The Church of England general synod ended its four day meeting in York with a call to support the church in Palestinian territories, a chance to show their almost unanimous opposition to assisted dying bill, and a remarkable show of unity from entrenched opposite sides on the same sex blessings debate
Archbishop of Jerusalem says food distribution in Gaza is ‘like Hunger Games’
The Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, has painted a stark picture of life for Palestinians in Gaza, where the Al Ahli Christian hospital has been repeatedly bombed, medical staff detained and killed, medical supplies left in short supply, and a “horrifying” food distribution system resembling “The Hunger Games”. He told the general synod that until there is a ceasefire, an end to ethnic cleansing, the restoration of humanitarian aid, and hostages released, lives and ministries are “covered and shrouded in death”. He said the church he leads – in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon – needs to speak out “in the face of injustice” and requires help from the wider church to be prophetic, listing the need to work towards the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, a two state solution, the recognition of a Palestinian state, the rebuilding of Gaza, and freedom of worship among three faiths in Jerusalem. He said the church had to encourage people to be resilient and tenacious: “We are battered and bruised but we are not defeated or crushed”. He thanked the church for supporting Christians in the Holy Land, through messages and visits, singling out the recent letter from four bishops who drew attention to the recent attacks on Christians in the town of Taybeh, the last remaining Christian-majority village in the West Bank. View his speech here
Synod overwhelmingly against assisted dying
The synod has backed a call by the Bishop of London for the Government to increase funding for palliative care “instead of enacting a law that puts the most vulnerable at risk”. It followed a debate and vote which was overwhelmingly against assisted dying, with wide ranging contributions from members including clergy and doctors. Bishop Sarah Mullally, former chief nursing officer for England, said she was “deeply concerned” by the Assisted Dying Bill, which will be considered by the Lords in the autumn and which she will continue to resist. Among the objections raised in the debate were concerns about inadequate safeguards for people with mental health conditions, the potential danger to vulnerable groups including the disabled, a fundamental shift in the doctor–patient relationship, and the ethical question of granting individuals the right to end life. One speaker argued that assisted dying could be understood as a compassionate Christian response. However, the motion opposing it passed overwhelmingly, by 238 votes to 7, with 7 abstentions. The Bishop of Blackburn, Philip North, spoke of the raw emotion as he sat with his father at the end: “As I held my father’s hand, there was something that was raw and visceral and so emotional. It’s almost impossible to describe that. This would just be utterly wrong. This life we have is God’s gift, and it’s not for us to take away.” Church Times report here
Peace breaks out in the Church of England
After years of rancorous debate over same sex blessings, both sides of the divide came to a remarkable agreement on the last day of the synod, voting overwhelmingly in favour of binning the document “Issues in Human Sexuality”, written in 1991, which says clergy are not permitted to engage in sexually active same-sex relationships. The synod voted to require bishops not to use the “Issues” document in the process to accept people for ordination, but instead to require people to live within the broad boundaries of another document “Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy” which asks people to live lives of faithfulness, fidelity and holiness. The Rev Vaughan Roberts, vicar of St Ebbe’s in Oxford which has come out against same sex blessings, also backed the change. As a gay celibate man, he told the synod that he didn’t like the “Issues” document: “As a person who has exclusively experienced same sex attraction for a long time, as I read that document, I didn’t feel recognised, and I found the language used uncomfortable”. Binning “Issues” with no replacement could have led to conflict and chaos, he said, but introducing “Guidelines” gave an opportunity to change the tone of the debate. View the debate here (2.28’54’’). CofE press release here
Other news
Constance Marten’s brush with HTB and a Lagos cult
The Times has published a backgrounder on Constance Marten, who with her boyfriend Mark Gordon, has been found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of their baby Victoria, whose body was found in a Lidl bag while they were living in a tent. Marten, aged 38, was from an aristocratic family and the article details her life from childhood. It reports that, as a teenager, her mother led her to Holy Trinity Brompton, where she took the Alpha Course, then travelled to Nigeria with members of the congregation. During her gap year, she toured Africa and spent three months with the “Synagogue, Church of All Nations”, in Lagos, a charismatic church whose pastor, the late TB Joshua, was accused of rape and forced abortions on his followers, though he was never charged. Marten met Bisola Hephzi-Bah Johnson there, who went on to write a book about the cult. Marten is said to have recalled “being forced to live in a dormitory with 50 women watched by armed guards, starved, woken at night for biblical readings and made to call the leader Daddy”. The two young women left the cult suddenly and in 2008, Marten went to Leeds University to study Arabic. Times article is here
Report says antisemitism is stain on British society
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has published the report from its Commission on Antisemitism, set up in 2024 to make recommendations on how to curb rising antisemitism after the 7 October attacks. It says antisemitism is a stain on British society that refuses to be consigned to history. It found failures across civil society including within the NHS, education, the arts and policing. The report, co-chaired by the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Lord Mann, and the former Defence Secretary and Leader of the Commons, Dame Penny Mordaunt, has made ten recommendations including: Judaism should be seen as an ethnicity as well as a religion; the creation of an ‘Antisemitism Training Qualification’; advice to teachers on antisemitic tropes particularly focussing on Christian sources; antisemitism training in every NHS Trust; tackling discrimination in the arts and culture; and working with police to tackle hate crime. The report with full list is here
In a speech organised by Lord Mann and the APPG on antisemitism, the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, criticised the GMC for “failing publicly and abysmally” on antisemitism. Jewish News reports that Mr Streeting pledged to “haul in” the GMC’s chief executive and chair to explain their action to tackle antisemitism, saying they should be “taking all steps necessary to keep patients safe and I do not see the evidence that this is the case.” He cited cases of medics who had “said things that would make me feel uncomfortable to be treated by those medics and even unsafe being treated by them – and I am not Jewish”. Story here
Muslim women journalists report widespread Islamophobia in media industry
The Centre for Media Monitoring, part of the Muslim Council of Britain, has published results of a survey of 102 Muslim women working in the media, who say they face systemic discrimination, unfair representation and professional marginalisation. Most of the respondents said they had considered leaving the industry because of their experience. The women, working in print, online and broadcast, reported widespread Islamophobia, toxic newsroom cultures, and mental health impacts, particularly following the media’s coverage of the war on Gaza. The report says: “visibly Muslim women are especially subject to microaggressions, stereotyping, and pay disparities”. Report is here
Apostolic Nuncio celebrates Mass at Canterbury Cathedral
Around 800 people attended Mass at Canterbury Cathedral on Monday evening, commemorating the Feast of the Translation of St Thomas a Becket, who was murdered there in 1170. The service marks the time in 1220 when Thomas a Becket’s remains were moved to a shrine in the cathedral, becoming a major pilgrimage destination. For the first time, the Mass was celebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, and the congregation included civic and church dignitaries who filled the cathedral. During the Reformation, the shrine was demolished and the bones were crushed, but a fragment of vestment and two pieces of bone are held at the neighbouring Catholic St Thomas’ Church and every year since 1980, priests have been granted permission to hold a Mass in the Cathedral to honour the translation, bringing the relics with them. In his homily, the Archbishop said people had come together in this Jubilee Year “as pilgrims of hope, to be inspired by St Thomas’ holiness and his courageous witness to Christ and His Church.” At the end of the Mass, the Nuncio blessed the congregation with the relic of St Thomas Becket and read a papal greeting from Pope Leo XIV.
France eyes religious dates to plug “veritable Gruyere” of bank holidays
The French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, is proposing to eliminate two public holidays from the country’s annual calendar, describing the month of May as a “veritable Gruyere”. It includes Victory Day, celebrating victory over the Nazis on 8 May, and Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter Sunday which usually falls in May. The Associated Press says he argues that removing two state holidays would bring in tax revenues generated from economic activity worth 44 billion euros. He also has his eye on Easter Monday, questioning the religious importance of the day. Story is here
