Church Commissioners

The hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

4. What discussions the Commissioners have had with the House of Bishops on the decision to move to a two thirds majority requirement in Synod to progress the recommendations of “Living in Love and Faith”.

The House of Bishops has a special role in matters relating to doctrine, liturgy and sacrament, and the right to amend legislation before it is put before the General Synod for approval. There is no need for a two thirds majority in order to progress all the requirements of “Living in Love and Faith”. The requirement for a two thirds majority applies only when introducing permanent new services into the Church of England’s liturgy.

I thank the Leader of the House for that answer. I wonder whether the Second Church Estates Commissioner might make it clear to the House of Bishops and the new Archbishop of Canterbury, whom I welcome, that the Church of England is accountable to Parliament, and that going backwards on very modest moves to end discrimination against same sex lay and clergy couples is unacceptable and not a sustainable position if the Church wishes to continue to enjoy the privileges of its established status.

I will convey my hon. Friend’s views to the House of Bishops and to the Second Church Estates Commissioner.

5. What steps the Church of England is taking to increase the number of vicars in rural parishes.

The Church of England remains committed to ministry in all communities across the country, but the deployment of clergy is a responsibility for local diocesan bishops and their leadership teams. The national Church institutions have increased the money available to all dioceses for clergy training by 30% in the next spending period.

I thank the Leader of the House for that answer, and please can he pass my best wishes on to the Second Church Estates Commissioner? In my area, 26 churches are covered by just five priests, and only three of those priests are paid, so I hope that the Leader of the House will join me in thanking all the regular churchgoers who do so much to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of the beautiful churches right across East Yorkshire. Will he do everything he can to ensure that the Church of England attracts more priests into the fold?

I will pass on the hon. Gentleman’s best wishes to the Second Church Estates Commissioner. The position he describes is, I think, not unusual across the country. I certainly join him in thanking regular churchgoers for everything they do for the upkeep of their churches. I will convey his comments to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, and I am sure that she will write to him as soon as possible.

6. What support the Church of England is providing to Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Archbishop of York visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories earlier this month. He met Palestinian families on the west bank and addressed the congregation at St Andrew’s church in Ramallah. He also visited villages and highlighted the way that settlers are, in the Archbishop’s own words, “squeezing out” Palestinians.

There is growing concern about settler violence on the west bank. Churches in my constituency have raised that concern, and have particularly highlighted the attacks on the Christian community, which is, in their words, small and often overlooked. May I ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner, via the Leader of the House, to use the role of the Church Commissioners to ensure that this issue stays on the agenda and in the public eye, so that this community and what is happening to it is not forgotten, either in Parliament or in the wider world?

I certainly will do that. The Archbishop’s delegation also visited the west bank, where he met Christian Palestinian families affected by settler violence and faced a tense stand off with armed settlers before being ordered to leave by the Israeli police. We must not lose sight of Gaza and the west bank. The ceasefire is not peace. Land disputes are rising in frequency. Ancient olive groves are being uprooted, and in Gaza food, fuel, medicine and aid remain critically short. The Archbishop commented on his return: “They do feel let down and forgotten by the rest of the world, and, as Palestinian Christians, by the churches of the world, that here in the land of the Holy One, those who follow him are being squeezed out of existence and forced from their homes. I promised those women I would tell their story and enable their voices to be heard.”

I thank my hon. Friend for making sure that those voices are being heard today.

I call the Father of the House.

I agree with everything the Leader of the House has just said. The fact is, the pressure by illegal settlers on Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem and the west bank is absolutely appalling, particularly in Taybeh, the last Christian town on the west bank. I have been to the west bank and have seen for myself what is going on. The pressure on the Armenians in Jerusalem and the raising of the issue of the church property tax by the Mayor of Jerusalem —this has to stop. The whole country and the Church—all the Churches—must speak out and say that Palestinian Christians and Muslims have a right to live in peace, justice and security in their homeland.

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman. The Government are doing everything they can to ensure religious freedom, wherever it happens to be under threat in the world. We need a just peace in this region—not just in Gaza and the west bank, but across the region—and part of living in peace is respecting other people’s faiths.