The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 19th June 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:
what assessment they have made of freedom of religion or belief in Israel and Palestine.
what assessment they have made of the report from the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue, Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem, published in 2025; and what discussions they have had with government of Israel about protecting Christian communities in Israel and East Jerusalem from harassment and violence.
what discussions they have had with the government of Israel regarding actions on 15 June on land and property in Silwan owned by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 5th January 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government, following the arrest of an archbishop in Armenia on 4 December, what assessment they have made of religious freedom in that country, and what discussions they have had with the government of Armenia about that issue.
The Bishop of Manchester received the following written answers on 22nd April 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the police raid on a Quaker meeting house on 27 March for religious and democratic freedoms.
On 6th February 2025, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Churches: Tourism
Blake Stephenson MP (Con, Mid Bedfordshire): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support the tourism industry.
Marsha De Cordova MP (Lab, Battersea): Churches, cathedrals and other historic sites are at the heart of England’s cultural and spiritual heritage, attracting millions of visitors annually.
The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answers on 12th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the contribution made to aiding reconciliation by, and (2) the vulnerability of, religious groups in Myanmar.
On 9th February 2024, the Bishop of Guildford spoke in a debate on the Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill, supporting the intention of the bill whilst noting concern that the wide scope of the bill would have an impact on religious freedoms:
The Lord Bishop of Guildford: My Lords, the use of coercion to seek to alter the sexuality or gender identity of another person, whether medical, psychological, spiritual or otherwise, is clearly an abhorrent abuse of power. If there is a gap in the law at this point—I leave that question to those who are more expert in the law than I am—it needs to be filled. The Church of England has given serious thought to coercion in recent years, as we have become more aware of the dangers of controlling and bullying leadership styles and the toxic cultures that they can engender. In that sense, I welcome at least part of the intention of this Bill—to protect vulnerable LGBT adults and young people from such potentially abusive and harmful environments and behaviours.
However, I share with many others across this Chamber a sense of deep alarm at the almost unlimited reach of the Bill as drafted, in which no attention is given to questions of consent, harm, vulnerability or the use and abuse of power. Instead, it appears to introduce blanket bans on certain ways of behaving, even certain ways of thinking, within the workplace, school, church, mosque and even the family. At the very least, it creates a culture of fear across the board—a kind of chill factor, especially for those who may not be fully signed up to the current societal orthodoxies.
On 15th December 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Church of England: Energy
Mark Pritchard MP (Con, The Wrekin): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church will have discussions with the Dioceses of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield on support with energy costs.
On 14th July 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Church of England: Finance
Julian Knight MP (Ind, Solihull): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in its financial operations.
The Bishop of Coventry received the following written answers on 21st June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Coventry asked His Majesty’s Government:
what discussions they have had with the government of India on the importance of pluralism and human rights, including freedom of religion; and what assessment they have made of freedom of religion or belief in India.
what discussions they have had with leaders from civil society in India on the status and experiences of religious minorities in that country.
On 23rd March 2023, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:
Jim Shannon MP (DUP): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of freedom of religion and belief (a) globally and (b) in China and Hong Kong.
Andrew Selous MP (Con): I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given (129832(opens in a new tab)) on 31st January 2023.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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