Imagine if we decided to tackle child abuse by deporting children. Or we chose to put an end to the scams that target the elderly by sending all retired persons to live in a detention centre on another continent. I thoroughly support the goal of smashing the trafficking rings, but the Rwanda plan criminalises the trafficked, not the traffickers

Krish Kandiah, The Times, 18 June

As we’ve said repeatedly, the Church of England’s opposition to deporting asylum seekers without any kind of assessment or care is not because the destination is Rwanda. We would oppose such heartless treatment wherever people were sent

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Twitter, 18 June

I have changed my mind about the bishops in the Lords. I now believe the Church’s involvement at the heart of the establishment is a risk worth taking. The British constitution is more a play than a book; more show than tell — just think of Black Rod banging on the door, the Trooping of the Colour, the Coronation. And the Church helps choreograph the establishment, thus introducing a moral element to our common life that would be difficult to maintain if Parliament were redesigned in a more rational way

Giles Fraser, UnHerd, 16 June

Today, politicised Anglicanism at least keeps the CofE in the headlines, but the downside is that the Church might be known better for its politics than its faith. Its hierarchy has completely become the Labour Party at prayer. The bitter irony is that the one part of the population that has remained steadfastly loyal to the church is Conservative voters (two-thirds of English Anglicans voted for Brexit), and so, in a bid to find relevance among those who don’t believe in God, the CofE frequently finds itself alienating those who do

Tim Stanley, Telegraph, 20 June

I have seen the impact of conflict, the impact of war. . . . South Sudanese [of] my age have now been displaced three times. That is not good. That is not healthy. Hence the importance of reconciliation

Anthony Poggo, interview released by Anglican Communion Office on the announcement that he is to be the next Secretary-General, 14 June

The second I had a child everything changed for me, and I’ve never taken anything for granted since. Those years between my breakdown and having my first child, Junior, taught me a lot. One day I prayed: “Please, if there’s a God, get me through this day.” They were dark days. When I made it through, I remember thinking: “Right, I’m just lucky to be alive”

Peter Andre, Observer Magazine, 19 June

We invite readers’ contributions. Quotations have to be from the past few days (or quoted therein), and we need author, source, and date. Please send promptly to: quotes@churchtimes.co.uk