Bishop Martyn and Bishop Guli have issued the following announcement:
Diocesan Racial Equity Strategy agreed by the Bishop’s Leadership Team.
The Bishop's Leadership Team of the Diocese of Leicester has agreed the latest draft of the Diocesan Racial Equity Strategy, which will now go to Diocesan Synod for formal approval in March. Work on this strategy started shortly after the Bishops and others took the knee outside Leicester Cathedral in June 2020 to mark George Floyd’s death in the USA and highlight injustice in our society.
The strategy covers every aspect of diocesan life and addresses, among other things, how the diocese responds to allegations of racism within our churches and on social media. It calls on everyone in the diocese to promote “a culture which is palpably anti-racist, and leads to a fuller sense of belonging for all… participation for all, particularly those of global majority heritage.”
Diocesan Synod will be asked to adopt the strategy and ensure the structures and resources are in place to enable its implementation later this year.
Alongside this, the Synod in March will also be receiving a report on the Living in Love and Faith resources which look at questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage, and a report entitled Women: the state of play which examines the experiences of women in ministry in the church.
All three reports highlight the listening, learning and good dialogue which are needed if the church is truly to treat every person as created in the image of God and uniquely loved by God. Resources to help parishes and fresh expressions of Church engage in these conversations can be found on the diocesan website.
Recent media storms as well as racist and homophobic social media posts elsewhere in the country have highlighted the need for every individual and community to take this matter seriously. We condemn hateful comments of any kind and recognise that, during this difficult time for everyone it has caused an additional burden for some clergy as well as laity and staff. We continue to encourage you to take proactive steps to support your mental wellbeing and you will find various ways to do that indicated on our Wellbeing web page which is being updated regularly.