CONFLICT and God’s faithfulness in the face of its horrors were the key themes of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address at the opening of the General Synod in Westminster on Friday afternoon. “We live in a world of suffering,” he said, but in the face of such suffering, he suggested, the Church should not shy away from its work, including its internal struggles. He quoted the former Bishop of Chichester George Bell, who, on the eve of the Second World War, said that, in times such as these, the Church should be “even more the Church”. The absence of a comparable debate on Gaza was highlighted by protesters, standing outside Church House as Synod members arrived for the opening session there. Criticism of the Church and figures within it was often vociferous, and “expressions of hatred” came often from within the Church, Archbishop Welby said.

Source: The Times February 24, 2024 05:18 UTC