The Prime Minister sat rather dejected in the House of Commons yesterday, and spent two hours iterating (and reiterating) how sorry he was for sharing the Cabinet Room of No.10 with a birthday cake on 19th June 2020. He often…
"Could the Minister advise those of us on these benches," ventured Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, "how we should respond to clergy who took an enormous personal toll in having…
There is no doubt that the governance structure of the Church of England is labyrinthine, convoluted, inefficient and opaque. It's what comes of half a millennium of Catholic and Reformed…
"My Lords, regardless of matters of hindsight, does the Minister agree that prolonging the restrictions might be justified for certain reasons?" asked the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev'd Nick…
Pope Francis has written another encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. It isn't a great theological tome; indeed, it could easily be a series of religio-political blogposts on current events. Much of the…
It has been a while in coming: the Bishops and Archbishops of the Church of England have to-and-froed on the Referendum result, and blown hot-and-cold on Brexit, and wax-and-waned on…
The open letter on Brexit published yesterday by a group of Diocesan Bishops is interesting on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that it is…
It was a good lecture by the Bishop of Leeds, if a little long. Delivered to mark the centennial celebrations of Bradford Cathedral, he expounded some of the root causes…
"An ennui hangs over British politics and the prime minister is depending on it", wrote Matthew Parris in the Times a few days ago. "Like a thin, wearisome fog it…
Should there be a second referendum (aka a 'People's Vote') on Brexit, the Bishop of Oxford was asked. "My own view is that it would make things worse and it…
The Bishop of Willesden is of the view that the Archbishop Cranmer blog is waging a "continual campaign against the bishops". Apparently, this isn't acceptable because it confuses the political…
Apparently the Diocese of Leeds is in a state of "serious financial crisis". Bishop Nick Baines is pacing the cloisters with furrowed brow, anguished about having to sell off one…
There's a lot of anxiety about. The torch which once lit our path is being extinguished. Our institutions and communities are beset with moral problems, dilemmas and quandaries. Our politics…
In the ongoing saga of EU withdrawal, the House of Lords voted yesterday by 245 votes to 218, a majority of 27, to remain in the Single Market; that is,…
The Bishop of Leeds the Rt Rev'd Nick Baines delivered a measured and thoughtful speech in the House of Lords on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. His theme was basically the…
The Bishop of Leeds isn't happy. In a speech to the House of Lords on Brexit and Gibraltar, the Rt Rev'd Nick Baines censures the Government for being optimistic. It…
'Will the Bishops vote for Brexit?' was the question posed a few weeks ago. Yesterday the House of Lords voted on an amendment to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal)…
"Muslim family are driven from their home... after they converted to Christianity." "Neighbours vandalise car and call them 'blasphemers'"; "windows are constantly smashed"; "family attacked in the street"; "Bradford…
This is a guest post by the Rev'd Stephen Heard – Assistant Priest at St Mark's Church, Enfield. He is a former civil servant with a background in political and…