The Rt Rev Vivienne Faull was flanked by supporters, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, as she swore the oath of allegiance to the Queen.

The former Dean of York became the Diocese of Bristol’s 57th bishop in July and is the first woman in the role.

Her appointment followed the retirement of the Rt Rev Mike Hill last year.

She was also the first woman to lead a Church of England Cathedral as Provost and then Dean of Leicester in 2000.

The 63-year-old, who was brought up on the Wirral, is married to a hospital consultant.

As Bishop of Bristol, she is one of the 26 senior members of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual, entitled to sit on the red benches of the unelected house. Others include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

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It was founded in 1942 amid the turmoil of the Second World War and has become the leading nationwide forum for Jewish-Christian engagement.

The Council says Christian/Jewish relations have grown strong and flourished in the UK during the past 75 years.

However, it recognises that global society is living through a period of increased hatred, extremism, and polarisation and that, in the UK, antisemitism and antisemitic discourse has become more noticeable in public life and within social media.

The Council members who are leaders of the Jewish and Christian communities in the UK state that antisemitism has no place in British society and call on those in positions of power and influence to listen to such concerns.

They also commit to speaking out on anti-Christian sentiment and persecution of Christians in many parts of the world today.

CCJ Chair, Bishop Michael Ipgrave said: “It has been very encouraging to see the renewed endorsement which our Christian and Jewish Presidents have given to CCJ as we complete our 75th anniversary year.

“We are grateful for their support, as we feel that our work is of ever increasing importance in our society at this time, with rising levels of antisemitism and increasing xenophobia and discrimination towards minority communities.”

CCJ Director Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko said: “These are challenging times, nationally and globally.

“As…

In an interview with the Guardian, Bishop Michael Curry said many leaders of Christianity are “buying into political agendas that very often do not reflect the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth”.

“We as Christian leaders must speak up and bear witness to the values that we hold based on the teachings of Jesus. And when we fail to do so, we’ve failed to represent the Christian faith in the public sphere”. 

Bishop Michael is the current presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church, a member of the global Anglican Communion. 

The Bishop, whose sermon at the royal wedding received mixed reviews from Christians, received a global platform he did not have before, which he is now using to expand more on his sermon and book, The Power of Love.

He said that Christians who claim to follow Jesus but do not obey the commands to love and serve the poor should assess their faith.

He said: “I’m concerned when I don’t hear other religious leaders standing up for immigrants in our country being treated with justice and decency. I’m concerned when I don’t hear Christian leaders advocating vociferously for the re-unification of parents and children at our borders.

“I’m concerned when I don’t hear religious leaders advocating for children to be number one on the social agenda of this country. I’m concerned when I hear silence from religious leaders after the Ku Klux…

The decision follows months of protests by community group Beeston Civic Society who wanted to take over the running of the hall.

Judy Sleath, chairwoman of Beeston Civic Society told Nottinghamshire Live: “People are angry. It’s not about losing it to a church; it’s about wanting to keep it for the whole community, not just part of it.

“It’s only us who are offering that.”

Cllr Janet Patrick urged councillors to vote against the church’s bid to buy the hall but Cllr Lee Fletcher said he believed that the Cornerstone bid was “robust”.

A plan was initially put in place to demolish the building to make way for housing, however, after considering the bids for the town hall, 24 councillors voted in favour of the building being sold to the church while 13 opposed the move. Two councillors abstained from the vote.

The church, which is a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, has insisted it will ensure the hall is still available to the whole community.

Minister Pete Brown from Cornerstone Church Nottingham told Nottinghamshire Live: “We’re excited at the prospect of a building that will enable us to play a more active role in community life in Beeston and the surrounding area.

“I want us to make a genuine difference to the lives of many people in Beeston. This building would be a chance for us to…