Dear Friends,

We are writing to you to make clear our opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill which was introduced to the House of Commons last week and which will be debated later this autumn.

Our resistance to these proposals is grounded both in what our faith teaches us about the dignity and value of every human life, and our conviction that this legislation will not serve the common good in our nation.

We know that the subject we are writing about is a very sensitive one. Like most of you, we have walked with families into the valley of the shadow of death and we are fully aware how, for many people, that can be a time of immense pain. Allowing medical professionals to end the lives of those who are suffering seems to many to be a sensitive response. But the unintended consequences of such legislation are deeply alarming.

The parishes we serve and the clergy who minister in them seek to pay attention to the powerless and give a voice to the most vulnerable in our society. Here we are led to find very real danger in this legislation. If assisted suicide becomes a legal possibility, it will inevitably follow that some who are dependent, aged, or dying, will feel under pressure to end their lives. Equally inevitably, those who will feel that pressure most acutely will be those who are income deprived and who fear becoming a financial burden on their loved ones.

Campaigners suggest that safeguards will be in place to protect people from such pressure, but the mere fact that such legislation exists will in itself impose intolerable burdens on people to opt for assisted suicide. What appears to offer choice to one set of people will take away choice from countless others.

Moreover, the example from every other nation is that, once a precedent has been set for a medical professional intentionally to end the life of one their patients, the relaxation of safeguards and an exponential increase in the number of people dying in this way follows. This is why so many medical professionals and disability rights campaigners, notably the Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, have expressed such profound concerns about this Bill.

We are aware of the acute social care crisis in this country. Many tens of thousands of people who are close to death are unable to access proper palliative care. However, the solution to these problems is not to allow doctors to kill their patients, a decision that would change for ever the character of the medical profession. What is required is the political courage to invest responsibly in social and end-of-life care.

Life is God’s gift, not ours to possess. God is incarnate in the person of Jesus. Because God has united Himself with human life, so all human life is sacred, and every human person infinitely loved by God. The debate around this Bill is one that takes us to the very heart of the purpose and dignity of human life and, as Christians, staying silent is not an option. We would urge all who look to us for episcopal care to consider the following steps:

Write to your MP. Such letters have a demonstrable impact. It is best to keep letters short but personal, ideally drawing on your own experiences.

Talk about the issue. It is important to raise public awareness about this debate and it is a proper subject for preaching and teaching. The Christian life is about our preparation for death, so conversations about a good Christian death within a Church family are healthy ones.

Pray. Pray for those MPs who will soon have to decide how to vote. And pray for the dying, especially those whose death is a painful one.

It is a joy and a privilege to serve you as your Bishops. Please be assured of our constant prayer and our love for you all.

26^th June 2024

Please pray for the forthcoming General Synod in York. Together let us call upon the Holy Spirit for the gifts of wisdom, patience, and humility, especially in the discussion of Living in Love and Faith (LLF).

This complex matter has intensified the need for serious consideration of the theological work already being done by the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) of the House of Bishops and, subsequently, of the implications of that work for doctrine and ecclesiastical law, which are essential to the Church’s mission.

We recognise the toll that this is taking among LGBTQI+ Christians, who are strongly present in so many of the parishes we have been formed in and now serve. We also register and share significant and growing disquiet among our evangelical brothers and sisters, whose vitality enriches our partnership in the gospel.

The Church of England made bold claims for the LLF journey. General Synod has discovered that the LLF timetable, and its possible outcomes, are more complex than had been expected. This is a journey of discernment that is taking longer than anyone could have anticipated. Its outcome cannot be predetermined.

As bishops of The Society, we continue to reflect and take counsel with our clergy who share with us in our ministry as guardians of the sacraments, as teachers of the faith, and as those called to exercise oversight of the people of God committed to our care.

May God, who sent us the light of His Holy Spirit, grant us to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort.

Advent 2023

In this season of Advent, we join each of you in watching and waiting for the Christ who comes to meet us. We turn towards him in penitence, mindful of our sins and failings, but also in hope, and in joyful expectation of the fulfilment of His promises and the coming of His kingdom.

You will have seen that the House of Bishops has now commended the ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ (PLF) and has issued Pastoral Guidance which provides the framework within which they may be used. We are glad to read in the Pastoral Guidance that:

The Church of England teaches that Holy Matrimony is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, blessed by God in creation and pointing to the love between Christ and the church; a way of life which Christ makes holy. It is within marriage that sexual intimacy finds its proper place.

The Bishops of The Society, mindful of their calling to be guardians of the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it, which doctrine is expressed in the common prayer of our liturgy, will not be using the PLF in public prayer. We recognise, however, that the nature of the commendation means that local decisions lie solely with clergy and their PCCs. Society Bishops will be offering further guidance on the PLF to the clergy in their care in due course.

We continue to rejoice that the parishes and worshipping communities in our care are places of welcome for all, where those from diverse backgrounds and households can come together as God’s people united around the one altar of sacrifice of the New Covenant.

In Advent we recall the place of Mary in the story of our salvation. Her example is of a life lived wholly for God, utterly transparent to His loving purposes. May her prayers support us as we seek, by God’s grace, to grow in holiness and do His will.

+ JONATHAN FULHAM

The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham,

Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops

+ PAUL OSWESTRIENSIS

The Rt Revd Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry,

Chairman of Forward in Faith

The Society's Council of Bishops has responded to the Government's consultation on mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.

The Society is delighted to learn that Liz Paver has been awarded the Cross of St Augustine for her many years of service to both the Anglican Communion as a Vice-Chair of the Anglican Consultative Council over a seven-year period and also to the Church of England as Vice-Chair of the General Synod’s House of Laity for a six-year period out of a remarkable 30-year stint on Synod. In terms of the latter, Liz was a member of the Catholic Group and served as its Vice-Chair. We are overjoyed that Liz's loyal witness to the Catholic Faith as received by the Church of England has been recognised in this way.