A member of the Church of England’s General Synod who campaigns against gender-based violence is calling for changes to the way the Church of England tackles safeguarding. Gavin Drake has tabled two Private Members Motions (PMMs) which may be selected for debate by the Synod if they attract the signatures of 100 other General Synod […]
Category: Ecclesiastical Law
Press Release: General Synod member calls for Archiepiscopal Visitation to investigate safeguarding in Southwell and Nottingham
– Call comes after High Court Judge asks the Archbishop of York to spell out “without delay” safeguarding lessons that the bishop of Southwell and Nottingham needs to learn. A recently elected member of the General Synod’s House of Laity, Gavin Drake, has called on the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, to […]
I’m getting married in the morning (I think)!
I’m getting married in the morning!(well, in the afternoon, actually, on 19 September) Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime(no way – bell ringers count as part of our 30) Pull out the stopper!(but check first that wine is still permissible in a Covid-secure wedding) Let’s have a whopper!(we can go individually to Burger King […]
Church of England considers moving the north-south divide
The precise location of the north-south divide has been difficult to pinpoint with any clarity. Manchester is in the north, of course; unless you’re in the Highlands, in which case it is very much in the south. The midpoint of the longest north-south axis in Great Britain is in the village of Haltwhistle in Northumberland […]
Bishops in the House of Lords
Calls for the Lords Spiritual to be removed from the House of Lords are nothing new. It is a frequent occurrence that only increases whenever the 24 bishops who occupy the Bishops’ Benches are perceived to be holding back the advance of progressive liberalism, such as the current Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. But it […]
More news from the Church in Wales Governing Body
University Chaplains Education chaplaincy was something “very worth while”, the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, told the GB, as he moved a motion that urged “ways of supporting, developing, and enhancing chaplaincy provision to institutions of tertiary, further, and higher education”. The GB heard presentations from a number of education chaplains. More: […]
Church in Wales’ Governing Body debates women bishops
A consultation conducted earlier this year suggested that a majority of members of the Governing Body (GB) were in favour of women bishops, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said. “Seventy-nine per cent of lay members and 83 per cent of clerical members indicated either strong or broad support for legislation being brought forward to […]
Review urges Church to seize ‘great opportunity’
A review of the structure of the Church in Wales dominated a meeting of its Governing Body in Lampeter last week. It began with a presentation from the independent review panel that was helping the Church look to the future. It consisted of the former Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregarth; Professor […]
Church lawyers to review advice to PCCs on chancel repair liability
Church lawyers are to review their advice to PCCs on Chancel Repair Liability (CRL), after the case in Broadway, Worcestershire, where the Charity Commission ruled that it would be “reasonable” for the parish not to register liability against 30 householders. Under recent legislative changes, PCCs have just over a year to register CRL against affected […]
Strasbourg to hear religious-discrimination cases
The European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, will next week hear the cases of four British people who claim that they lost their jobs as a result of discrimination against their Christian beliefs. Two of the cases concern the right to manifest religious belief, and whether this extends to wearing a cross or crucifix […]