Justin Welby to be confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul’s ceremony; Westminster Abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation; Lack of support and respect for asylum seekers is shocking, says Bishop of Ripon & Leeds; Catholic Bishops’ briefing on same-sex marriage Bill – full text link; Media review
Justin Welby to be confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul’s ceremony
The Right Reverend Justin Welby will officially take up the post of Archbishop of Canterbury at a service to be held at St Paul’s.
The Confirmation of Election will take place at a ceremony on Monday 4 February at 12 noon, held under the dome of the Cathedral. At the end of the service, the former Bishop of Durham will have become The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan.
This ceremony forms part of the legal process by which the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury is effected and will be attended by the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Norwich, Leicester, Lincoln, Rochester, Winchester, Salisbury and London.
The service is a public occasion and all are welcome to attend. Please be seated by 11.30am.
Westminster Abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation
Westminster Abbey is to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation in 2013 with a service of celebration and a series of special events. The Coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953, nearly eighteen months after Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father, King George VI.
The Abbey’s plans to mark the anniversary include:
More at –
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/press/news/news/2013/january/westminster-abbey-marks-the-60th-anniversary-of-the-coronation
See also official British Monarchy site –
http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx
Lack of support and respect for asylum seekers is shocking, says Bishop of Ripon & Leeds
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Revd John Packer, said (Jan 30) that he had been shocked by the lack of support and respect shown in this country to those who had fled in terror from their own, and had arrived in the UK looking for sanctuary and help.
Bishop John was speaking at the launch of a report from a cross-party parliamentary inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People.
He added that an increasing proportion of those seeking asylum in this country are fleeing from religious persecution and that the increasing abuse of blasphemy laws around the world was part of the problem.
The Inquiry, led by Sarah Teather MP and supported by the Children’s Society, looked at how asylum seeking children and families are supported by the Home Office.The Report reveals that alarmingly low levels of asylum support are forcing thousands of children and their families seeking safety in the UK into severe poverty, putting babies’ and mothers’ lives at risk.
“Those seeking asylum in our country are coming here because they are scared. I was frankly shocked at the some of the stories we picked up in our report with witnesses telling us how officials would just let themselves into asylum seekers accommodation. On one occasion a child was downstairs in his home and was absolutely petrified,” he said and called on churches to take a lead in raising awareness of the issue.
Among its recommendations the report urges the Government to:
• Make sure asylum support for all children is in line with mainstream benefits
• Abolish the cashless support system (‘Section 4’) immediately
• Allow parents to work so they can provide for their families and prevent them from being pushed into destitution.
Catholic Bishops’ briefing on same-sex marriage Bill
From Catholic Herald – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Briefing to Members of Parliament on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill
We urge Members to oppose this legislation at Second Reading for the following reasons:
1. THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE MATTERS
This Bill, for the first time in British history, fundamentally seeks to break the existing legal link between the institution of marriage and sexual exclusivity, loyalty, and responsibility for the children of the marriage. If the Bill passes, several previously foundational aspects of the law of marriage will be changed to accommodate same sex couples: the common law presumption that a child born to a mother during her marriage is also the child of her partner will not apply in same sex marriages (Schedule 4, para. 2); the existing provisions on divorce will be altered so that sexual infidelity by one of the parties in a same sex marriage with another same sex partner will not constitute adultery (Schedule 4, para. 3); and nonconsummation will not be a ground on which a same sex marriage is voidable (Schedule 4, para. 4).
Marriage thus becomes an institution in which openness to children, and with it the responsibility on fathers and mothers to remain together to care for children born into their family unit, is no longer central to society’s understanding of that institution (as reflected in the law). The fundamental problem with the Bill is that changing the legal understanding of marriage to accommodate same sex partnerships threatens subtly, but radically, to alter the meaning of marriage over time for everyone. This is the heart of our argument in principle against same sex marriage. More at –
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/01/29/bishops-briefing-on-same-sex-marriage-bill-full-text/
MEDIA REVIEW
Report in Times focusing on a speech given by the “new Archbishop of Canterbury” at Trent Vineyard, where he reflects on his application for the role of Archbishop; Evening Standard spotted a Bishop’s Move vehicle moving Justin Welby’s belongings into Lambeth Palace.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/faith/article3673513.ece
Lives Online focuses on Revd Prof James Cameron, ecclesiastical historian.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article3672987.ece
Various items reflecting on results from the Census, the Telegraph newspaper including a piece on the “fall in the number of people identifying themselves as Christian”, and claiming online and in print that “Polish is the second language of England”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9836825/Census-2011-Polish-becomes-the-second-language.html
In an opinion editorial, Giles Fraser, priest-in-charge at St Mary’s Newington, writes: “As the number of people taking their own life continues to rise, we need to cast out the idea that it is ever a heroic act.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/30/no-shame-in-suicide-no-glory-either