Good Morning from the Church of England Communications Office

Issued at 09.28 by hd

Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day)
Tomorrow: Richard Hooker, priest, teacher of the faith, 1600
Martin of Porres, 1639

1.  The voices of the poor and most marginalised must be heard

The High Level Panel advising the UN on the new post-2015 development framework, meeting in London this week (1 November) and co-chaired by David Cameron, must ensure the voices and expertise of those directly affected by poverty and injustice are heard and valued, says the Church of England's International Affairs Adviser. For further information, go to: http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/11/the-voices-of-the-poor-and-most-marginalised-must-be-heard.aspx

2. A message from the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Christopher Lowson: The Guardian and the retirement of the Bishop of Grimsby

You may have read an article in yesterday's Guardian, written by Andrew Brown. The main concern of the article is to illustrate the challenges faced by whoever is chosen to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, and focuses particularly on issues facing rural Dioceses. In researching this article, Andrew Brown spoke to clergy in the Dioceses of Chelmsford and Lincoln, including our own David Rowett and me. I want to issue one particular corrective in relation to this article. A connection was made between the publication of the Central Services Review report, and the decision of the Bishop of Grimsby to retire in the new year. I want to stress that there is no connection between the two. Bishop David and I began a conversation about his future some time before the publication of the report, and he had decided then that after 12 years in the Diocese, he would like to retire soon. Once again, I would like to stress how pleased I am that Bishop David will be staying in the Diocese as an Assistant Bishop, and that his considerable gifts will be fully used to support the pastoral life of the Diocese in the future.

Christopher Lincoln, Bishop of Lincoln

3.  Church of England Podcast - Synod agenda

Secretary General William Fittall takes a look at the agenda for the November 2012 Group of sessions of the Church of England's General Synod. To listen to the podcast go to: http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/engage-with-us-online/podcasts.aspx

4.  Today's press coverage

Telegraph p4, Express p45, Mail p6, Times p26
Several reports looking at ONS figures and stating that "the number of children being brought up by unmarried couples in Britain has doubled since the mid-1990s".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9649093/Number-of-unmarried-parents-doubles.html#

Daily Mail p33, Telegraph website
Report that "a married vicar [in Somerset] has been suspended from his job after he was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9648121/Church-of-England-vicar-arrested-over-voyeurism-claims.html

Independent p27, i p17
Items reporting that Cardinal Keith O'Brien, "Britain's most senior Catholic", "was named Stonewall's Bigot of the Year last night".
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/britains-most-senior-catholic-is-named-bigot-of-the-year-8274698.html

Times p30
Short item looking at a new stained glass window in the chapel of the Savoy that has been unveiled by The Queen; it contains symbols of the Church of England.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3587705.ece

Daily Mail p19
Report that "a review of the way hospitals put patients on the 'death pathway' was announced yesterday".

Letters

Telegraph p31
The Revd Dr Terry Tastard on the persecution of Christians.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/9649425/The-Governments-defeat-over-the-EU-budget-proves-the-need-for-a-referendum-on-our-membership.html (scroll down)

Times p37
Tim Hind (Vice Chair of the General Synod's House of Laity), and the Revd Canon Dr Gavin Ashenden (University Chaplain, University of Sussex), on the "modern Church".
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/letters/article3587256.ece

Obituary

Times p70
The Very Revd Professor Robert Davidson, "theologian, university don, authority on the Old Testament and prolific author".
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article3587296.ece