Holding Brexit Conversations

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's 'Sunday' programme on the weekend that many churches were inviting people to join them for "Brexit Conversations over tea and cake", the Bishop said:

"It isn't about the tea or the cake is it? It is about the place, the convening power of churches.

"I think churches and cathedrals throughout the country have been trying to convene a conversation which brings people together in a different sort of way."

Listen to Bishop Nicholas on Radio 4 here

The Bishop cited the recent 'Salisbury Conversations' at the Cathedral as examples of how we should talk to each other. The Bishop said they were "really sparky, interesting and unitive events and that is one of the powers of the Church in this process."

Speaking to presenter William Crawley about the role of the Bishops in the House of Lords, Bishop Nicholas said:

"One of the roles of the Lords Spiritual is to say the prayers at the beginning of Parliament every day and the prayers are praying for the unity and knitting together of the hearts of the people and so it is setting a framework for Parliament in these discussions."

"This has been an extraordinarily difficult process, what is going on in Parliament just reflects what is going on in the country.

"We have to work out how to respond to this, we have somehow got stuck and something else now has to happen."

He said the Lords Spiritual were trying to encourage a conversation "which is uniting, in which people are cared for".

He added that the most important thing is the "language of truth".

"We have a responsibility to be about the truth and to hold each other to account for the various things we say so we can move forward together".

Listen to Bishop Nicholas on Radio 4 here