The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Revd Nicholas Holtam, will take his seat
in the House of Lords in London today, as one of 26 Bishops who sit as Lords
Spiritual.
Bishop Nicholas said, “To sit as a Lord Spiritual in the House is a serious
piece of public work, which we undertake on behalf of the whole community, not
just those who are Christians or Church of England. As Lords Spiritual, we bring
a different perspective to those who have become Peers.
“The Church of England has a presence in every community, from Dorset
villages to inner city estates in Newcastle. We have a uniquely long
perspective. That gives us a chance to articulate a vision that is truly
national and genuinely long term.
“The particular subjects I want to make a contribution to in the House of
Lords will be the concerns of the Diocese. I am the lead bishop for the Church
of England on the environment. This is of great theological and political
significance.
“The churches will be able to help build a climate of public opinion that
encourages our politicians to make tough decisions. This we will require both
the recognition of the need for urgent action and the hope we can make a real
difference. This is particularly important with the Paris Summit on climate
change in December, but it will need sustained commitment over many decades.
“There have been a number of recent examples when the Lords
Spiritual have helped bring about change on important issues. The Archbishop of
Canterbury has made a significant contribution on payday lending and banking
standards, as the Bishop of Coventry on religious freedom for all, including the
persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
“Bishop Tim Thornton of Truro, Bishop Graham’s predecessor as Bishop of
Sherborne co-chaired the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger and Food
Poverty. I gave evidence to the inquiry last year and Salisbury MP John Glen was
also a member of the Inquiry.
“One interesting fact, I may be the last male Bishop to enter the House of
Lords before the first women Diocesan bishops start to have priority. Indeed,
the first vote I cast as a Lord Spiritual will probably be to pass legislation
to give any women bishops waiting to join the House of Lords priority over men
for the next 10 years.”
UPDATED - 5.30 p.m.
Speaking after his introduction to the House, Bishop Nicholas added:
“The Clerk read the summons from the Queen. I found it very moving to be
summonsed like that, to have to make an oath, and then to be welcomed by the
House – warmly. Then immediately into questions which were pretty serious stuff
to do with access to sports stadiums for people with disability, banking – much
in the news today – council tax and welfare reform.
“I found it quite awesome to find myself sitting there thinking I need to pay
attention and try to speak on behalf of people in the Diocese of Salisbury.”
Notwithstanding the above, discipleship is one of those
words that we can often use but what does it actually mean? According to
Archbishop Justin, discipleship is an
invitation to the strongest hope, the deepest joy, the greatest fulfilment, the
most authentic pattern of living and the highest adventure known to humanity. Now
that sounds exciting! Who wouldn’t want such an invitation?
