heritage – Page 3 – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about destruction of Armenian historical sites in Azerbaijan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what attempts they have made to document the destruction of Armenian historical sites in Azerbaijan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the UK. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. Following the 2020 war, the UK has engaged with the Governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this matter. UNESCO are the body best placed to look into this issue and we call on all sides to reach an agreement to enable UNESCO to visit the region soon.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about Armenian historical sites

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 23rd March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made as to whether the process of Albanization is occurring in relation to (1) churches, and (2) monasteries, in (a) Nagorno-Karabakh, and (b) the surrounding regions, retaken by Azerbaijan.

Bishop of St Albans asks about sale of ancient artefacts from Tigray, Ethiopia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to investigate the sale in the UK of ancient artefacts stolen from Ethiopia’s Tigray region as part of the ongoing conflict in that area.

Bishop of St Albans asks about protection of cultural heritage in Armenian sites located in Azerbaijan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th March 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the formation of the government of Azerbaijan’s working group to remove traces of Armenian heritage from Armenian churches.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The UK Government has and will continue to urge both parties to protect the cultural heritage of all sites in the region and are deeply concerned by reports that both parties have destroyed cultural heritage. We will continue to raise our concerns with the respective governments and urge them to allow UNESCO unrestricted access to the region.

Bishop of Chichester asks about National Lottery Heritage Fund

On 14th July 2021, the Bishop of Chichester asked a question on the abolition of the National Lottery Heritage grant for church buildings:

The Lord Bishop of Chichester: My Lords, will the Minister undertake to review the abolition of the HLF grant for places of worship, which has resulted in congregations without financial resources finding it much harder to compete for maintenance and development funding? The effect of abolition has been profoundly demoralising for small rural communities and areas of deprivation in coastal towns, such as Hastings, where the church building can be a source of local pride and community cohesion but is in danger of falling into disrepair and representing a sense of abandonment by local and national government.

Church Commissioners written answer: St Paul’s Cathedral

Andrew Rosindell (Conservative Romford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to ensure the future of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Andrew Selous (Conservative South West Bedfordshire): The Church Commissioners and other National Church Institutions have been in regular contact with the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral throughout the pandemic as they have with all the Anglican cathedrals in England. The Church Commissioners made additional financial support available to all cathedrals and dioceses throughout the pandemic over and above the financial support they regularly make available.

Bishop of Coventry asks about conflict in Tigray region

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 12th April 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government:

what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Council on Monuments and Sites on 5 March that Tigray’s heritage is falling victim to fighting and “cultural cleansing”.
what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Ethiopia, and (2) Eritrea, about the need (a) to take immediate steps to prevent any further damage to the cultural sites of Tigray, (b) to safeguard and respect all cultural property in Tigray, and (c) to ensure that looted objects are restored to their communities.

Bishop of St Albans asks about reports of destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 12th April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:

what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian cultural heritage, including churches and monuments, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been destroyed by Azerbaijan during the dispute over that territory.
what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about reports of the (1) destruction of an Armenian church, and (2) destruction of cultural heritage, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Bishop of Coventry asks about ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 4th February 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian Churches in areas returned to Azerbaijan have been labelled as ‘Caucasian Albanian’; what discussions they have with the government of Azerbaijan about such reports; and what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about ensuring that Armenian culture is protected in line with the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, made on 9 November 2020.

Bishop of St Albans asks about theft of religious artefacts from churches in Tigray

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2oth January 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers are stealing religious artefacts from churches in Tigray.

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