Church of England synod delays vote on Palestine motion after debate overruns
A robust statement by the Church of England general synod, to stand in solidarity with Palestinians “in non-violent resistance to the ongoing occupation” was on the brink of being voted upon last night, when the discussion was adjourned for lack of time. The synod’s business committee will decide when it can be rescheduled for more debate and a vote. The motion “hears” the voices of Palestinian Christians in the “Kairos II” document, which says: “We live now in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world”.
The Chief Rabbi has condemned the document saying it contains falsehood and extreme rhetoric and risks “undermining decades of careful relationship-building.” Some speakers suggested if synod voted in favour, it would be seen outside as a vote for antisemitism. Others pointed out that the document rejects antisemitism and condemns “all who exploit and support the charge of antisemitism to silence the Palestinian voice of truth”. Every amendment to stop the motion failed and there were strong speeches in favour, including from the Bishops of Gloucester and Southwark.
In the debate the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally said the situation in Israel and Palestine was urgent and gravely serious: “As a pastor, I hear the cry of our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers – a cry that rises from the ruins of Gaza, and from the violence and oppression of the West Bank…I am a pastor, not a politician. When I say the Palestinian people deserve their freedom, that is not a political statement, but a moral and spiritual one. Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live free from the horrors of war, terrorism, occupation, displacement, and oppression.” Synod debate is on YouTube here.
Other synod headlines
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, reflected on the work of the synod over the past five years and said the new synod members “may want to speak with greater clarity about the place of the parish within the ecosystem of the church”.
Neurodiversity Champions will be engaged in dioceses to better include people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia or dyspraxia. In the debate, the Archbishop of Canterbury revealed her own dyslexia and her struggles at school.
The Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow, said there was an urgent challenge to bring together communities and the nation, saying “democracy is under threat”. If people believe the country is broken and divided, he said, many may start looking for increasingly radical solutions to ‘fix’ the nation.
An annual commemoration for the “21 Martyrs of Libya”, Christian men murdered by Daesh in 2015, will be included in the liturgical calendar for 15 February.
Additional funding has been allocated for projects to reach net zero. The bishops have produced a teaching document setting out a Christian response to the global climate crisis. And a new Festival of Creation in Christ will be celebrated in CofE churches on the first Sunday in September.
‘Faith and patriotism’ defined Ann Widdecombe’s public life
Tributes are being paid to Ann Widdecombe, whose death at the age of 78 has shocked the nation and is being treated by police as murder. Known for her forthright and deeply held political and religious ideas, Lord Alton observed that Ann Widdecombe’s beliefs “were founded on two pillars: her faith and her intensely patriotic love of country”. After 43 years in the Conservative Party, Ann Widdecombe joined the Brexit Party in 2019, later moving to Reform UK. Her earlier departure from the Church of England followed the decision to ordain women as priests in 1993, when she became a Roman Catholic. A regular at Mass in Buckfast Abbey near her Dartmoor home, she called it her “safe haven”, and this weekend the abbey celebrated a special Mass for the repose of her soul. Lord Lemos of Thornton Heath, the recently appointed faith minister who lives nearby, said: “She was a woman of profound faith who led a dynamic and significant public life”. The Catholic Union, Catholic Children’s Society, Aid to the Church in Need and Catholic charities concerned with poverty and loneliness, benefitted from her support. The Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, prayed for the repose of her soul at Mass in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday. Catherine Pepinster report for The Times here. Police say that a 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and they remain “open-minded” about the motive.
Fears for underground churches in China
The Telegraph’s Asia correspondent has a long report into the Chinese authorities’ actions against underground churches. The founder of the charity ChinaAid says suppression of Chinese Christians has expanded since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013. The report features interviews with six Chinese Christians who tell stories of police action at homes in the middle of the night, relatives and friends questioned and detained, and lawyers acting for Christians suspended. Charges relate to corruption, illegal use of information networks, or undermining the law, with sentences from three years to life. Recent raids have been made on the Early Rain Covenant church and Zion Church. China has two official churches, Catholic and Protestant, but underground churches are said to have more than double the number of members. The Chinese Embassy in the UK said there is fabricated information and China manages religious affairs in accordance with the law.
Extra funding for police to protect Jewish communities
Police in England are to get an additional £250 million to help protect Jewish communities following a spate of violent and targeted attacks. The Metropolitan Police will receive £86m to recruit about 300 extra officers to help increase police presence in Jewish neighbourhoods, and around synagogues, schools and community centres. Eight other forces will receive extra funds, and some of the total will go to the Counter Terrorism police. Police say the funding will enable a robust response to rising levels of hate crime and antisemitism.
Veteran BBC Vatican correspondent David Willey has died
David Willey, the BBC’s Vatican correspondent of long standing, has died aged 93. He became an authority on the papacies of five popes, reporting on the assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981, and more recently the death of Pope Francis and the arrival of Pope Leo. Only last year he wrote for the BBC on the way Pope Francis had changed the papacy. David Willey was a BBC foreign correspondent for more than 50 years and was awarded an OBE for services to broadcast journalism. The BBC reports that he started his career as a trainee for the Reuters news agency covering the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, then moving to cover stories in Algeria, East Africa, Vietnam and China, before arriving in Rome in 1972.
