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News
House of Bishops issues pastoral statement on Civil Partnerships Act Faith Leaders' Statement following the London bombing Women bishops debate Synod votes against assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia Numbers recommended to train as clergy continue to rise Faith in rural communities? CARE Centres Network urges the government to rule out DIY abortions
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House of Bishops issues pastoral statement on Civil Partnerships Act
The House of Bishops has issued a pastoral statement to help the Church as it addresses the implications of the Civil Partnerships Act, which comes into force on 5 December 2005.
The statement reaffirms the Church's teaching on both marriage and sexual intercourse. It notes that the new legislation makes no change to the law in relation to marriage and that the Government has stated that it has no intention of introducing 'same-sex' marriage. “What needs to be recognized,” says the statement, “is that the Church's teaching on sexual ethics remains unchanged.”
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Faith Leaders' Statement following the London bombing
Senior religious leaders recently joined the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace, to issue a joint statement following the terrorist attacks in London.
The Archbishop was joined by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Free Churches Moderator, Dr David Coffey, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and the Chair of the Council of Mosques & Imams, Sheikh Dr Zaki Badawi. Their statement began:
“As religious leaders from several different faiths we came together this morning to pay tribute to the courage, commitment and sacrifice by which the evil of Nazism was resisted and ultimately overcome sixty years ago.
“We stand together now for a further purpose: to express our shared commitment to resisting and overcoming the evil of terrorism, which the events of recent days here in London have brought home to us afresh and with such devastating clarity. It is an evil that cannot be justified and that we utterly condemn and reject.”
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Women bishops debate
General Synod voted in July to set in train the process for removing the legal obstacles to the ordination of women to the episcopate. It invited the House of Bishops, in consultation with the Archbishops' Council, to report to the Synod its assessment of the various options.
It also instructed the Business Committee to make time available in the February 2006 for the Synod to debate the report, and to determine on what basis it wants the necessary legislation prepared.
Among a packed agenda, the Synod also approved the code of practice for the new Clergy Discipline Measure and the Clergy Discipline Rules, approved a change of name for the Diocese of Southwell to the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.
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Synod votes against assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia
There is growing public debate about assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. In July the General Synod called on the Church to continue to speak against moves towards assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia.
There is very determined pressure from a small group of people to introduce euthanasia, even in limited form. The General Synod believes it is important for Christian people everywhere to take issue with proposals to legalise the deliberate ending of life and to make their views known. The House of Lords will debate the subject on 10 October.
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Numbers recommended to train as clergy continue to rise
A total of 564 men and women were recommended to train as future clergy in the Church of England in 2004 - the highest number in six years. The figure represents an increase of more than 10 per cent over the 505 recommended in 2003. It has only twice been exceeded in the last 20 years: in 1986 and 1998. The recommendations include 284 men and 280 women.
There were 51 selection conferences last year, attended by 727 candidates testing their vocations. This year is expected to see 52 selection conferences with more than 740 candidates.
The increase in 2004 was among candidates in the 50-plus age bracket, where recommendations rose from 150 in 2003 to 210. The Archbishops' Council's Ministry Division is responding to this trend through a young vocations initiative. The initiative will include teams of clergy and ordinands in their 20s giving presentations in parishes or Higher and Further Education chaplaincies, taking stalls at university careers fairs and encouraging incumbents and chaplains to recruit actively.
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Faith in rural communities?
The Government is keen to discover the extent of the contribution made by rural faith communities to community vibrancy. Rural communities are changing and, for some, the result is disadvantage and exclusion. What helps or hinders faith groups to respond to such changes, for the benefit of local people?
Coventry University's Centre for Local Economic Development has been awarded a substantial research grant to discover what it is that faith groups contribute to their local communities. The research has been funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] and will be carried out in conjunction with the Church of England and the Arthur Rank Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
The 15 month research project will look in depth at five case studies drawn from communities throughout rural England.
Commenting on the research Richard Farnell from the University's Centre for Local Economic Development said: “This is an excellent opportunity to understand the place of faith in building social capital and promoting inclusion. Practical recommendations will be made to government and to faith communities.”
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CARE Centres Network urges the government to rule out DIY abortions
Pregnancy crisis counselling charity CARE Centres Network (CCN) is urging the Government to resist controversial plans to let women have DIY abortions at home.
Home abortions are currently banned in the UK, but the Government is allegedly reconsidering its position following pressure from abortion clinics.
A pilot study has already been carried out in Scotland in which a group of women were given the abortion drug to be taken at home. If legalised, the do-it-yourself abortion method would be available for women up to nine-weeks pregnant and requires no surgery, making terminations easier and faster. Women would be able to take the pills at home, which would effectively cause a miscarriage in private.
Joanna Thompson, Head of CCN, which has 160 pregnancy crisis centres in the UK and a 24-hour helpline CAREconfidential (0800 028 2228), said: “Abortion is one of the biggest decisions a woman will ever make. Women need support, accurate information and time to make healthy, informed decisions and not quick fix solutions.
“Many women have abortions because their circumstances cause them to be frightened and panicked. They need time, support and information to look at all the alternatives so they don't make a decision they later regret.”
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