Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Persecuted Christians: 2019 Report

Thursday 8 September 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Theresa Villiers asked about steps the Church is taking to implement the recommendations of the 2019 Bishop of Truro report on supporting persecuted Christians.
  • Theresa Villiers inquired about improvements the Church would like to see for the envoy for freedom of religion or belief, based on an independent review.
  • Fiona Bruce invited the Second Church Estates Commissioner to a meeting with an FCDO Minister to discuss better stakeholder engagement in freedom of religion or belief issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Theresa Villiers Con
Religion & Faith
Context

The Bishop of Truro's report from 2019 recommended support for persecuted Christians, and the Church is expected to implement these recommendations.

Question

What steps is the Church taking to help implement the recommendations of the report by the Bishop of Truro on support for persecuted Christians published in 2019?

Answer from Andrew Selous

I thank my right hon. Friend for her sustained and long-term interest in freedom of religion and belief for Christians and people of all faiths around the world. At the Lambeth conference, the Bishop of Chelmsford, herself a Christian refugee from Iran, spoke about the need to challenge some of the darker elements of faith leaders who condone persecution.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not address specific steps taken by the Church to implement the recommendations.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Theresa Villiers Con
Religion & Faith
Context

An independent review assessed the implementation of the Bishop of Truro's report on supporting persecuted Christians, suggesting improvements for the faith envoy position.

Question

In light of the conclusions of an independent review assessing the implementation of the Bishop of Truro's report, what improvements would the Church like to see in relation to the envoy for freedom of religion or belief? The recommendation is to establish a permanent post with resources and authority to engage across government.

Answer from Andrew Selous

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for raising an extremely important point. Our hon. Friend the faith envoy, who is in the Chamber, does a fantastic job. I can assure my right hon. Friend that the Church remains completely committed to the full implementation of the Truro review, especially recommendation 6, which is to make the envoy a permanent position with “appropriate resources and authority” to work across Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not provide specific improvements but acknowledged the Church's commitment to making the faith envoy a permanent role as per Truro review recommendation 6.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Fiona Bruce Con
Religion & Faith
Context

A recent independent review highlighted the need for better engagement with stakeholders, including the Church, to embed FORB in FCDO work.

Question

The recent independent review confirmed that more needs to be done before FORB becomes firmly embedded in FCDO work. One area highlighted is better stakeholder engagement, among which the Church is key. Would the Second Church Estates Commissioner join me for a meeting with an FCDO Minister?

Answer from Andrew Selous

I should be delighted, and I would like to bring our bishops who lead in this area and senior officials from Church House to that important meeting.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email