THE flag of St George is a symbol of “unity” and “inclusion” and “cannot be owned by any one group or cause”, a group of seven bishops has said in a statement to mark Racial Justice Sunday (8 February).
The statement was issued by the Church of England Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, which was set up late last year by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in response to concerns about the use of Christian symbols by far-Right pressure groups (Features, 6 February). The group is developing resources to help churches to celebrate St George’s Day (23 April).
The group is chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, and its other members are: the Bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt Revd Arun Arora; the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Revd Lynne Cullens; the Bishop of Bradford, Dr Toby Howarth; the Bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemarie Mallett; the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; and the Bishop of Birmingham, Dr Michael Volland.
The statement acknowledges that “many in our communities are concerned by both the perceptions and realities of the issues of migration,” and calls for “mature debate on the different impacts of immigration (recognising that we cannot have unregulated borders). Alongside this we believe that our country must remain welcoming to those who are genuinely fleeing war or persecution.”
The Bishops say that they “reject the use of Christian symbols by those who seek to use them to intimidate others”, and they lament that, in recent months, “we have seen these symbols used by people who, far from working for unity in the nation, are seeking to sow division and misunderstanding.”
The statement continues: “We rejoice that the flag of St George is the national flag of England and contains a cross as a sign of our Christian heritage. This heritage should be celebrated. However, the flag cannot be owned by any one group or cause. Rather it is a symbol of unity, inclusion and our common life around which we all gather.
“Our engagement with our neighbours of different faiths suggests that the vast majority accept this as our heritage and want to unite behind the flag as a symbol of national unity and inclusion, based on our Christian heritage and broader values of respect, compassion and care for all.”
The Bishops call for greater understanding of “the true significance of the cross of Jesus Christ”, arguing that “there is little point in claiming it as a heritage if we don’t understand its meaning. . .
“Only in this way can we ensure that the use of Christian symbols in public demonstrations works for unity and not disunity.”