The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster have warned of the risk to vulnerable people should Parliament back a new attempt to change the law on assisted suicide.In a joint letter to peers, Archbishop Justin Welby, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, speak of their ‘profound disquiet’ over the Assisted Dying Bill, ahead of its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday. The Private Member's Bill, tabled by Baroness Meacher, proposes legalising assisted suicide for terminally ill people with under six months to live.The three faith leaders highlight the risks and dangers entailed in the provisions of the Bill and the ‘real-life’ practical inadequacies of its proposed safeguards.The common good is not served by policies or actions that would place very many vulnerable people in more vulnerable positions, they warn. They appeal for people of all faiths and none to join with them through the ‘common bond of humanity’ in caring for the most vulnerable in society.In contrast to the Bill, the faith leaders call for measures to make high-quality palliative care available to all at the end of their lives. The aim of a compassionate society should be ‘assisted living’ rather than an acceptance of assisted suicide, they note.“By the faiths we profess, we hold every human life to be a precious gift of the Creator, to be upheld and protected. “All people of faith, and those of none, can share our concern that the common good is not served by policies or actions that would place very many vulnerable people in more vulnerable positions. “We appeal to people of whatever faith or belief to join us through our common bond of humanity in caring for the most vulnerable people within our society. “In contrast to the proposals in this Bill, we continue to call for measures to make high-quality palliative care available to all at the end of their lives. “We believe that the aim of a compassionate society should be assisted living rather than an acceptance of assisted suicide.”
Bells have traditionally been rung to mark significant moments, both in times of celebration, such as victory in war, and as a warning of impending danger, such as invasion.A number of Church of England churches will be among those joining in the Ring Out for Climate initiative at 18:00 on Saturday 30th October. The United Nations Climate Change conference takes place in Glasgow between October 31 and November 12.The idea was devised by Edward Gildea, the adventurer and environmentalist, who is a member of St Mary's church in Saffron Walden, Essex, as a vivid warning of the danger from the climate emergency.The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, the Church of England’s Lead Bishop for the Environment, said: “Church bells have traditionally been rung through the centuries to raise the alarm for local communities. “The recent ‘code red’ report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an alarm call for us all. “A nationwide ‘ring out for climate’ on the eve of the COP26 can be a warning symbol, but also one of hope.“Hope that this conference will lead to action for us all, like Jesus, to tread more gently on our single island planet home and care more for those already adversely affected by climate change, especially in the economically poorest places on Earth.”Bell ringers across the country are supporting the initiative.Simon Linford, President of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, commented: “Bellringers understand how important the bells they ring are not only to the church but also to the local community. “The sound of bells was missed during lockdown, and it is now being welcomed back as part of the nation’s soundscape. “Many bellringers are planning to join in with “ring out for the climate’, lending their powerful voice in support of efforts to halt climate change.”Mr Gildea said: “I was inspired by several things including Clap for Carers during the pandemic and, the historic uses of church bells. “Ringing church bells as a warning for people in this country at times of national crisis is well known – with bells for the Spanish Armada right through to the Second World War. “The climate crisis is not just a national problem but a global one. “I thought ringing the bells for climate would be a way to wake people up, in every part of the country, to the urgency of the crisis we face ahead of COP.“It can act as a warning in every parish that climate action is necessary, and we have an opportunity to make progress in Glasgow.” Where churches participate a notification on social media or in newsletters can help make the local community aware of the significance of the bells.
Earlier this month, following an accident, I had my first journey in an ambulance. At high speed and with blue lights flashing, the lovely paramedics enquired about my occupation. They responded by waxing lyrical about their station chaplain whose care they described as ‘absolutely amazing’. I enjoyed a moment of deep pride in my colleagues. This week, as we commemorate Luke the beloved physician, I give thanks for all in healing professions and in particular for our clergy in parishes, schools and chaplaincies. I also think they are ‘absolutely amazing’. Perhaps I can encourage us to revisit the Guildford Clergy Wellbeing Covenant which we launched last year as part of our way of caring for them? I also want to express sincere thanks this week to St Luke’s for the Clergy. Founded in 1892, this charity works hard to ‘care for the carers’ and has provided medical support to 60 clergy in our diocese in the past 3 years. If you’d be interested in contributing to their work, either through medical expertise or financial contribution, do be in touch with me. Archdeacon Paul
I live in Winchester where our Cathedral has a link with St Swithun’s Cathedral in Stavanger, Norway. To celebrate the feast of St Swithun in July, the Dean of Stavanger, Dean Stefan Emmerhoff, sent a video message to Winchester which talked about the challenges of the past year during the Covid pandemic. He talked about ‘going back’ after Covid and reflected that we cannot and must not go back. But we do need to go ‘back to basics’, which he described as ‘going back to the simple and most important things.’ I found his message very compelling, not just for us in Winchester, but for all of us as we look forward, and this resonates with the Church of England’s Vision and Strategy. I think being a Church of Missionary Disciples is one of the ‘simple and most important’ things. Although, it turns out not to be that simple to actually do! There is still some way to go, in my opinion, before we all understand that we are the church Monday to Saturday not just on a Sunday, and that how we live our faith every day matters a great deal. It matters to God; it matters to each of us for our own witness and integrity and it matters to each other for the building up of the body of Christ and the living out of the Kingdom of God. We are all called to be Missionary Disciples. I juggle a number of different work roles, some paid and some unpaid, as well as being a mother and now grandmother, friend, member of my local church community, and choir and dance class member amongst other things. Life for each of us is already complex and busy – how are we supposed to fit in being Missionary Disciples as well?! I believe that God chooses and calls each of us to be Missionary Disciples, where we are in our everyday lives: it doesn’t need to be something extra. I think it’s about living our lives rooted in God’s love, spending time with him each day, keeping on praying whatever we are doing, and believing that he is at work with us and through us. I pray before and during meetings, and when I am planning my work, asking for God’s help, wisdom, and inspiration. I find it helpful to take time to reflect at the end of my work and ask myself ‘Where was God today? What was he saying?’ Sometimes I write my thoughts in my journal, and sometimes I pray through the day as I walk the dog in the early evening. Being a Missionary Disciple is about living as a Christian in the places and with the people where we live and work. It may not always involve conversations about faith, but in my experience, it will mostly involve listening to the people we work with or share life with, being friendly, generous, and kind, responding when they ask us about our lives, offering to pray for situations if that’s appropriate, doing our work as well as we can, caring for and loving our family and friends. This is some of what’s involved in living our faith everyday as a Missionary Disciple. Perhaps you think that being a Missionary Disciple is not for you. My prayer is that everyone in our church would know that what they do every day is important and valuable to God for the building up of his Church and his Kingdom. That we would each feel called and inspired to live out our faith in the everyday tasks of life. This is the ‘simple and most important thing’, but it is not easy for us to do or to help others to do. Let’s keep working at this and encouraging each other. On the Everyday Faith section on the Church of England website, there are some useful resources to encourage you. I have also found the work of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity very helpful for living as a Christian at work. I hope and pray that our work on developing and supporting this vision can help to inspire and encourage all God’s people to know they are called to live out their faith every day – this is what it means to be a Church of Missionary Disciples.
