Government & Parliament
Archbishops of Canterbury have been members of the House of Lords by virtue of their office since parliament first began many centuries ago. In today's Lords there are two types of member - the Lords Temporal (usually known simply as Peers) and the Lords Spiritual (the two archbishops and 24 most senior bishops of the Church of England). The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior member of the Lords, being the first member entitled to take the oath of allegiance at the start of a new parliament after the Lord Speaker. Dr Rowan Williams took his seat in the Lords in March 2003, shortly after becoming Archbishop, and this section contains details of his parliamentary speeches and questions since that date. Further information on the Lords Spiritual and the Church of England in parliament can be seen here.
Recent items relating to Government & Parliament and House of Lords are shown below:
January 2007
Equality Act Regulations: Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Prime Minister
23 January 2007
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister regarding…
December 2006
Archbishop's Interview as Guest Editor of the Today Programme
29 December 2006
On 29 December 2006, BBC Radio 4's popular current affairs 'Today' programme was guest-edited by the…
Trident White Paper Must Provoke Wider Debate
4 December 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said that the Government White Paper on the future…
November 2006
Society Needs Religious Perspectives to Flourish - Archbishop
23 November 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has argued that a society can best flourish when debates…
May 2006
The Churches' Role in the Civic Life of the Nation : House of Lords Debate
19 May 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury called a debate in the House of Lords on "the contribution of the role of…
Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill - House of Lords
12 May 2006
The Archbishop spoke in the debate in the House of Lords on Lord Joffe's Assisted Dying for the Terminally…
Assisted Dying - The Today Programme
12 May 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster discuss their opposition to the…
Assisted Dying - Joint Faith Leaders Letter to The Times
12 May 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury and other faith leaders signed a letter to The Times raising their concerns…
February 2006
Chaplaincy in Immigration Detention Centres
15 February 2006
During oral questions in the House of Lords on February 15th 2006 Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government…
June 2005
Faith leaders G8 appeal to Prime Minister
29 June 2005
Senior religious leaders from three faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - have come together to…