House of Bishops minutes – 20-22 May 2025
The minutes of the May 2025 meeting of the Church of England’s House of Bishops are now available.
Although they are dated 18 June at the end, the internal file attributes have today’s date (1 Sept 2025).
There was a meeting in July, with an agenda and a press release, but, as yet, no minutes. The next meeting of the House is scheduled for 6-8 October.
Earlier minutes are online here.
16 CommentsCathedral Statistics 2024
The Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2024. There is an accompanying press release which is copied below. Statistics for earlier years may be found here.
Cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024
28/08/2025
The Church of England’s latest cathedral statistics show continued growth in 2024, with weekly attendance rising to 31,900, an increase of eleven per cent compared to 2023. The rise was driven particularly by midweek services, which saw a 15 per cent increase in adult attendance and a 16 per cent increase in child attendance, although still lower than the pre-pandemic figure. (more…)
5 CommentsSuffragan Bishop of Basingstoke
The Prime Minister’s Office has annnounced that the next Bishop of Basingstoke in the diocese of Winchester will be the Ven Kelly Anne Betteridge, currently Archdeacon of Bodmin. The Winchester website carries a press release New Bishop of Basingstoke Announced by Downing Street while Truro has Archdeacon Kelly named as new Bishop.
31 CommentsSuffragan Bishop of Basingstoke: 28 August 2025
The King has approved the nomination of the Venerable Kelly Anne Betteridge BA, MA, to the Suffragan See of Basingstoke, in the Diocese of Winchester.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 28 August 2025The King has approved the nomination of the Venerable Kelly Anne Betteridge BA, MA, Archdeacon of Bodmin in the Diocese of Truro, to the Suffragan See of Basingstoke in the Diocese of Winchester, in succession to the Right Reverend David Williams BSc, following his translation to the See of Truro.
Kelly was educated at Roehampton Institute, gaining a degree in Education and Theology in 1992. She served as a youth and children’s worker in parishes in the Dioceses of Guildford and of Oxford and then as a ministry specialist working with the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS), involved in training and consultancy work with leaders, writing resources and shaping policy relating to children’s ministry.
Kelly trained for ministry at Queen’s College, Birmingham, gaining an MA in Applied Theological Studies. She served her title across the three parishes of St. Nicolas, Nuneaton with St. James, Weddington, and St. Theobold and St. Chad, Caldecote, in the Diocese of Coventry. She was ordained Priest in 2011 and was subsequently appointed Vicar of St. Nicolas and Priest in Charge of St. James and St. Theobold and St. Chad in 2014.
In 2021 Kelly took up her current role as Archdeacon of Bodmin and a Director of Intergenerational Church, in the Diocese of Truro, supporting deaneries to implement plans for sustainability and flourishing, working with leaders (lay and ordained) to embed new patterns of ministry and, promoting intergenerational approaches to church life.
Redress Scheme suffers major data breach
Updated 29 August
As mentioned in today’s Opinion article, the Redress Scheme that was recently approved by General Synod has suffered from a major data breach. The Church of England has issued this statement:
Redress Scheme data breach by Kennedy’s Law LLP which is copied in full below.
We have been made aware of a deeply regrettable data incident involving the independent Redress Scheme administered by Kennedys Law LLP.
- Please see a statement from Kennedys Law. (also copied below)
This incident resulted in the unintended disclosure by Kennedys Law of email addresses belonging to individuals who had registered for updates on the Redress Scheme.
First and foremost, our focus is on those affected. We recognise the distress this has caused, particularly for survivors who trusted the scheme to handle their information with care and confidentiality.
While the Church of England is not the data controller for the Redress Scheme and does not hold or manage the data in question, we are nonetheless profoundly concerned. We are in discussions with Kennedys to understand how this breach occurred and to ensure robust steps are taken to prevent anything similar from happening again.
Kennedys has taken full responsibility for the incident and is contacting all those affected directly to apologise and offer support. They have reported the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office and are investigating the circumstances thoroughly.
This should not have happened. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support efforts to restore trust and confidence.
Questions or concerns in relation to this data breach can be directed to KennedysDataProtectionOfficer@kennedyslaw.com
Finding support
If you have been impacted by this there are a number of organisations who can offer support:
Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service for anyone who has experienced abuse in relation to the Church of England, the Church in Wales, or the Catholic Church of England and Wales.
There are Safeguarding Advisers in every Church of England diocese across the country. Details can be found using our Diocesan Safeguarding Teams map which links to relevant contact information in each area.
Additional support services are listed here.
If you would like to talk to someone within the Church of England please email redress@churchofengland.org
Statement from Kennedys Law: Published 27 August 2025
Regrettably on Tuesday evening, a message was sent from law firm, Kennedys, to 194 individuals and law firms who had registered to receive updates in relation to the Church of England Redress scheme. Due to human error, the email displayed the email addresses making them visible to all recipients. No further personal details of individuals were shared. Attempts to recall the message were only partially successful.
Kennedys has been working with the Church of England since March 2024 as its independent Scheme Administrator to help it develop further and manage its National Redress Scheme for victims and survivors of Church-related abuse. This was approved by the General Synod of the Church of England in July paving the way for the scheme to open for redress applications.
Kennedys is deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error and accepts full responsibility. We have contacted everyone who received the message and have reported the incident to the Charity Commission, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority. We will fully comply with any investigations.
Additionally, we have launched a full internal investigation to understand how this could have occurred and will incorporate any lessons learnt into our procedures immediately.
We understand the significant impact this will have on those affected for which we apologise unreservedly. We remain committed to supporting victims and survivors of Church of England-related abuse to secure the financial redress, therapeutic, spiritual and emotional support, acknowledgement of wrongdoing on the part of the Church, apology and other forms of bespoke redress under this scheme. Questions or concerns in relation to this data breach can be directed to KennedysDataProtectionOfficer@kennedyslaw.com
Updates
This letter was issued on Thursday: An open letter from the Bishop of Winchester
And this was issued by Kennedys, on the front page of the Redress Scheme website, and is copied below.
Redress Church of England
Kennedys data breach
Published 28 August 2025
I am a Partner at the law firm Kennedys, and I have been working with the Church of
England to develop the Redress Scheme.
I know you will already be aware of the unfortunate incident earlier this week in which an email was sent to people who had registered to receive updates in relation to the Redress Scheme. Due to human error and in breach of firm standards, the email displayed the email addresses of all recipients. I want to reassure you that no further personal details of individuals, or information relating to those individuals, was shared.
I want to take this opportunity to personally apologise that this error occurred. It does not reflect the standards that we expect of ourselves and as a firm but more importantly we know that it has caused trauma and concern, and seriously impacted on the trust that survivors and others have in the Redress Scheme. We recognise the seriousness of this incident, and we have launched an internal investigation to understand exactly how this incident occurred and to ensure it does not happen again.
We are also working with the Church of England and those leading the Scheme to determine how best to rebuild trust in the Redress Scheme, and ensure those affected by this incident are adequately supported and any harm suffered appropriately redressed.
We have received a number of complaints from those affected by this incident and are responding to those individually. If you have been impacted and want to lodge a complaint, or have any related questions or concerns, you can contact me at Helen_snowball@kennedyslaw.com or the Kennedys Data Protection Officer at KennedysDataProtectionOfficer@kennedyslaw.com. We have a dedicated team in place who are entirely focused on this matter.
We understand it can be distressing for some to receive further messages from the original thread. We have provided some guidance here that might help reduce or stop further messages coming to your inbox.
We know this will be a difficult time for many of you and additional support is available from Safe Spaces. They can be contacted on safespaces@firstlight.org.uk or 0300 303 1056.
I would like to reiterate again how sorry I am that this happened and our unwavering dedication to making it right.
With regards,
Helen Snowball
35 Comments
Chris Brain trial: found guilty on 17 out of 37 charges
Updated
The trial of Chris Brain on multiple charges arising from the Nine O’Clock Service has led to the following outcomes:
- Found guilty on 17 charges of indecent assault
- Found not guilty on a further 15 charges of indecent assault
- Jury failed to reach a verdict on 5 further charges, 1 of rape, 4 of indecent assault.
A further hearing is scheduled for 4 September, to determine if there are grounds for a retrial on any of the latter charges.
The Church of England has issued these statements: Statements following the trial of Chris Brain, the founder of the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield.
The Diocese of Sheffield has this: Statement from the Bishop of Sheffield following the trial of Chris Brain
South Yorkshire Police has: Former priest guilty of multiple sexual offences following SYP investigation
Update
Crown Prosecution Service has: Former vicar convicted for rape and sexual assaults connected to his nightclub ‘Nine O Clock service’
Note: this headline has now been amended.
93 CommentsGeneral Synod electronic voting results – July 2025 – part 2
Most of the electronic voting lists from last month’s meeting of General Synod were published online some weeks ago, and I linked to them here. These contain the names of voting members and how they voted.
The lists for two procedural motions were omitted, but they are now available. Both were motions ‘That the Synod do pass to the Next Business’ and both were carried. The effect of such a motion is that the substantive motion lapses, and the same (or a similar) question cannot be reconsidered in the remaining lifetime of the Synod without the permission of the Business Committee and the general consent of the Synod.
The first was during the debate on item 13 as amended by item 33 (see Order Paper III for Saturday afternoon).
That this Synod noting the wider discussions about the culture and governance of the House of Bishops
a) welcome the decision to undertake an independently led review as proposed in GS Misc 1412 and the importance in the proposed Terms of Reference of the section on Culture and Ways of Working and
b) request that the Report of the Review be published in full and that the cost of the Review be met by the Archbishops’ Council.”.
The second was at the end of Sunday’s debate on the Archbishops’ Council Annual Report. This prevented a debate on Martin Sewell’s following motion on the working of the Audit Committee (see item 35 on Order Paper V).
6 CommentsBishop of Worcester
The Prime Minister’s Office has announced that the next Bishop of Worcester is to be the Right Reverend Hugh Edmund Nelson, currently Suffragan Bishop of St Germans. The Worcester diocesan website has more information here, and the diocese of Truro has this.
3 CommentsAppointment of Bishop of Worcester: 29 July 2025
The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Hugh Edmund Nelson, for election as Bishop of Worcester
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 29 July 2025The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Hugh Nelson, Suffragan Bishop of St Germans in the Diocese of Truro, for election as Bishop of Worcester, in succession to The Right Reverend John Geoffrey Inge, following his retirement.
Background
After a theology degree at Worcester College, Oxford, Hugh spent 13 years living and working with adults with learning disabilities in one of the L’Arche communities. He trained for ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, was ordained Deacon in 2009 and Priest in 2010, serving his title at The Six group of Churches in the rural area around Sittingbourne in the Diocese of Canterbury. He was appointed Vicar of Goudhurst and Kilndown, also in the diocese of Canterbury, in 2012.
In 2020 Hugh took up his current role as Suffragan Bishop of St Germans in the Diocese of Truro and was in addition appointed Bishop to the Armed Forces in 2021. Since 2023 he also served as Acting Bishop of Truro until the installation of the Right Reverend David Williams on 17th May.
General Synod electronic voting results – July 2025
Updated on 19 August to add two procedural motions
The electronic voting results from this month’s meeting of General Synod are now available online. These contain the names of voting members and how they voted.
- Item 008
- Item 012
- Item 025
- Item 028
- Item 030
- Item 031
- Procedural Motion (Item 033)
- Procedural Motion (Item 035)
- Item 501
- Item 503
- Item 507
- Item 508
- Item 511B
- Item 516B
- Item 543
- Item 550
- Item 553
- Item 554
- Item 555
- Item 556
- Item 557
The full text of motions can be found in the official record of Business Done.
- Friday, 11 July (Afternoon)
- Saturday, 12 July (Morning)
- Saturday, 12 July (Afternoon)
- Sunday, 13 July (Afternoon)
- Sunday, 13 July (Evening)
- Monday, 14 July (Morning)
- Monday, 14 July (Evening)
- Tuesday, 15 July (Morning)
Bishops confirm replacement of ‘Issues in Human Sexuality’ in discernment process
The House of Bishops yesterday agreed to replace Issues in Human Sexuality in the process of discerning new candidates for ordination with a requirement for candidates to live in line with the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy. Details are in a Church of England press release which is copied below.
Bishops confirm replacement of ‘Issues in Human Sexuality’ in discernment process
23/07/2025
The House of Bishops has agreed to replace the outdated document Issues in Human Sexuality in the process of discerning new candidates for ordination with a requirement for candidates to live in line with the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy.
The change does not alter the Church’s doctrine or canonical requirements, which remain in place, but is intended to ensure the discernment process is both theologically robust and pastorally sensitive.
The decision, at an online meeting of the House of Bishops this morning, follows a near-unanimous vote at the General Synod in York last week, and is an interim step while a longer-term approach is developed.
Synod supported an amended private member’s motion calling on the House to remove any requirements relating to Issues – as it was widely known – from the process and replace it with the interim requirement relating to the Guidelines.
When it was first published in 1991, Issues aimed to be sensitive, but the tone, language, and some of the assumptions are now considered inappropriate and offensive to many people.
Originally intended as a teaching document, Issues had assumed a more definitive role within the Church’s discernment and vocations process with candidates required to confirm that they would shape their lives within the boundaries outlined within it.
Bishops also agreed to remove the document from the House of Bishops website.
Work is now getting under way to update materials used in the discernment process such as online forms which reference Issues and documents used in the Candidates Panel. All existing guidance documents for Candidates, Diocesan Directors of Ordinands and Bishops’ Advisers will be reviewed and changed where necessary and new guidance will be issued. The Ministry Development Team, in collaboration with the Ministry Development Board, will report back to the House in October on this process.
This interim procedure will remain in place while the Church continues its work on the broader package of proposals for the Living and Love and Faith process. This work is ongoing, with the aspiration that proposals will be brought to the House of Bishops in the autumn and then to the February 2026 General Synod.
The House heard a presentation on the work undertaken so far on a review of regulations for Reader Ministry and the findings of the second Anglican Giving Survey carried out earlier this year.
The survey found that over 75 per cent of Anglicans had been thanked for their giving in the last six months, up from less than a third five years ago.
It also highlighted the generosity of givers, with average giving exceeding inflation over the last five years, and suggested that more than two thirds of Anglicans had heard a sermon on giving in the last year, with 60 per cent of those saying the sermon changed their thinking on giving.
The meeting closed in prayer.
Notes
- First adopted in 2003, the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy were substantially revised and declared an Act of Convocation by the Convocations of Canterbury and York in 2015. Work is currently underway to develop a revised version for consideration by the Convocations.
- The House of Bishops resolved today to:
- Remove Issues in Human Sexuality from the Vocations (Shared Discernment Process) and the House of Bishops website immediately and agree to replace it immediately with an interim requirement of living consistently with the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy during the period of discernment and training.
- Commission the Ministry Development Team, working with the Ministry Development Board to develop the details needed to implement this well, reporting to the House in October 2025.
- The Synod motion agreed on July 15, 2025 was:
- “That this Synod request that the House of Bishops remove any requirements relating to Issues in Human Sexuality from the Vocations (Shared Discernment) Process and replace it with an interim requirement of living consistently with the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy (GPCC) during the period of discernment and training, and complete work on the package of the Pastoral Guidelines, Code of Practice, and Bishops’ Statement, as agreed at General Synod in July 2024.”
General Synod – 11-15 July 2025
This post will be updated as the meeting proceeds.
The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting this weekend. The timetable is here, the agenda is here and the papers are here.
Live video etc
All sessions are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to view afterwards. Links have been provided in advance.
- Friday afternoon 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- Saturday morning 9.00 am – 12.45 pm
- Saturday afternoon 2.00 pm – 7.00 pm
- Sunday afternoon 2.15 pm – 7.00 pm
- Sunday evening 9:00 pm – 10.00 pm
This appears to be a mistake as there is no session of Synod scheduled for Sunday evening.
Update: an extra session has been added – see notice paper 7. - Monday morning 9.00 am – 12.45 pm
- Monday afternoon 2.00 pm – 7.00 pm
- Tuesday morning 9.00 am – 1.30 pm
There is an official X/Twitter account.
Order papers
- OP I – Friday, 11 July (Afternoon)
- OP II – Saturday, 12 July (Morning)
- OP III – Saturday, 12 July (Afternoon)
- OP IV – Sunday, 13 July (Afternoon)
- OP V – Sunday, 13 July (Evening)
- OP VI – Monday, 14 July (Morning)
- OP VII – Monday, 14 July (Afternoon)
- OP VIII – Tuesday, 15 July (Morning)
Notice papers
- NP01 – Deadlines
- NP02 – York Security
- NP03 – Progress of Measures
- NP04 – Errata
- NP05 – Financial Statement
- NP06 – Worship
- NP07 – Motions and Amendments
- NP08 – Errata
- NP09 – Welcome to new members
- NP10 – Errata
- NP11 – Motions and Amendments
- NP12 – Financial Statement
Questions Notice Papers
Business Done
- Friday, 11 July (Afternoon) (revised version)
- Saturday, 12 July (Morning)
- Saturday, 12 July (Afternoon)
- Sunday, 13 July (Afternoon)
- Sunday, 13 July (Evening)
- Monday, 14 July (Morning)
- Monday, 14 July (Evening)
- Tuesday, 15 July (Morning)
Official press releases
- Archbishop of York’s Presidential Address to General Synod
- Pray for Armed Forces amid ‘uncertain’ times, General Synod hears
- Friday at Synod
- Synod approves transformation of Church governance
- Synod welcomes national spending plans for next three years
- Saturday at Synod
- Sunday at Synod
- General Synod approves redress scheme for survivors of Church-related abuse
- Monday at Synod
- Gaza food system ‘like Hunger Games’ – Archbishop Hosam
- Synod unanimously backs licensing changes for forces chaplains
- Synod approves changes to Vocations Process with removal of ‘Issues in Human Sexuality’
- Fund palliative care instead of ‘unworkable and unsafe’ assisted suicide law – Synod
- Tuesday at Synod
Press reports and comment etc
The Guardian
Independent
- Authority over death belongs to God alone, Church of England leader warns
- Gaza aid hubs ‘like hunger games’ for Palestinians, says archbishop
Church Times
- Hope for the Church in both tradition and diversity, Archbishop of York tells Synod
- Synod votes against radical measures to redistribute Church Commissioners’ wealth
- Synod approves Measure to reform of Church’s national governance structures
- Church’s redress scheme for abuse survivors given final Synod approval
- Relief expressed after Synod approves Church’s redress scheme for survivors
- Synod welcomes higher clergy pensions
- Synod urges Government to scrap assisted-dying Bill and fund ‘desperately needed palliative care’
Civil Society
Third Sector
Anglican Communion News Service
35 CommentsGeneral Synod Questions – July 2025
The Questions (and answers) for this weekend’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here:
Questions will be taken on Friday evening (11 July).
27 CommentsDean of Carlisle
The Dean of Carlisle, the Very Revd Jonathan Brewster, has announced that he is to step down from his role.
5 CommentsBishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
The Prime Minister’s Office has announced that the next Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich will be the Rt Revd Joanne Grenfell, currently Area Bishop of Stepney in the diocese of London. Details are in the press release copied below. The diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich has more here, and the diocese of London has this.
30 CommentsAppointment of Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: 27 June 2025
The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, Area Bishop of Stepney, in the Diocese of London, for election as Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
Published 27 June 2025The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, Area Bishop of Stepney, in the Diocese of London, for election as Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, in succession to The Right Reverend Martin Alan Seeley, following his retirement.
Background
Joanne Grenfell was educated at Oriel College, Oxford and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. She has a DPhil from Oxford and was Lecturer in English at Oriel College before ordination.
She served her title in the Kirkby Team Ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool and was ordained Priest in 2001. In 2003, Joanne was appointed joint Priest-in-Charge of Manor Parish in the Diocese of Sheffield with responsibility for Ripon College Cuddesdon’s urban theology placement programme. In 2006, Joanne became Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Residentiary Canon of Sheffield Cathedral, and in 2008 she took on the additional role of Dean of Women’s Ministry.
From 2013, Dr Grenfell served as Archdeacon of Portsdown in the Diocese of Portsmouth. In 2019, she took up her current role as Area Bishop of Stepney, in the Diocese of London. She has been the lead Bishop for safeguarding since May 2023.
General Synod Papers – July 2025
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from 11 to 15 July. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
- Outline of Business (updated 25.06.2025)
- GS 2400 Agenda July 2025
- GS 2401 Report from the Business Committee [a helpful guide to the business before Synod]
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers and items of deemed and contingency business.
Also available are these two zipped files.
16 CommentsPre-synod press release
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York next month. The papers were released today along with the following press release. I will publish a detailed list of papers later today.
Christian responses to war, people coming to faith, and measures to support clergy on Synod agenda
A major package of proposals to support clergy; signs of growth in church attendance, and how Christians can respond to potential for armed conflict are among topics on the agenda at the upcoming General Synod.
Members of Synod will gather in York for their annual residential meeting from July 11 to 15, with a wide-ranging agenda of legislation, topical debate and discussion.
There will be several items of financial business including debate on the Church of England’s recently announced £1.6 billion three-year national spending plans and a request for Synod to approve proposals to increase clergy pensions.
Significant time will be set aside for the final stages of the legislation to set up the National Redress Scheme for victims and survivors of Church-related abuse.
Amid war in Ukraine and the Middle East and tensions around the world, Synod will be hearing from a senior member of the Armed Forces reflecting on the current global context and how churches can respond to armed conflict. Synod papers published today also include a reflection by the Church of England’s Bishop to the Forces, Hugh Nelson, on how parishes can support members of the armed forces and their families in their communities and addressing questions of how the Church can serve its mission in times of conflict. (See GS Misc 1428)
Following four years of overall growth in church attendance, Synod will spend some time considering church growth and outreach, drawing on research by the Archbishops’ Council on factors which help churches grow.
A paper by the Rev Kate Wharton, a member of Archbishops’ Council and Prolocutor of the House of Clergy, explains: “This is a moment of opportunity. Churches are revitalising, starting new services, planting, and reaching people in new ways.
“The Church is rediscovering its calling to be younger, more diverse and rooted in every community.
“All of this reminds us: growth is God’s work. Our task is to pray, prepare, and respond with faith.”
23 CommentsAlternative Ordinations in England
Law & Religion UK has this exclusive report:
Alternative Anglican Ordinations: seven South African deacons
46 CommentsSeven lay ministers from dioceses across the Church of England were ordained in May 2025 by a visiting Anglican bishop from South Africa. In this guest post, Andrew Atherstone provides the first report of this event, based on interviews with several of the leading participants.
On Wednesday 21 May 2025, the Archbishop of York received notification from the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH SA) of their plans to ordain “missionary clergy” for ministry in England…
House of Bishops – minutes for March 2025
These are now available online. Earlier minutes are here; scroll down to “Documents”.
4 CommentsStill no answers to safeguarding questions
TA readers may recall that in 2023 and 2024, letters were sent to both the archbishops by Richard Scorer, on behalf of his Client ‘Gilo’, asking questions about the involvement of William Nye, members of the National Safeguarding Team, and others in a meeting with Ecclesiastical Insurance held in 2016. To date, no substantive reply has been received.
Yesterday, a third letter was sent. This time it has been sent to the Church Commissioners, since the Archbishops’ Council has now failed repeatedly to answer. No doubt the topic will yet again by raised at the General Synod next month.
- A PDF of the most recent letter is here.
- For reference the two earlier letters were also included:
2023 letter
2024 letter
All of this has been rehearsed on Thinking Anglicans before. Here are some of the earlier articles:
Elliot Review Redux
Safeguarding Bishop admits that survivor was misled
Getting answers to safeguarding questions is slow
1700 years since the Council of Nicaea
The Council of Nicaea met in the summer of the year 325, so that this year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council, the first such gathering.
To mark the anniversary, the Church of England has published a small book, We Believe: Exploring the Nicene Creed which “explores the theological depth and contemporary relevance of the Nicene Creed — one of the most enduring and universal expressions of Christian faith”. It contains 24 reflections and prayers, one on each statement of the Nicene Creed, and can be used daily, 6 days a week across 4 weeks, though the reflections are not dated and can easily be used at other times. It is all also being included over the next few weeks in the Everyday Faith app. There’s a press release here, and for further information scroll down this page at the Church of England website.
The booklet of reflections was produced by a small subgroup of the Liturgical Commission, and the accompanying page (linked above) has extra resources that can be used to shape a study course or a sermon or sermon series or other activity. There’s also an article on the use of the Nicene Creed in the liturgy.
The Council of Nicaea met to resolve two major controversies, creating the statement about how it understood the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (a statement extended and revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381 to form what we call the Nicene Creed, give or take a word or two). And it agreed that Easter should always be kept on a Sunday rather than on the spring full moon itself.
In addition to this Church of England material, Transforming Worship (formerly called Praxis) in its June newsletter, available to subscribers, also included a couple of articles by two of the booklet writers: Jo Kershaw on the Nicene Creed and me on the Date of Easter, which is a canter through the history and significance of the date, from the first century to the twenty-first.
45 CommentsChurch of England responds to House of Commons votes
There have been two instances this week of votes in the House of Commons on issues where members have been free to vote in line with their personal opinions. The Church of England has issued press releases in each case.
First, a change to the law on abortion was approved, by way of an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. As Law and Religion UK explains:
“For the purposes of the law related to abortion, including sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy.”–(Tonia Antoniazzi.)
This new clause would disapply existing criminal law related to abortion from women acting in relation to her own pregnancy at any gestation, removing the threat of investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment. It would not change any law regarding the provision of abortion services within a healthcare setting, including but not limited to the time limit, telemedicine, the grounds for abortion, or the requirement for two doctors’ approval.”
The Bishop of London made this comment:
“Women facing unwanted pregnancies are confronted with the hardest of choices. Ultimately, they require compassion and care in order to support them fully in the heart-wrenching decision they must take. They should not be prosecuted.
“However, decriminalising abortion can at the same time inadvertently undermine the value of unborn life. The amendment passed to the Crime and Policing Bill[*] may not change the 24-week abortion limit, but it undoubtedly risks eroding the safeguards and enforcement of those legal limits. Women suffering from coercion, or those who are victims of sexual or domestic abuse, would be the most vulnerable to the proposed change, which does not consider improvements to abortion care, nor address the inadequacies of the ‘pills by post’ assessments. These concerns are well set out in the letter signed by over 200 clergy published in the Telegraph this morning.
“Considering any fundamental reform to this country’s abortion laws should not be done via an amendment to another Bill. There should be public consultation and robust Parliamentary process to ensure that every legal and moral aspect of this debate is carefully considered and scrutinised. We need a path that supports women, not one that puts them and their unborn children in the way of greater harm.”
The actual text of the letter mentioned above can be found by scrolling on this page.
Second, MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, with 314 votes in favour and 291 against, a majority of 23. The Bishop of London’s full comments were contained in this statement:
49 Comments