THE P RTAL
April 2015
UK Pages - page 15
Anglican
CofE Bishops
issue their
News
Pastoral Letter
The Revd Paul Benfield reflects and offers a few comments
I
n February
the House of Bishops issued a pastoral letter on the 2015 General Election. In an
introductory statement the Bishop of Norwich said:
“We have known the date of the next General
Election, May 7th, for a long time as a result of
the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. In this context
the House of Bishops has had an opportunity
to reflect on some of the social, political and
spiritual challenges facing our nation today.
“This Pastoral Letter is addressed to members
of the Church of England. It does not indicate
preference for any single political party or
programme.
“It encourages Christians to engage positively
in our political processes, to use their vote and to
value hard won democratic freedoms.
“More specifically it reminds Anglicans of
some important features of Christian belief,
namely that God’s creation is good, that human
beings are made in God’s image and likeness,
that Jesus Christ came to live alongside us, and
that we are called to follow His teaching to love
one another as He has loved us.”
advantage. It is a call to resist the reduction of
politics to seeking self interest as the only clear
moral imperative.”
The Pastoral letter runs to 56 pages, and even its
summary to ten-and-a half pages of A4, so it is no
light read. It is addressed to ‘the People and Parishes
of the Church of England’ though it is hoped ‘that
others, who may not profess church allegiance, will
nevertheless join in the conversation and engage with
the ideas we are sharing here’.
Given that it is addressed to the parishes it is
surprising that no copies were sent to the parishes and
no instructions or suggestions about what parishes
were supposed to do with it have been issued. I have
been told that the bishops were unable to agree on a
summary document (though whether that is true I
have no idea!).
I am old-fashioned enough to remember the days
when a pastoral letter was something which could be
read out to a congregation or printed out on one sheet
of paper with some hope that people might engage
In a further introductory statement the Bishop of with it. It is difficult to see who the bishops thought
Leicester, who is the convenor of the Lords Spiritual, they were speaking to.
says:
If we are the Established Church can they not
“Each day when Parliament is sitting, the
speak to the nation? If they are speaking to their own
Duty Bishop in the House of Lords prays that
members could they not do so in a way which would
the House should ‘Lay aside all private interests,
be accessible to them?
prejudices and partial affections’, so that it may
serve ‘the public wealth, peace and tranquillity
After publication there was the predictable attack by
of the Realm, and the uniting and knitting
the press that the Church should keep out of politics.
together of the hearts of all persons and estates
This Pastoral Letter is worth reading, but I regret that
within the same.’
its publication was a missed opportunity.
“This prayer points Parliament towards a
search for the Common Good and towards
political virtues which reach beyond narrow
party interest, tribalism and short term
contents page
A shorter, more pithy summary might have helped
church members and others to consider the real issues
in the forthcoming election.