The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement at the time of the attack on the Roman Catholic Church of St Francis Xavier in 2022, saying: \u201cThe massacre of worshippers \u2013 men, women and children \u2013 during a Mass in South-west Nigeria was an act of pure evil and a profound offence to God. My prayers are with all affected by this barbaric attack. I continue to pray for the nation of Nigeria.\u201d The Archbishop meets often with politicians and clergy from Nigeria and has raised the issues of inter community and inter-religious violence.<\/p>
Bishops of the Church of England are in regular discussion with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on matters affecting freedom of religion or belief, including in Nigeria. On 6th<\/sup> June 2022 the Lord Bishop of Leeds asked a question of the Minister of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the House of Lords, during exchanges on an answer to an urgent question on the attacks. He stressed that while condemnation by religious leaders was necessary and important, it often had limited impact on the self-proclaimed and ideologically-driven religious groupings and organisations behind such attacks.<\/p> https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2022-06-06/debates/B6A5FF6E-A393-4201-9A75-BEBB56A981CD/details#contribution-22B83542-1AF7-4AB0-B1B6-B6D78F081CF2<\/a><\/p> The Church has not provided any direct financial aid to the victims of this attack, but through its diocesan companion links with Nigeria and the work of its voluntary mission agencies it is continuing to support the Church in Nigeria more broadly as it responds to violations of freedom of religion or belief.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-02-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1679012/answer/previousversion/11558", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-02-26T15:33:16.473Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "9"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Churches: Nigeria"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church has had discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the attack on the St Francis Xavier Church in Owo, Nigeria in 2022; and whether the Church is providing aid for the victims of that attack.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/345", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Edward Leigh"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gainsborough"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir Edward Leigh"}
], "uin" : "7472"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1536843", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1536843/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The parochial church council is a charitable body subject to the oversight of the Charity Commission. I understand that the Charity Commission is aware of the case following a referral by the Diocese of Salisbury and the office of the Bishop of Salisbury. The National Church Institutions cannot provide guidance to trustees on particular cases, but the Legal Advisory Commission regularly provides updates for PCCs and other trustee bodies on their general duties and obligations.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-11-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1536843/answer/previousversion/33334", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-11-21T17:15:04.527Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-10-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Church of England: Longfleet"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the implications for its policies on the proper use of Church moneis of the case in the ecclesiastical Parish of Longfleet, St Mary's, Poole; what episcopal oversight was there of that case and when the Commisioners were informed of the details; and if the Commissioners will take steps to share lessons learned for best practice with other diocese.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/245", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Robert Syms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Poole"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir Robert Syms"}
], "uin" : "72919"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1484264", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1484264/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " A revised analysis based on ONS rural/urban land-use classifications and the latest (2019) mid-year population updates, gives a slightly different set of parishes classified as rural, totalling 24% of the English population. Analysis of church attendance has been complicated in recent years because of the effects of COVID and restrictions on in-person worship, but it is estimated that 37% of attendance is in these parishes. Analysis of the £471million giving reported in 2020 Parish Finance Statistics indicates that 44% came from these parishes in rural areas. Rural areas tend to be wealthier on average; of the population living in the most deprived 10% of parishes, 5% live in these rural areas, and 95% in urban areas.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-08-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1484264/answer/previousversion/11594", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-08-05T14:04:41.177Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "9"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-06-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Churches: Rural Areas"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Church of England Report, Released for mission, growing the rural church, published in 2015, which identifies that 17.6 per cent of the English population live in rural areas and 40 per cent of churchgoers attend parishes in rural areas, and with reference to the Parish Finance Statistics 2020 which shows £471 million of parish giving for the whole of the Church of England in 2020, what proportion of that parish giving came from rural parishes.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/230", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Exeter"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
], "uin" : "26686"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463643", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463643/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Diocese of Liverpool was awarded £900,000 of Strategic Development Funding in 2014 for its Transforming Wigan project.<\/p> A full list of projects awarded Strategic Development Funding is available on the Church of England website at https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/SDF%20project%20summaries%20July%202021.pdf<\/a><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463643/answer/previousversion/1444", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-27T16:00:02.93Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "9"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Church of England: Wigan"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Transforming Wigan project in the Diocese of Liverpool, what Church Commissioners\u2019 funding has been awarded to that project since its inception in 2014.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/230", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Exeter"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Ben Bradshaw"}
], "uin" : "3457"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463644", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Church Commissioners"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463644/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "