Church Commissioners
What steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in Palestine.
The hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—
The Church remains steadfast in its support for Palestinians. The Bishops of Southwark, Gloucester, Chelmsford and Norwich have publicly highlighted their concerns by condemning the increased settler violence and calling for the reopening of holy places. They have joined His Holiness the Pope and the local heads of Churches, who have called for the protection of innocent civilians. They are offering sanctuary, working for peace and reconciliation, and building intercommunity trust.
I thank my hon. Friend for her answer. For the first time in centuries, Catholic leaders were prohibited from entering the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate a private mass on Palm Sunday. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem called this a “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.”
In the light of this incident, what concrete steps will the Church take to ensure that Christians and other religious groups are able to worship freely in Jerusalem?
The closure of the Holy Sepulchre by the Israeli Government was totally unacceptable. It was an unprecedented step, and representations by all Churches were made at the highest level. The treatment of pilgrims and worshippers by the Israel Defence Forces, and the additional movement restrictions across both western and Orthodox Easter, were deplorable, particularly in what is the holiest of weeks.
Parishes across England run tens of thousands of community projects, including parent and toddler groups, holiday clubs, and breakfast and after school provision. Under its vision 2020 strategy, the Church of England aims to double the number of children and young people in congregations by 2030. This is backed by £236 million over three years to support youth opportunities, particularly in low income communities.
In Telford, the Church—through Rev. Laura Lenander at Telford Minster, Rev. Andy Ackroyd at St Michael’s church and Rev. Jo Farnworth at St Leonard’s church—plays a key role in supporting families, including by offering pastoral support and providing spaces for volunteers. What more will the Church do to support these churches and parishes in fast growing areas such as Telford?
I express my thanks to all the churches in my hon. Friend’s constituency for their work in supporting families and young people in Telford, and I especially congratulate Rev. Laura Lenander, Rev. Jo Farnworth and Rev. Andy Ackroyd. By opening their facilities throughout the week, they provide safe and welcoming spaces where young people can receive support and build strong relationships, demonstrating that the church is at the heart of its community. I am pleased to learn that Rev. Jo Farnworth has been made the independent chair of the South Telford Pride in Place programme, and I look forward to hearing more about the work it is doing in the area.
Will the hon. Lady write to the Local Government Minister, because I think some councils are a little bit timid when it comes to faith based organisations? The dioceses of Lichfield and Hereford, which fall under The Wrekin constituency and are partly in the Telford constituency, do a fantastic job, but I think there is a problem between central Government, local government and the Church of England in communicating, sharing resources and actually delivering new services for young people together.
The right hon. Member highlights the true value of what can happen in our local communities when churches, local authorities and all other stakeholders work together. Yes, I will take him up on that, and write to the Local Government Minister to encourage such a co working relationship in his constituency.
The Church engages with the Charity Commission on a range of issues, and the Church Commissioners have held informal discussions with it on Project Spire, which is the Church’s response to address its historical connections to the transatlantic enslavement of Africans.
Is the Church going to launch a new charity? If so, when, and why the delay?
I could refer the right hon. Member to the many answers I have given to written and oral questions on this issue. As I have said, the Church is having informal discussions with the Charity Commission, and it is currently preparing an application, but it has not yet been submitted.
The Church is concerned about the growth of extremism, including Christian nationalism, and bishops have established a working group to promote unity and support parishes with theological, practical and pastoral resources to counter extremism locally.
I regularly meet church leaders in my constituency of Woking, and they often raise the plight of Christians abroad. Please can the hon. Member assure me that one of the Church’s top priorities is to tackle extremism and the persecution of Christians abroad?
As the hon. Member will know, the issue of the persecution of Christians abroad has come up before, and the Church obviously takes it seriously. As I highlighted in my initial answer, last year the Church established a working group that seeks to provide support for bishops and senior clergy, with relevant experience and reflection and with time for discussion. The group is also assessing the impact of the use—or, I should say, misuse—of Christian language and imagery in political campaigning. He is absolutely right to raise that important issue.
I call Marsha De Cordova.
Mr Speaker, it always feels like I am getting my exercise in at Church questions!
Through community programmes, the Church provides a significant contribution to the local economy, amounting to around £55 billion. That includes food banks, warm spaces, credit unions, school clubs and other forms of family support. The Church recently welcomed the Government’s decision to end the two child benefit cap, and I know that in my hon. Friend’s constituency 6,200 children will be lifted out of poverty as a result.
Child poverty is a major concern in my east London constituency, and faith and community organisations play an incredibly important part in providing support. While my constituency is very much multi faith, the Church continues to play a hugely important part through its churches, schools, community facilities and experience. Can my hon. Friend assure me that the Church will continue to work across faiths, and with community and charity organisations, to make sure that that network of support, on which so many families in need in my constituency rely, remains strong and is there when they need it?
That is an excellent question from my hon. Friend. Yes, the Church works continuously to develop local churches together and interfaith networks, encouraging all faith communities to work collaboratively to support local communities, and building support and strong networks. A good example of that is Church schools, such as those in my hon. Friend’s constituency. They are community schools that offer opportunities to thousands of children each day through their vision for education, “life in all its fullness”, which is about ensuring that all children are supported to study, discover their talents, and grow and meet their full potential.
I thank the Church Commissioner for her energetic contributions in answering all the questions this morning. They are appreciated by every one of us.
To tackle child poverty, St Mark’s parish church in Newtownards in my constituency has a raft of programmes, but I know that the volunteers take a well deserved break in the summer. Are there any plans for specialised youth clubs during the summer holidays to provide a safe, welcoming place for young people to meet that parents can afford to utilise, so addressing the issue of child poverty?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for all his contributions at Church questions. I hope he does not mind if I write to update him on what takes place over the summer.
It is good to see my hon. Friend back in his place after his injury. I understand that he was running with his children when it happened.
Blame the kids!
He couldn’t keep up with his children, obviously! [Laughter.] Apologies, Mr Speaker.
The new places of worship renewal fund will be managed by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The fund totals £92 million over four years and will support capital repairs to listed places of worship. Priority will be given to buildings in areas of high deprivation or community need. Applications are expected to start with an expression of interest, followed by a full application, with efforts made to minimise administrative burdens on smaller parishes.
I thank my hon. Friend for her answer. Church leaders in Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket are rightly concerned about the cancellation of the listed places of worship grant scheme. Will the Church Commissioner outline what conversations she has had with the Government regarding the support and guidance given to those people who are concerned with the upkeep of churches in my constituency and across the country? It is surely for our generation to preserve the legacy bequeathed to us by our forefathers.
I can confirm that I have met colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on numerous occasions, most recently the Minister for Heritage just before Easter recess. We are still waiting for the Government to publish more detail on this vital scheme. As I said in my meeting with the Minister, I urge the Government to get on and publish that detail at pace so that we can give our churches certainty. In the meantime, while we await the guidance, my hon. Friend’s constituency churches can reach out to their diocesan Church Buildings Council adviser for further advice, support and guidance on this issue.
You will be aware, Mr Speaker, that Lib Dems are great at fixing the church roof. In Sturminster Marshall, the community is going further with Project Welcome, which will repair and modernise the space, creating a warm, safe and accessible church that is integral to the community. However, the closure of the listed places of worship grant scheme means that costs have gone through the roof. The community has raised £275,000 of a £360,000 target, which, without the VAT, they would have achieved. Can the hon. Lady confirm whether projects already under way will be eligible for the renewal scheme?
I will just put it on the record that we are all, across the House, keen advocates for our local churches; we recognise that they are the cornerstones of our community, so we are all hugely supportive of efforts to fix roofs, or whatever needs to be done to them. The hon. Lady highlights an important point about the scheme, and I will be happy to write to her about it.
We are still awaiting details of the replacement scheme, following the confirmation of the end of the listed places of worship grant scheme in January. As I mentioned in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley), I recently met the Minister for Heritage and impressed upon her how important it is that details of the scheme are published at pace. Church officials are working with Historic England on operational and policy issues, but we are still waiting for the Government to publish the guidance.
St Paulinus church in Crayford and Christ church in Bexleyheath are both grade II listed churches that are desperately in need of investment to restore their buildings. In line with previous questions, I ask my hon. Friend to outline what further news we might have on future capital funding schemes to help to support churches like these.
I hope that both St Paulinus church and Christ church will be eligible for the new places of worship renewal fund. While we await publication of further guidance, I again advise my hon. Friend that churches can also contact their local diocesan office for further advice and support. I would also be happy to write to him about any additional support that may be available to the churches in his constituency. Once again, I thank all colleagues for raising this important issue.
St Mary’s church in Old Town in Eastbourne is a grade I listed church that was built in the 12th century. A recent survey has revealed that the roof and east window are in urgent need of repair with a half a-million pound restoration. Mother Arwen, the vicar, therefore needs to know when the places of worship renewal fund will open. I hope that the Under Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), who is sitting on the Front Bench, might be able to help us all in answering that question.
In the meantime, the church is launching a fundraising appeal to try to bring together community funds to restore the church. Will the Second Church Estates Commissioner come down to Eastbourne—the sunniest town in the UK—to visit the church and back our appeal, of which I am a patron, to restore St Mary’s church?
How could I turn down such a wonderful offer to visit Eastbourne? I will certainly try to do so. Let us try to do it around the tennis—that would be even better.
In all seriousness, it is important that churches are given that certainty. I hope the Government are hearing the wishes of so many Members across the House; it is so important that they publish the guidance for the scheme so that people can continue to plan and raise those vital funds to repair the churches. These are historic buildings; they are vital not just for now, but to future generations beyond ours. It is really important that the Government get on and publish the guidance for this scheme at pace.