A Church and human rights group chaired by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Richard Harries, has spoken out about the treatment of asylum seekers in the UK.
28 February 1997
A Church of England bishop has joined millions of Christians around the world by 'giving up' something he likes for Lent. But Dr Alan Smithson, Bishop of Jarrow, has made an unusual choice for his Lenten sacrifice - he has given up reading the Bible and has taken up the holy Muslim book, the Koran, instead.
21 February 1997
Church attendance in the Church of England has dropped. The latest statistics which are based on 1995 figures show that the average total Sunday attendance for the Church of England was 1,045,000 in 1995. This is 36,000 lower than the 1994 figures and the biggest fall since the mid-1970s.
14 February 1997
Diana, Princess of Wales, highlighted the devastating effects of landmines on a recent visit to Angola. The Princess visited the country on behalf of the Red Cross and had her visit recorded by the world's press and media. On arrival in Angola she explained her role: "I hope that by working together in the next few days we shall focus world attention on this vital but until now largely neglected issue."
14 February 1997
Churches in England are rushing to obtain copies of a special millennium liturgy designed to be used on Sunday, 6 April this year - exactly a thousand days before 1 January 2000. The liturgy has been prepared by Churches Together in England (CTE), which groups England's main denominations. Stephen Lynas, CTE's Millennium officer, said this week that 7000 sets of the special liturgy had been sent out in just seven days.
14 February 1997
The Churches in Ireland should agree a common admission of guilt for their part in the wrongs of centuries, said the former Anglican Bishop of Connor, Bishop Samuel Poyntz during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
31 January 1997
Reform, an Anglican campaign group, has indicated its intention to set up a network of bishops from England and overseas who would be available to provide Episcopal oversight to the group's member and so bypass the oversight of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.
31 January 1997
St Columba's Church, Gruline, Mull, Scotland had a Church roof problem. To solve the problem will cost the congregation £20,000 and a fundraising appeal had to be launched. The Church came up with an unusual fundraising idea, a tartan (distinctive check design from Scotland often made up into cloth) for St Columba of Iona.
27 January 1997
A Christian is someone who believes that Jesus Christ is God showing everyone what he is like. Jesus lived in Palestine and was killed by being nailed to a cross in about 33 A.D. - a victim of wrong-doing and evil. Yet he was given new life, so overcoming evil and death. He promised his followers that they too would have the experience of travelling the same kind of path: often one of suffering, but ultimately one of life with God.
27 January 1997
Millions serve him as their Lord and worship God. Over the past two thousand years the Christian Church has spread to every country in the world. In great cathedrals and in little churches, in private homes and in the open air, Christians meet to worship God through Jesus Christ and to dedicate their lives to His service.
27 January 1997