🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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That is very kind of you, Mr Speaker. I will save my tribute for the right time, in due course. Unfortunately, as colleagues with rural constituencies may know, at this time of the year there is a steep rise in the number of abandoned horses as winter approaches. A couple of weeks ago I personally dealt with four abandoned ponies, including two foals barely weaned at 12 weeks. They were in a...
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Since this is my last set of oral questions, I would like to record my heartfelt thanks to my small team of staff, and especially my constituency secretary, who has faithfully served me for 20 out of 22 years. We often forget that our staff are on the frontline of much of the abuse that we receive, and I want to record my admiration for their fortitude. I also thank the amazing staff I have...
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My hon. Friend’s illustration shows that the Church is consistent from top to bottom in its determination to tackle climate change. Today we really can celebrate the fact that Salisbury diocese, with all that it has had to cope with, is indeed the first to win an award for an entire diocese. These awards are provided by the Christian environmental charity, A Rocha. Perhaps upon hearing...
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for his very kind words. I nearly invited my family to come and sit in on this last set of questions, but I think that if they had heard that description, there might have been a little heckling from the Gallery, so it is a big relief that they will read about it without having the opportunity to heckle. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and the Church needs...
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The Archbishops of York and Canterbury have many duties in relation to the northern and southern provinces of the Church of England, and the Archbishop of Canterbury is also the spiritual leader of the Anglican communion, a global network numbering tens of millions of members. There is no doubt in my mind that both these men are able and effective.
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Fortunately, I had a little advance notice of the tenor of my hon. Friend’s question. He is absolutely right that, for around 16 years between 787 and 803, there was an Archbishop of Lichfield. This arose from the fact that King Offa, in the kingdom of Mercia, struck a deal with the Pope, requesting an archbishop to be named to serve in his kingdom, but that deal involved sending an annual...
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The Church of England is involved in reconciliation work, both at home and abroad, and most recently on the international scene, the leadership of the Church of England has worked with the Roman Catholic Church on peace-building in Sudan, convening a meeting of Sudanese leaders in the Vatican. The Archbishop of Canterbury identified reconciliation as one of the key priorities for his tenure.
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There is an active proposition to initiate a reconciliation process, run out of Coventry. The cathedral of Coventry has a mission for peace and reconciliation because of its heritage. The Archbishop of Canterbury has spearheaded this offer. I do not know much about retirement, but I have offered to help with this process, because there is no doubt that we need to heal the divisions in our...
More of Caroline Spelman's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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Holding answer received on 04 November 2019 The Church of England does not hold data on thefts centrally, but it is kept by local police forces, Historic England and the insurance industry. The most prominent form of property theft from churches is that of metal (mainly lead from roofs) and of historic building materials such as flagstones. These are items with a high resale value...
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The policies, structures and strategic development of the Anglican Communion are not matters for which the Church Commissioners has responsibility.
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At previous meetings of the Global Anglican Future Conference the Archbishop of Canterbury has been represented by a diocesan bishop of the Church of England. No decision has yet been taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury about whether he or a representative will attend the 2020 Conference in Kigali.
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The Church of England is currently undertaking a consultative process called ‘Living in Love and Faith’, which is considering all matters of sexuality and gender. In 2018 the House of Bishops issued Pastoral Guidance for use in conjunction with the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith in the context of gender transition, which can be found here:...
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It is not possible to give the proportion of employees either at a parish, diocesan or national institution-level who are practising Christians as information on this is not recorded or held centrally. Some posts within the National Church Institutions have a Genuine Occupational Requirement to either be a ‘Practising or Communicant member of the Church of England or a member of a Church in...
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The founding theology of the Church of England is drawn from a combination of documents, beliefs and practices known as the ‘Historic Formularies’ and Canon Law. The Historic Formularies consist of scripture, the Book of Common Prayer, the 39 Articles of Religion and the Ordinal. Priests of the Church of England are required to affirm their acceptance of the Historic Formularies at their...
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Archbishop Rowan Willams responded to the publication of the Jerusalem Statement by the Global Anglican Futures Conference in 2008, the full text of which can be found here: https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2008/06/archbishop-of-cant erbury-responds-to-gafcon-statement.aspx The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is committed to pointing towards the good news of Jesus and the renewal of...
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Holding answer received on 22 July 2019 The Church of England’s Mission and Public Affairs Division sponsored the debate at the General Synod in July 2019 and is working with dioceses to develop best practice information and training for church leaders and communities to tackle serious youth violence.
More of Caroline Spelman's written questions
