This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31499189

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Church of England to offer election vote guidance Church of England 'has a duty to debate politics'
(about 3 hours later)
Church of England leaders are set to urge parishioners to take an active role in May's general election. The Church of England "has a right and a duty" to speak in the political debate ahead of May's general election, Church leaders say.
In a letter to be released later, the House of Bishops is expected to call for debate on issues such as nuclear defence and the economy. In a letter to congregations, the House of Bishops has called for a "fresh moral vision" by politicians.
It is expected to back the concept of a living wage and urge political parties to avoid scapegoating groups such as immigrants and those on benefits. It says it does not endorse a political party but urges parishioners to vote and calls for debate on issues such as nuclear defence and the economy.
Some Conservative MPs have criticised the Church's intervention.Some Conservative MPs have criticised the Church's intervention.
The letter - the first of its kind to be issued by the Church - is expected to say that the case for the Trident nuclear deterrent needs to be re-examined and more EU integration is needed. The 52-page letter is the first of its kind to be issued by the Church.
The Bishop of Buckingham, Dr Alan Wilson, who helped write the letter, said: "We're not telling people how to vote but why to vote." It says "it is the duty of every Christian adult to vote, even though it may have to be a vote for something less than a vision that inspires us".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said the letter was to address the problem of people's "cynicism and disenchantment with professional politicians" and help them "take a fresh look at things". It says the country needs "a new approach to political life that will change the political weather as decisively as did the administrations of 1945 and 1979", referring to changes in government under Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher.
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries told the programme she believed the letter had "glaring inaccuracies" regarding the economy and said the Church should be more concerned with issues people wanted to hear their views on, such as abortion. "The ideals that the Big Society stood for should not be consigned to the political dustbin," the letter adds.
New politics
The Church addresses issues in a number of policy areas within the letter.
On the economy, it credits politicians for helping Britain avoid the same financial instability as other European countries, but criticises them for turning the banking crisis into a "political football".
It says the Church is in favour of the living wage and talks about a "burgeoning of in-work poverty", adding that "the greatest burdens of austerity have not been borne by those with the broadest shoulders".
On Europe, the Church says there is an "enduring argument for continuing to build structures of trust and co-operation between the nations of Europe".
When talking about defence policy, the letter says "shifts in the global strategic realities mean that the traditional arguments for nuclear deterrence need re-examining".
'Fresh look'
The Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Rev Alan Wilson, who helped write the letter, said it was not a guide on how Christians should vote.
"We're not telling people how to vote but why to vote," he said.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said the letter was to address the problem of people's "cynicism and disenchantment with professional politicians" and help them "take a fresh look at things".
Conservative MP Nadine Dories told the programme she believed the letter had "glaring inaccuracies" regarding the economy and said the Church should be more concerned with issues people wanted to hear its views on, such as abortion.
"The Church is always silent when people are seeking its voice and yet seems very keen to dive in on political issues when actually no-one is asking it to," she said."The Church is always silent when people are seeking its voice and yet seems very keen to dive in on political issues when actually no-one is asking it to," she said.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the letter was not meant to be party political, or a "shopping list of policies" - but was a call for a "new kind of politics". She said the bishops had a "very definite left-wing leaning to their message" and questioned whether the Church has the moral authority to discuss equality, having "only just accepted women as equals and brought in women bishops".
"The bishops will urge a fresh moral vision for the country's future and bigger ideas with which to engage the electorate," she said.
Church members will be asked to help "shape" the debate and to ask parliamentary candidates their "position on a host of key questions", our correspondent added.