On the day MPs return to Parliament after recess to continue the work of the session, including the Equality Bill, the British Humanist Association (BHA) has criticised a new policy of the Church of England which will automatically remove some powers and ability to perform some functions from female bishops.
Naomi Phillips, BHA Public Affairs Officer, said, ‘Given the Church of England’s continuing influence as the established church, its representation as of right in our Parliament and its grip over our schools and education system, we should all be concerned about the decision to remove powers from women bishops and transfer them, automatically, to their male counterparts.’
Ms Phillips continued, ‘This decision comes at a time when the Church of England, together with the Roman Catholic Church and others, is actively campaigning to retain and even gain even wider exceptions from the Government’s Equality Bill which permits them to discriminate in employment on grounds of sex, sexual orientation and marital status, including the marital status of the employee’s or potential employee’s partner.’
‘This increasing conservatism of the Church, including its misogynistic policies against its own bishops, represents another nail in the coffin for hopes of progressivism and highlights why we should seek actively to abolish the remaining and significant ties between Church and State.’
Notes
For further comment or information, contact Naomi Phillips on 020 7079 3585.
Read more about the BHA’s work on the Equality Bill.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief.