News Briefing: from Britain and Ireland

Archbishop attacks EU ‘debate’
The Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith (above), has criticised politicians for reducing debate around Britain’s membership of the European Union to “scare stories”. In an interview with Vatican Radio, Archbishop Smith said he was sceptical about the economic arguments of Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne for remaining within the EU, such as saying Britain would be worse off outside the union. “With great respect to the Chancellor of the Exchequer I think it is ludicrous. He doesn’t know, and we don’t know,” he said. Rather, he said, arguments should focus on broad issues such as the migrant crisis. The archbishop said he had not decided how to vote in the referendum.

Meanwhile the president of the International Catholic Migration Commission, who is also the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, has said Brexit would be an “act of insanity”. Peter Sutherland, a former EU Commissioner, director-general of the World Trade Organization, and ex-chairman of both oil giant BP and Goldman Sachs International, told the Irish Independent that he feared the unravelling of European integration if Britain leaves.
He also hit out at the “toxic” and biased debate conducted by the UK’s “lurid” tabloid press.

Kirk permits ministers in gay marriages
The Church of Scotland has voted to allow its ministers to contract same-sex marriages. The Church, which last May legislated to allow ministers to be in same-sex civil partnerships, voted at its General Assembly last weekend to amend the law to include married couples. While officially the Church holds that traditional marriage is between a man and a woman, congregations may now “opt out” if they want to appoint a married, gay minister.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was due to become the first head of the Church of England to take part in a debate at the General Assembly. On Wednesday (25 May) he was scheduled to speak on the subject of a landmark report that proposes a new, historic partnership between the Churches.

Barbara Coupar has been named the new director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service. Ms Coupar, who studied Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow before becoming a teacher, succeeds Michael McGrath.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has welcomed the announcement made in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday last week that the Government intended to legislate for prison reform. The conference’s lead bishop for prisons, Richard Moth, said this presented a remarkable opportunity to place reform and redemption at the heart of prisons, something he said required a system with proper resources genuinely focused on helping people turn their lives around.  

Meanwhile a spokesman for the Bishops’ Conference warned of the possible gagging effects of forthcoming counter-extremism legislation mentioned in the speech – a warning echoed by an unlikely grouping of the Evangelical Alliance, with the Christian Institute, the National Secular Society and the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

Martin Shipperlee has been re-elected Abbot of Ealing, the Benedictine abbey in West London. Abbot Shipperlee, whose term will last eight years, has been abbot since 2000. He was re-elected previously in 2008. Abbot emeritus Francis Rossiter of Ealing Abbey is the longest serving abbot in Britain, having completed three terms between 1967 and 1991.

Housing Justice expands
The Christian housing charity, Housing Justice, is to expand its work to include a separate organisation for Wales. Housing Justice Cymru will launch this year, the charity’s Diamond Jubilee Year. Sharon Lee, who has been appointed as its first director, will support churches in Wales in their response to homelessness and housing crises.


The director of the church aid agency Cafod, Chris Bain (above), has spoken at the first World Humanitarian Summit, which took place on Monday and Tuesday in Istanbul. Mr Bain was due to speak about the Charter for Change, an international initiative to enable local and national aid organisations to play a greater role in humanitarian response. “At present only 0.2 per cent of humanitarian aid is channelled directly to national non-government actors for humanitarian work – a total of $46.6 million out of $24.5 billion,” he said. “The charter … includes a pledge by the signatories to pass at least 20 per cent of their humanitarian funding to local and national organisations by May 2018.”


The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Christian Movement celebrated its fortieth anniversary in London on Saturday. Organisers Savi Hensman (above left) and Tracey Byrne (above right) led members to St Boltoph’s
church in Aldgate, the movement’s birthplace, for a service of thanksgiving and commemoration. They were addressed by the dean of Christ Church, Oxford, the Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy.

Compiled by Liz Dodd