Fifty pilgrims left Rome by coach 18 May and reached Canterbury on 25 May. The pilgrims are following the steps of St Augustine, who travelled from Rome to Canterbury 1400 years ago to begin his mission to the English.
30 May 1997
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
The Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal, Bishop Coadjutor of Jerusalem, has challenged 20 British dioceses to send 100 pilgrims to the Diocese of Jerusalem in the millennium year.
09 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 Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, the Rt Revd Bruce Cameron, is putting his best foot forward and plans to walk to every congregation in his diocese over the next two years.
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
This year is the 1400th anniversary of the arrival of St Augustine in Canterbury and the death of St Columba, the great Irish missionary.
18 April 1997