News about bishops and the church in Parliament. Opinion and comment pieces by Lords Spiritual on parliamentary / political issues.
On Thursday 6 February 2014, Christopher Richard James, Lord Bishop of Portsmouth, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Bishop of Chester and the Bishop of Wakefield, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Watch the introduction here:
On Tuesday 4th February 2014, Donald Spargo, Lord Bishop of Peterborough, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Bishop of Wakefield and the Bishop of Birmingham, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Watch the introduction here:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/main/Player.aspx?meetingId=14730
On Wednesday 23rd October 2013, James William Scobie, Lord Bishop of Carlisle, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds and the Bishop of Birmingham, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Watch the introduction here
On 14th October 2013, Steven John Lindsey, Lord Bishop of Sheffield, was introduced and took the oath, supported by the Bishop of Leicester and the Bishop of Wakefield, and signed an undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct.
The full video of the Bishop’s introduction can be viewed here.
Summary & timeline: Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
The Government’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill received Royal Assent on 17th July 2013, having been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
The Bill followed a Government consultation in 2012. The Church of England made a formal response to that consultation in June 2012 and accompanied it with a press release. In December 2012 the Government published a summary of responses to the consultation, alongside its own response. Continue reading “Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 – summary and timeline”
On 12th February 2013 the House of Commons Public Bill Committee scrutinising the Government’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill heard evidence from witnesses from the Church of England. The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Revd Graham James, Secretary General of the Synod, William Fittall and Deputy Legal Adviser, Revd Alexander McGregor, all appeared before the Committee. Gary Streeter MP chaired the session. A transcript of their evidence is below: Continue reading “Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill – Church gives evidence to MPs on Public Bill Committee”
“There is the big picture for every politician who seeks to be more than a mere manager of the state’s business, a part of the mechanism of collecting Caesar’s taxes. Good government from a Christian point of view is about the acknowledgement and reinforcement of human dignity.”- Rowan Williams, 8/6/10
On 8th June 2010, shortly after the General Election, a service was held for the new Parliament in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster. The audience, comprised largely of MPs, Peers and parliamentary staff, heard the Archbishop of Canterbury deliver a sermon on Matthew 22: 16-21: Continue reading “Giving to Caesar, Giving to God: Rowan Williams’ address at the service for the new Parliament, June 2010”
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, died on 30th March 2002. On 3rd April 2002 the House of Lords met to offer tributes. The Lord Privy Seal rose to move, ‘That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty’, which began as follows:
“Most Gracious Sovereign—We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to express our heartfelt sympathy in the great sorrow which Your Majesty has suffered by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; and to offer to Your Majesty our most sincere condolences.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said:
My Lords, it is with great sadness that I convey from these Benches the support of the Lords Spiritual for the Motion. I hope, too, that my few words may reflect some of the feelings of the wider Church. Continue reading “History: Archbishop of Canterbury’s Tribute to the Queen Mother, 2002”
William Temple was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his untimely death on 26th October 1944. He also served as Archbishop of York (1929–42) and Bishop of Manchester (1921–29).
He was introduced to the House of Lords as Bishop of Manchester on 8th July 1925 and made his maiden speech two weeks later, during a debate on improving housing for the working classes. Continue reading “William Temple, Lord Spiritual”
The Church of England in Parliament 
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