Church Commissioners
The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the
Church Commissioners was asked—
Church Closure and Use
(Harrow East) (Con)
5. To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire,
representing the Church Commissioners, what criteria the Church
of England uses to decide when to close a church and offer the
building to other denominations and traditions. [901629]
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
I am pleased to be able to tell my hon. Friend that the Church
opens as many, if not more churches than it closes each year.
Parishes may want to focus their mission elsewhere, if the church
in question is in a very remote rural location or if there is a
very high repair bill. Use for worship by other Christian bodies
is generally considered the best use, but there are many other
suitable uses.
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. In my constituency, we
have 24 churches of different denominations, yet the Christian
religion is actually the minority. More recently, we have had a
huge influx of Romanian citizens who are very keen churchgoers,
but they cannot acquire premises. So as the Church of England
population dwindles, can churches make efforts to reach out,
particularly to the Romanian churches, to allow them to carry on
their worship?
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for explaining the situation
in his constituency, and I can tell him that the use of church
buildings by other Christian denominations is considered a very
good use for any redundant Church of England church. The normal
procedure is that the views of the local Member of Parliament,
the local authority and local residents would be considered, so
if there are closed churches in his area, he will have an
opportunity to get involved in that process.
(Strangford) (DUP)
Can the hon. Gentleman outline what advice for smaller
congregations is in place at this time? Is it his interpretation
that the closure of all churches, regardless of size, is
optional, or that small congregations can continue to meet, even
if they do so in small numbers?
As my hon. Friend knows, I speak purely for the Church of England
in this place, and the Church of England is following exactly the
health advice from the Government. I can tell him and the House
that while public worship has been suspended for the time being,
churches remain open for prayer and in particular for baptisms,
weddings and funerals. Self-distancing will be required. Numbers
in churches will be kept to a minimum, and no one self-isolating
must attend the ceremony. Parishes are being trained in
live-streaming services where they can. Wellbeing and mental
health resources will be published soon, and churches are of
course encouraged to support the vulnerable who are
self-isolating and to continue to support food banks and night
shelters in particular.
(St Austell and Newquay)
(Con)
In the light of my hon. Friend’s response to the hon. Member for
Strangford (), does he agree that, although
churches are not gathering for worship, they still have a vital
role to play in meeting the spiritual, emotional and, indeed,
practical needs of our communities at this very difficult time?
Although they may not be gathering for services and other
meetings, churches are most definitely not closed.
I thank my hon. Friend for that important point, and he is
exactly right. The Church is much more than just its buildings;
it is its people. This is an opportunity for all of us, as
Christians, to reach out to others in need—there are many in all
our communities—and that is exactly what the Church will be doing
over the coming months.
(Kettering) (Con)
As public worship is suspended during the coronavirus crisis,
what plans does the Church of England have for a national day of
prayer?
The has called
for a national day of prayer this Sunday. The Church is
particularly keen that all Christians reach out to look after the
vulnerable in their communities, as I have just said to my hon.
Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (). The archbishop has called
for people to put lighted candles in their windows at 7 pm on
Sunday as a sign of solidarity with what the nation is currently
going through.
Persecution of Christians
(Eastbourne) (Con)
6. To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire,
representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the
commissioners have made of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s
progress on implementing the recommendations in the Bishop of
Truro’s independent review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO
support for persecuted Christians. [901631]
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
The Church of England is pleased that the Government have
repeatedly said they will implement in full the recommendations
of the Truro review. The Church is in regular contact with the
review implementation team. Promoting faith literacy among our
diplomats remains work in progress, but we are reassured by
continuing work on that aspect of the review.
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. As the world looks to
navigate the challenge of the virus, other challenges clearly
remain. Indeed, those challenges can be exacerbated in such
circumstances, so what steps is the Church of England taking to
work hand in glove with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to
tackle anti-Christian persecution across the world?
I know my hon. Friend takes a strong interest in this important
area. The Church is working closely with the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office and with the Department for International
Development to develop better religious literacy, and the
Anglican communion combats persecution against all people of
faith, or of no faith, around the world. The Church would welcome
a Magnitsky Act to target sanctions against those who persecute
people for their religion or belief, in line with recommendation
8 of the review. Quarterly progress statements on the
implementation of the review would also be helpful.
Marriage and Relationship Support
(Blackpool South) (Con)
7. To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire,
representing the Church Commissioners, what marriage and
relationship support the Church of England offers to couples.
[901633]
The Second Church Estates Commissioner ()
Almost all couples receive marriage preparation before a Church
of England marriage service. Some churches later offer marriage
enrichment courses and marriage MOT evenings. The Church is
concerned about the fall in marriage rates, as well as about the
breakdown of marriages, and a number of churches are taking
action to address this issue.
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. How does the Church aim to
support couples and families in this moment of national crisis,
when they are forced to spend more time together and are probably
feeling anxious, possibly with several family members unwell?
I thank my hon. Friend for that very relevant question. The new
marriage and pre-marriage courses released in January are now
available online as digital resources that any church can forward
to couples in isolation to help them invest in their relationship
when they are likely to have more time together, as well as more
pressure on them. The pre-marriage course welcomes and is
suitable for couples who are not engaged but want to explore what
marriage means.
(Bristol West) (Lab)
This is probably something to come back to once we have got past
the immediate crisis, but what progress has been made on liaising
with the Department for Education on aligning such pre-marriage
education with schools’ relationship education, which has now
been made compulsory for all young people? Will that tie up?
I thank the hon. Lady, who I know takes a serious interest in
these issues, for her question. I can tell her that the Church is
very keen to work hand in glove with schools in this important
area. Relationship education and relationship support has a very
important role in our schools so that we have healthy, respectful
marriages and relationships throughout our country.
(East Worthing and Shoreham)
(Con)
May I suggest that one form of marriage support the Church of
England might like to get on with is enacting clause 1 of my
Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Act
2019, which became law a year ago now and will overhaul marriage
registration and allow mothers’ names to go on marriage
certificates for the first time since 1832? Can he give us a
progress report on whether this is at last going to happen?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question—he has been very
diligent in pursuing this matter for some time. I know it was a
particular concern of my predecessor, ,
when she was in this place. I will get my hon. Friend an update
on that issue. I will tell Church House about the urgency of the
situation, and if he will allow me, I will write to him with
specific details.
