On 12th December 2016 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question he had asked on food aid to Rwanda:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide food aid to those affected by the drought in Eastern Rwanda. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about food aid for Rwanda”
On 24th November 2016 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, answered questions from MPs on the persecution of Christians overseas, the Red Wednesday campaign, church buildings, anti-Semitism and the Church’s Christmas campaign:
Church Commissioners. The right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—
Persecution of Christians
Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con):
What recent representations the Church of England has received on the persecution of Christians overseas. [907442]
The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Dame Caroline Spelman): The Church of England remains concerned about a number of religious minorities across the world, not just Christian ones. Recently, the Lord Bishop of Coventry travelled to northern Iraq to visit the Christians in Mosul because it is clear that questions remain about their continued safety and the need to make their homes and businesses safe if they are to sustain themselves there. Continue reading “Church Commissioner Questions – Christian persecution, church buildings, anti-Semitism, Christmas campaign”
On 22nd November 2016 Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the continuing intercommunal conflicts in the northern and Middle Belt states of Nigeria; and what assistance they are providing for those displaced by these conflicts.” The Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, asked a follow-up question:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, my diocese is linked to the Anglican diocese of Kaduna, so I know something from the first-hand testimony of the bishop of the effects of communal violence in the Middle Belt states of Nigeria. Some very good reconciliation work is being undertaken there, as we have heard, and it is helpful to hear the assurance of the Minister on DfID funding for such projects. Perhaps I may ask her a little more specifically whether the Government are able to exert any influence on the Nigerian Government to ensure the return of land to communities that have been forcibly displaced. Continue reading “Bishop of Coventry asks Government about people displaced by conflict in Nigeria”
On 18th November 2016 the House of Lords considered the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) (Amendment) Bill [HL] at its Second Reading. This is a Private Member’s Bill tabled by Labour Peer Lord Lipsey. The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, spoke in the debate. Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester welcomes Bill on aid target reporting”
On 17th November 2016 the House of Lords debated a motion from Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Chidgey, “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of Economic Partnership Agreements negotiated between the European Commission and economic regions of Africa on the agricultural economies of the African countries concerned.” The Bishop of Winchester, Rt Revd Tim Dakin, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Chidgey, for securing this debate. With Malawi on the brink of a major humanitarian crisis, there is no better time to highlight the challenges facing Africa today. I declare an interest as the chair of a small charity supporting education and development in Africa.
The welfare of the east African nations is of particular importance to me. I was born in Tanzania and spent some of my teenage years in Kenya. In the 1990s, I was the principal of a small college in Nairobi—indeed, we still keep a home situated on an old coffee farm near Thika. Through this previous experience and from regular visits, I have observed the finely balanced life which Kenyan agricultural workers live. Smallholdings are a significant element in the agricultural sector of Kenya. Many city dwellers also have a smallholding upcountry. A severe drought might mean the end of their children’s education. It may also result in families being unable to afford even the most basic medicines or in workers having to resort to desperate means of generating income to support their families.
On 8th November 2016, Baroness Goldie repeated in the Lords a statement made in the Commons by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office supporting the role of the UN’s independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, welcomed the statement.
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury My Lords, I very much welcome the strength of the Statement. The rights of LGBTI people is often a very hot and contested matter, particularly on grounds of faith. It is significant therefore that the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury and most other primates in the Anglican communion have committed to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and to the support of the rights of all God’s children. I wonder whether the Minister would see faith as a resource that might be useful in addressing some of the issues raised on this matter. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury welcomes Government backing for UN LGBT advocate”
On 20th October 2016 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question of Government about the case of Asia Bibi in Pakistan.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the imminent appeal hearing for Asia Bibi at the Pakistani Supreme Court on the charge of blasphemy. [HL2175] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about case of Asia Bibi”
On 18th October 2016, Lord Collins of Highbury asked the government what assessment they have made of the potential effect on peace and stability in Europe and around the world of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. The Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines, spoke in the debate about the importance of continued interdependence for peace and stability.
The Lord Bishop of Leeds My Lords, recognising that this debate and that to come on Thursday belong together, although I cannot be here on Thursday, I offer this statement by the German theologian Jürgen Moltmann in a book that I finished reading on the train today:
“A free society is not an accumulation of independent individuals; it is a community of persons in solidarity”.
I quote this because the same might equally be applied to nations. It bears repetition that the language and discourse of the referendum—shamelessly, in my view, fuelled by misrepresentations and misleading promises, now apparently acceptable in a so-called “post-factual” world—paid little or no attention to the needs or securities of our international neighbours. They focused purely on the national interests of Britain, as if we can live in isolation or that we can be secure without ensuring the security of our neighbours. I invoke the poet John Donne: in a globalised world, Britain cannot simply see itself as an island. Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds speaks about the importance of peace and stability after the EU Referendum”
On the 13th October 2016 Baroness Cox asked the Government “what is their assessment of recent developments in Syria”. The Bishop of Norwich asked a follow up question.
The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, the Minister will be aware that just 1.5% of those admitted so far under the Government’s Syrian refugee resettlement scheme from refugee camps are Christians, despite Christians making up 10% of the Syrian population, largely because Christians find the refugee camps themselves far from safe for them. What will the Government do to prevent their own scheme unfairly discriminating against one of Syria’s most persecuted and desperate and fastest-disappearing minorities? Continue reading “Bishop of Norwich asks Government about Christian refugees from Syria”
On 11th October MPs debated a motion from Andrew Mitchell MP (Sutton Coldfield, Con), “That this House has considered the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and more widely across Syria.” The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman MP, made a short intervention in the debate during the speech of Patrick Grady MP, to draw attention to the plight of Christians and religious minorities.
Dame Caroline Spelman (Meriden, Con): While the UK Government are right to focus their efforts on providing aid in the region, the refugees we have agreed to take, particularly under the community sponsorship scheme, include only 2% of Christian refugees from Syria, despite the fact that religious minorities constitute up to 12% of the Syrian population. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that we need to make more effort to reach out to frightened religious minorities in Syria? Continue reading “Caroline Spelman raises plight of Christian refugees and religious minorities in Syrian”
The Church of England in Parliament 
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