The British Government has announced the complete ban on anti-personnel landmines. Landmines are estimated to kill or maim 20,000 people a year, mainly in the poorest areas of the world. British stockpiles of landmines will be destroyed by 2005, or sooner if an international ban is agreed.
30 May 1997
Contemplative nuns in Britain have launched a campaign to arrest their falling numbers and to prevent the "hidden life" becoming the "lost life". Since the launch last month of an ecumenical campaign by the Association of British Contemplatives, more than 5000 posters have been distributed to universities and colleges, and through churches. The association includes Anglican and Roman Catholic convents.
30 May 1997
This is a great day of celebration for the whole nation. In this service, we give thanks to God for the Christian roots of our land; for the part which the Gospel of Jesus Christ has played in the formation of our people. And it is a story worth celebrating, of the coming of learning as well as the renewal of the Church. There can be no doubt about the blessings which Christianity has brought. Nevertheless, it is a history which is littered with tragedy, and division, the results of which remain with us
28 May 1997
A tenth of the Church of England's clergy are women, according to a survey carried out by the National Association of Diocesan Advisers in women's Ministry. Nearly 400 women are in charge of parishes.
02 May 1997
Address by the Archbishop of Cape Town, The Most Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane, at Southwark Cathedral, Thursday, April 24, 1997
25 April 1997
The former Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Dr John Baker, has called for gay marriages to be sanctioned by the Church of England. The Bishop was giving a lecture entitled:"Homosexuality and Christian ethics - a new way forward" at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London. The Bishop chaired the group which produced - Issues in Human Sexuality - the Church of England report in 1991 which reinforced the celibacy rule for gay clergy. The Bishop now feels "obliged to dissent from that judgment."
25 April 1997
In two articles recently the Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out about the importance of clear moral values in society. The first interview was on the question of cohabitation and the second, an article written by the Archbishop himself, appeared in The Times newspaper on 10 April.
11 April 1997
Canterbury Cathedral has been granted an award of £2.25 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards building a new education centre.
11 April 1997
An ecumenical report launched this week has challenged governments, political parties and Churches to consider afresh the issue of unemployment and the future of work in Britain and Ireland.
11 April 1997
Shalom. Salaam. Peace. "Peace be with you". The greeting is not mine, although I gladly extend it to you this morning. It is the greeting of the risen Christ when he met the fearful disciples on the evening of that first Easter Day.
30 March 1997