Tag: communities

Bishop of Leicester highlights importance of trust in communities during debate on AI

The Bishop of Leicester took part in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s debate on AI and society on 5th June 2026, highlighting the importance of trust in communities and the pitfalls of algorithmic content

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, in the past, if you wanted to persuade people to think badly of others, you were limited by two things: the number of people you personally knew and the number of conversations you could physically have. Social media removed the second of those limits, letting one person reach millions at once. Artificial intelligence is now loosening the first. It allows one person to produce vast quantities of content of increasingly high quality. The frictions that once limited the spread of contempt have disappeared. We should not, then, be surprised that the fabric of our society is being torn.

For society to function, we need a broadly common understanding of the world and what is happening in it. Democracy is about disagreements over what to do about the opportunities and challenges we face, but for that disagreement to be constructive, we must all be able to access the bare facts: what is happening, who is involved and who is affected? Generative AI throws all this into question. Anyone, anywhere can now produce an image of an event that has never occurred or a video of a public figure saying something they never said. I really do mean anyone, anywhere. The BBC recently reported that accounts producing AI-generated anti-immigration content that appeared to be British were in fact run from east Asia, the Gulf and the United States.

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Archbishop of Canterbury leads debate on impact of AI on human relationships

The Archbishop of Canterbury led a debate on the role and impact of artificial intelligence on society and human relationships on 5th June 2026:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, I wish to thank the usual channels for allowing me to hold this debate today and the parliamentary staff who have enabled it to happen.

In the Bible, the writer of the Book of Hebrews says of human beings:

“You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honour and put everything under their feet”.

God created human beings in His own image, with glory and honour—each and every one of us, regardless of who we are or what we do. We carry an inherent dignity and immeasurable value. This is not in spite of our weakness, vulnerabilities or limitations but in many ways because of and through them. God made us to be relational beings, in need of Him and in need of others, not sufficient on our own.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about affordable housing in rural areas

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 1st June 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the provision of sufficient affordable housing in rural areas to enable young people to remain in the villages where they live and work, ensuring the long-term viability of those communities.

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Kings Speech Debate: Archbishop of Canterbury speaks on importance of social integration and community relations

The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a speech during the King’s Speech debate on 18th May 2026, emphasising the importance of integration and understanding in society:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, it is a pleasure to respond to His Majesty’s gracious Speech today. I too look forward to the maiden speeches of the noble Lord, Lord Case, and my right reverend friend the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

We face serious challenges at home and abroad, and I continue to pray for those who carry responsibilities of office as we seek to meet these challenges together. At my installation at Canterbury Cathedral, I spoke about the presence and importance of hope. As a Christian, I believe that we have hope because we have a God who walks with us, even when circumstances feel overwhelming.

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Votes: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

On 23rd April 2026, the House of Lords debated the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

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Bishop of Southwark asks about community resilience planning

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on inclusion of religious groups in planning for Local Resilience Forums on 16th April 2026:  

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, guidance on emergency preparedness issued under the Civil Contingencies Act to the emergency responders who make up local resilience forums includes reference in chapter 14 to use of the voluntary sector. This is often assumed to be where the service provided is wholly or largely relevant to an emergency, such as that offered by Mountain Rescue, Samaritans or the Salvation Army. However, I notice that one local authority listed as an example of best practice includes the use of religious groups, presumably because of buildings and other services that they can provide. Might the Minister consider whether this warrants a discreet but distinct reference in a revision of the guidance?

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Bishop of Leicester asks about report on intra-community violence in Leicester

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 13th April 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence, Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester, published on 23 February.

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English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

The Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of amendments on the topic of community rights during a debate on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on 26th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I think I have been cued in. I will speak to my Amendment 318A as—yes, still—the Bishop of Manchester. There is a vacancy in London, but I think I am too old to be considered.

Over the last 18 months, I have been chairing the Manchester Social Housing Commission. Central to our work has been the contributions that local residents and communities representing their neighbourhoods make to our thinking and, eventually, our recommendations. We have seen how empowered communities make a real difference. They are the people who know what it is like to live where they do. They can shape local services for the best results.

Far from being a problem for authorities to manage, communities continually demonstrate how they respond to the cost of living crisis or the epidemic of loneliness. People in communities are vital in driving their own solutions. As I go around my diocese, I see again and again how local people taking the initiative really make a difference.

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Archbishop of York asks about implementation of new definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility

The Archbishop of York asked a question on the implementation of the new non-statutory definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it has been a great honour in the last few weeks to have been the guest at several iftar meals with the Muslim community in Yorkshire, where I am based. I know the noble Baroness mentioned the debate on Monday, but knowing how real Muslim hate crime is and hearing stories from Muslim neighbours just in the last few days, it would be good to hear more about how this is going to be implemented, because this is a definition not to sit on a shelf but to be used to help us become a more tolerant society.

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Crime and Policing Bill: Bishop of Norwich supports amendment on protecting war memorials

During a debate on the Crime and Policing Bill on 9th March 2026, the Bishop of Norwich spoke in support of an amendment aimed at broadening the protections provided to war memorials under the provisions of the bill:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I support Amendment 370 in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay and Lord Blencathra. Across this nation, war memorials, often raised by public subscription of pennies here and tuppences there, stand to hold memories of those who gave their lives—sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, cousins and parents. They are carved in stone, metal, wood or marble. The Whipsnade Tree Cathedral in Bedfordshire is a living memorial planted by Edmond Blyth, a World War I veteran, to commemorate his friends who were lost. They are physical embodiments of sacrifice, courage and collective memory, often within the curtilage of parish churches, each name both precious to someone and precious in the sight of God—ordinary people called to do the most extraordinary things in very challenging times. When they are damaged, it is a hit in the stomach for the whole of that community. It damages how we build our life together.

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