Telling worshippers to 'all stand' in church is unfair on the disabled
Telling worshippers to ‘all stand’ and ‘all kneel’ in church is unfair on the disabled, vicars tell the Church as they urge prayer books to be rewritten to be more inclusive
- Church of England told to rewrite prayer books to make them more inclusive
- Actions called for further research to understand the number of disabled clergy
- The Bishop of Exeter said it would be a ‘nightmare’ to edit the prayer books
- He said it would be better to use inclusive language during the service instead
Telling worshippers to ‘all stand’ and ‘all kneel’ in church is unfair on the disabled, vicars tell the Church as they urge prayer books to be rewritten to be more inclusive.
The Church of England were told to consider rewriting prayer books to make them more inclusive for congregations, following a vote at their national assembly, General Synod.
Rev Canon Timothy Goode, from Southwark, made the suggestions so the Church could continue its modern day advancements by ‘removing some of the barriers which disabled people, clergy and lay, face’ after written questions were submitted to Synod.
The actions called for further research to understand the number of disabled clergy to encourage progress and remove rubrics asking worshippers to ‘all stand, reports The Telegraph.
Telling worshippers to ‘all stand’ and ‘all kneel’ in church is unfair on the disabled, vicars tell the Church as they urge prayer books to be rewritten to be more inclusive (file image)
The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Rev Robert Atwell, said it would be a ‘nightmare’ to edit the prayer books and would take ‘hours to hours’ to make the amendments, in a response to the suggestions during a debate in the Synod chamber held at the University of York.
He said it would be better to use inclusive language during the service so worshippers do not feel excluded.
He added: ‘There’s already flexibility in the interpretation of rubrics dictating posture, such as the requirement in the prayer book for a person to kneel when receiving Holy Communion.’
Rev Canon Goode submitted his written motion to ‘request that the Faith and Order Commission and the Liturgical Commission to consider how out liturgies might be made more inclusive to disabled people.’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, told MailOnline: ‘Are we becoming so fearful and sensitive that we are prepared to do away with words and traditions that have always been properly understood within their context?
Rev Canon Timothy Goode, from Southwark, made the suggestions so the Church could continue its modern day advancements by ‘removing some of the barriers which disabled people, clergy and lay, face’ (file image)
‘These words and actions mark reverence and tradition in a particular Christian service. By these words no one would ever mean to discriminate on the grounds of disability, rather they would always accommodate.
‘For centuries people have understood this. Everyone in the services respects those that are unable to kneel or stand.’
The vote was passed to consider the motion following the debate and will be reviewed at a later date.
Tweeting the end of the Synod, which closed its session today, the Church wrote: ‘Business being concluded, Synod is duly prorogued by the Archbishop of York, and ends in prayer. It will meet again in Westminster between 6-14 Feb 2023.’
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