The Household of Cornelius and the Conversion of Peter In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort as it was called. So begins the third in this sequence of stories of conversion. Again the Holy Spirit is at work beyond and outside the Christian community. Again the Holy Spirit […]

The Cure of Souls

The Cure of Souls The most solemn moment of an institution service is, for me, when I commit the licence to the candidate and say these words: Receive this cure of souls which is both yours and mine. We will need to exercise this cure…

COVID-19 A message from the Oxford bishops

A message from the four bishops in the diocese of Oxford on the coronavirus crisis

Dunbars number

A Presidential Address to the Oxford Diocesan Synod on Saturday 14 March by the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, Acting Bishop of Oxford. One of the great things about being a bishop is that you can re-use material time and again. I don’t…

Stewards of creation

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in the House of Lords during today's Lords debate on the technological and lifestyle efforts to address climate change, and to meet the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target My Lords,…

To feed the hungry

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in the House of Lords during today's question for short debate to ask, 'what consideration the government has given to the linkage between our leadership of the COP 26 Conference and the…

Seven fat cows

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in today's debate on the Address in the House of Lords. "My Lords, I rise to speak about the climate emergency and declare an interest as a member of the Advisory Board of the Environmental…

A lullaby for the world

“Look a virgin shall conceive and bear and son, and they shall name him Emmanuel” I am struck at the end of this year by how many Christmas carols are lullabies and I have been wondering why. There are plenty of carols which are the…