Tag: Church of England

Archbishop of Canterbury holds debate on Coming Home Report on Housing, Church, and Community

The Archbishop of Canterbury led a debate on the report Coming Home by the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church, and Community on 24th March 2021:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: That the Grand Committee takes note of the report Coming Home by the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing, Church and Community, and the case for setting out a long-term housing strategy.

My Lords, I am very grateful to the usual channels for permitting this debate and to all noble Lords who are taking part. I express my sadness at the beginning at the sudden death of Lord Greaves, whose voice in this area, as in so many others, especially those involving the day-to-day concerns of people, will be deeply missed.

The Archbishop’s annual debate is normally held every year, just before Christmas—although I am not sure that it counts as a Christmas present. Due to the pandemic and other issues, it has not happened for a couple of years. You may have thought you were spared but that is not so, for, like Jairus’s daughter, the debate is not dead but was only sleeping. And when better to resurrect it than just before Easter?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Farms

On 19th March 2021, Andrew Selous MP, on behalf of the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP:

Church of England: Farms

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what forums are available for the church to engage with its farm tenants on ideas for farm business development and environmental management of holdings.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Family Life

On 4th March 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Sarah Dynes MP (Con, Derbyshire Dales): To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support family life during the covid-19 lockdown.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Bishops – Offences Against Children

On 24th February 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question to an MP:

Neil Coyle MP (Lab, Bermondsey and Old Southwark): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the composition of the (a) Gibbs and (b) Whitsey reviews are; and if he will place non-redacted copies of the reports in the Library.

Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Bishops – Offences Against Children”

Church Commissioners Questions: Clergy Discipline

On 25th January 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Rachael Maskell (Lab, York Central): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on the review of the Clergy Discipline Measure.

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Church Commissioner Questions: public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support, consistory court appeals

On 26th November MPs put questions to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, on public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support and consistory court appeals. A transcript is below:

Church Commissioners

The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners was asked—

Covid-19 Lockdown: Public Worship

Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con): What representations the Church of England has made to the Government on the importance of public worship during periods of covid-19 lockdown. [909344] Continue reading “Church Commissioner Questions: public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support, consistory court appeals”

Church Commissioners written answer: public worship during covid-19 lockdown

On 17th November the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, responded to a written question on closure of places of worship for public worship during the second coronavirus lockdown: 

Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot, Con): [112061] To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church Commissioners have had with the Government on allowing places of worship to remain open during lockdown if they continue to implement additional covid-secure measures.

Andrew Selous: Following the Government announcement of a second lockdown, churches have been required to close again for public worship, between 5th November and 2nd December. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishop of London and senior Christian and other faith leaders wrote to the Prime Minister about this and their letter can be read here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/Faith%20communities%20letter%20to%20Prime%20MInister%20%28ii%29.pdf. Continue reading “Church Commissioners written answer: public worship during covid-19 lockdown”

Bishop of Salisbury welcomes plans for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

On 16th November 2020 the House of Lords heard a Government statement about plans to mark HM the Queen’s platinum jubilee. The Bishop of Salisbury responded:

The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: My Lords, I speak for all the Lords spiritual in welcoming this Statement about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It is a great privilege for me to be here in person this week and to pray each day with 30 or so Members before the business of this House commences in a way that is currently not ​allowed in any of the churches or cathedrals in this country.

Has ever a prayer been so fully answered as that for the Queen?

Grant her in health and wealth long to live … Long to reign over us. God save the Queen. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury welcomes plans for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee”

Church Commissioner Questions: covid-19, mental health, debt advice, youth work, online worship, overseas aid, racism

On 10th September 2020 MPs asked questions of the Church Commissioners, represented by Andrew Selous MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner. A full transcript is below:

The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

Covid-19: Mental Health

James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con): What steps the Church of England is taking to support mental health during the covid-19 outbreak. [905855]

The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Andrew Selous): This is a timely question from my hon. Friend, on World Suicide Prevention Day. The Church’s healthcare chaplains work in both acute and community mental health services. The diocese of Manchester provides mental health wellbeing youth workers, to provide mental health first aid, and the parish of Goudhurst in Kilndown in Kent provides subsidised mental health counselling in 13 schools. Continue reading “Church Commissioner Questions: covid-19, mental health, debt advice, youth work, online worship, overseas aid, racism”

Coronavirus Bill: Bishop of Rochester responds on church closures and care for vulnerable

On 24th March 2020 the House of Lords debated the emergency legislation from the Government to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic. The Bishop of Rochester, Rt Revd James Langstaff, spoke in the debate, highlighting issues to do with church closures, funerals, and care of the vulnerable, including the homeless, and those in prison or immigration detention:

 

The Lord Bishop of Rochester: My Lords, in these days I have been reflecting on the words of the Hebrew psalmist who, at the time of his people’s exile, articulated the question:

“How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”

In many ways we are entering into a strange land, and indeed in some ways a land of exile: a land in which we are exiled from many of our normal patterns of living, in which people of faith are not able to attend their places of worship and in which many people find themselves having to live life in entirely new ways.

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