The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 18th July 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, in the light of the suicide bombing at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias on 22 June, what support they have given to the new government of Syria to help to protect the Christian population against attack.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about threats against Christians in Syria”On 22nd May 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:
Same-sex couples: Church Blessing Services
Steve Race MP (Lab, Exeter) asked: What steps the Church is taking to roll out stand-alone services to bless same-sex couples.
Marsha De Cordova MP (Lab, Battersea): A proposal to enable churches to opt in to the use of prayers of love and faith in stand-alone services is out for consultation and will come back to the House of Bishops in October.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Questions: Same-sex couples – Church Blessing Services, Occupied Palestinian Territories – Christians, Interfaith Cohesion, Safeguarding, Leaseholds, Church Assets – Historical Link to Slavery”On 3rd April 2025, in the House of Commons, Marsha De Cordova MP, on behalf of the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to questions from MPs:
Project Spire
Katie Lam MP (Con, Weald of Kent) asked: What recent discussions the Church Commissioners have had with the Charity Commission on Project Spire?
Marsha de Cordova MP (Lab, Battersea): The Church Commissioners are engaged in informal discussions with the Charity Commission to consider what regulatory approvals may be required to progress this project.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Questions: Project Spire, Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, Lithium Mineral Rights, Eco Church Awards”
The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 6th January 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to provide aid to Christian communities in Nigeria facing persecution and violence.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about persecution of Christians in Nigeria”The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 27th November 2024:
The Bishop of Winchester asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to implement the 22 recommendations set out in the Bishop of Truro’s independent review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians, published in July 2019; and what is their timescale for doing so.
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about support for persecuted Christians”
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 14th November 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of warnings by US-based group International Christian Concern on 28 October that China’s pledge of support for Iran could intensify the persecution of Christians in both China and Iran.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about persecution of Christians in China and Iran, and forcible returns of Rohingya refugees by Bangladesh”On 4th November 2024, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Iran regarding the persecution of Christians in that country.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about persecution of Christians in Iran”The Bishop of Leicester spoke in a debate on the use of UK aid to support minorities in Pakistan on 25th April 2024, highlighting the cases of Christians facing persecution in the country and the possibility of establishing a route for small numbers of Pakistani Christians to seek asylum in the UK:
The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing this debate, and I commend his tireless campaigning over the years for the UK to defend and support the rights of minorities in Pakistan. I will focus on two specific issues raised with me by members of the large Pakistani heritage community in Leicester: first, the plight of Christians forced to work as gutter cleaners with no personal protective equipment; and, secondly, the need for a small, safe and legal route for persecuted minorities to come to the UK.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leicester asks about possibility of establishing limited safe route to the UK for persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan”On 25th April 2024, the Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate on the use of UK aid to support minorities in Pakistan, touching on the topics of freedom of religion and belief and the persecution of religious minorities:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, I am privileged to be the first of a trio of Bishops speaking in this debate.
For the past eight years or so, the diocese of Guildford has partnered with the diocese of Sialkot in the Majha region of Punjab. Sialkot is probably best known for the production of medical equipment and World Cup footballs. The diocese also includes the Mirpur district, which has strong connections to the British-Pakistani community—not least in Woking, just a few miles from where I live, which boasts the oldest purpose-built mosque in the UK. I was privileged to visit Sialkot and Mirpur in 2019; Mirpur had just suffered two devastating earthquakes. I am a vice-chair of the Pakistani Minorities APPG.
I am hugely grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for initiating the debate and for his tireless championing of freedom of religion or belief over so many years. I fully support the suggestion that religious minorities should be explicitly included in the list of marginalised communities when it comes to the provision of UK aid.
Continue reading “Bishop of Guildford speaks on freedom of religion and belief and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan”The Bishop of Oxford spoke in a debate on what steps the government are taking to support persecuted Christians around the world on 25th March 2024, highlighting the importance of freedom of religion and belief in the context of broader human rights, and calling for the government to inform the House of future strategies to promote freedom of religion and support those facing persecution:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I too add my congratulations and appreciation to the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, on securing this important debate and her comprehensive and moving survey and speech. It is a pleasure to follow the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Carey, and I pay tribute to his considerable expertise in this area over many years. I am grateful to my colleague, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Winchester, formerly the Bishop of Truro, for a briefing in advance of this debate. He is not able to be present, but I know he will follow deliberations closely.
As the noble Baroness, Lady Foster, set out so eloquently, the beginning of Holy Week is a fitting time to remember the persecution of Christians across the world and the costs of faith. This persecution has been evident since the very beginning of the Church. Even so, it is extremely sobering and moving to reflect that, according to Open Doors, 365 million Christians face some sort of persecution worldwide—about one in seven of the global Christian population. I also note with other noble Lords the disproportionate consequences and costs for women and girls.
Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford speaks on freedom of religion and belief and need for universal human rights to be respected”
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