops meeting concludes

press release 14 December: Living in Love and Faith (LLF) at the College of Bishops- December 2022
The full text of this is copied below the fold.

Church Times news report: Bishops tight-lipped on Church’s next steps for same-sex relationships

THE College and House of Bishops met for three days this week to draft the outcomes of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) discernment process, which are to be presented to the General Synod in 2023.

These outcomes, or recommendations, regarding same-sex relationships have not yet been made public, however. Once they are formally agreed in a final LLF meeting of the bishops in January, they will be put to the vote when the Synod next meets in London in February.

A press release issued at the conclusion of the meeting on Wednesday said: “Bishops spent time praying, reflecting, and discussing a spectrum of possible ways forward for the Church regarding same-sex relationship and marriage, and the theological basis for each. They will continue those discussions at a third meeting in mid-January at which it is anticipated that they will agree an ‘offering’ to the Church, giving a clear sense of direction.”

The Synod would then be invited to “indicate its views” on these. This might include a vote on whether the Church should change canon law to permit same-sex blessings or marriages…

(more…)

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LLF: College of Bishops meets again

Updated again Wednesday

See report of previous meeting here.

There is a further meeting this week, from Monday to Wednesday, of the Church of England College of Bishops, to discuss what actions to take in relation to Living in Love and Faith. See here for the programme of meetings, leading up to the General Synod meeting in February.

“Bishops will gather for two days to draft the outcomes of the discernment process.”

Several articles have appeared in the past few days. (The first two items are behind a paywall.)

Steven Croft was interviewed in the Telegraph on Saturday: The Bishop of Oxford: ‘The Church is seen as unjust because of its treatment of LGBTQ+ people’

Justin Welby was interviewed in The Times on Monday: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby chooses silence on gay marriage

Marcus Green wrote this on his blog: Patiently

Jayne Ozanne wrote this on Via Media.News: An Open Letter to Bishops – Your Pastoral Charge

Equal has published Vigils for Equal Marriage while the bishops meet

Christian Today Welby staying quiet on LGBT views

Religion News Service Catherine Pepinster Church of England bishops head for showdown on marriage for same-sex couples

ViaMedia.News Charlie Bell Unity and the Myth of Neutrality

Premier Christianity Christopher Landau Welby won’t give his opinion on gay marriage. Perhaps Dietrich Bonhoeffer can help

I will update this article if other items appear.

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Bishops discuss UK Asylum and Refugee Policy

The House of Lords debated UK Asylum and Refugee Policy on 9 December. The Archbishop of Canterbury moved

That this House takes note of the principles behind contemporary United Kingdom asylum and refugee policy, and of the response to the challenges of forced migration.

Several other bishops also took part in the debate. The full Hansard record can be found here, or more conveniently perhaps as a PDF file over here.

The Church of England in Parliament website provides links to the speeches of each bishop:

The House of Lords Library had prepared a briefing note for this debate which is worth reading.

The Church Times has published a report of this debate here: UK’s treatment of asylum-seekers is wasteful and cruel, says Welby.

The Archbishop of Canterbury referred in his response to the debate to a document which had been mentioned, from Policy Exchange. Here is a link to that document. (Three essays on the morality of asylum by Nigel Biggar, John Finnis and Richard Ekins. Foreword by Dr Michael Nazir-Ali.)

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