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The new Church of England service for transgender people has been criticised by more than 2000 clergy in an open letter. A big concern is the possible effect it could have on children. In all, 2,155 bishops, priests and lay people of the Church signed the letter, which condemns the recent guidance that the C...

The General Synod has given overwhelming backing to new guidance which will help Church of England congregations to share mission and ministry more easily with a range of churches in their areas. Members voted in February in favour of a code of practice giving guidance to bishops, clergy, lay workers and Church of England Readers...

In the 1960s, it was said UK entry to the “Common Market” would mark the end of a thousand years of British history.  Fast-forwarding to 2019, the clock is now ticking rapidly towards the end of British membership of the European Union.  Where are we, and where are we going on Brexit? Brexit is a...

Bishops call for a change of tone on Brexit debate
   Church of England parishes supporting winter shelters Christians in the Middle East face ‘imminent extinction’ Prince Charles praises persecuted Middle Eastern Christians Churches welcome UN climate summit’s outcome Jewish apprehension at growing anti-Semitism Parenting crisis among the poor Poverty on the increase Guidance for gender...

The Church of England bishops who recently met in London made the following statement: ‘The bishops of the Church of England pray for national unity – and courage, integrity and clarity for our politicians. We call on the country to consider the nature of our public conversation. It is time to bring grace and generosity...

More than 2,300 Church of England congregations are running or supporting night shelters this winter as homelessness projects expand to cope with rising demand. Some of these ‘church’ night shelters are adding extra beds, and others are opening for longer during the week. The Rt Rev James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, and Chair of the...

Christians have been in the Middle East for nearly 2000 years, but they now face the threat of ‘imminent extinction’, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. In a recent letter to The Sunday Telegraph, Archbishop Justin Welby told of a visit he had made about 15 years ago to the home of an elderly Palestinian...

Prince Charles has praised the ‘extraordinary grace and capacity for forgiveness’ of the thousands of Middle Eastern Christians facing persecution. Speaking late last year, the Prince said he had been “deeply humbled” by meeting Christians from the Middle East ‘who, with such inspiring faith and courage, are battling oppression and persecution.’ He wanted to assure...

Churches and campaigners gave a cautious welcome to the recent UN Climate summit held in Poland.  The main result of the talks was to agree to adopt a rulebook for assessing the national plans that make up the Paris agreement, signed in late 2015. It may sound very technocratic, but such a rulebook will help...

Anti-Semitism is on the rise across Europe.  This is the finding of a recent survey of 16,300 Jewish people across 12 EU countries. France came top, with 95 per cent of the French Jews saying that anti-Semitism is a big problem.  In the UK, the figure is 75 per cent.  Furthermore, 29 per cent of...

The cut-backs by the Government have caused a ‘parenting crisis’ in the UK, according to a recent report by the childcare charity Spurgeons. The annual report, The Parent Report, draws on an online YouGov survey of 1055 parents who have a child under the age of 18.  One in ten of these parents reported feeling...

More and more people in this country just aren’t making it, no matter how hard they work.  Such is the finding of a recent survey into poverty in the UK. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)’s recent 2018 poverty report has found that four million adults are in poverty in the UK – despite having a...