Terror experts, politicians and church leaders to debate religious unity in UK cities

Senior politicians, terror experts and Christian leaders will come together for a major two-day conference discussing religious unity in British cities.

The shock of Brexit and the horror of terrorist attacks on London and Manchester have highlighted the need for Christians to take a leading role in transforming UK towns, said event organiser Roger Sutton.

In London just over 2,000 of 31,000 officers are able to carry guns although the government plans to increase that numberReuters

The Westminster-based conference in October will be addressed by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, chief constable Olivia Pinkney and head of the counter-terror Prevent strategy David Smart.

'I think there is a sense we need to come together now for the transformation for our places,' Sutton, a former church leader from Manchester, told Christian Today.

'T'he core message is that this is a big conversation about the future of our cities and towns.

'To have that conversation you have got to have that conversation across the whole Church.'

Head of the UK Catholic Church Cardinal Vincent Nichols will also address the summit alongside Pastor Agu Irukwu of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Bishop Angaelos, head of the UK Coptic Church and a leading spokesman on the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

'We are facing some significant challenges as a nation over the next few years,' said Sutton.

'What future do we want for our children and the places we live in? How can we heal the divisions? How can we support the most vulnerable and reach our potential as a nation?'

He added: 'We wont have complete clarity on all the complex issues facing our cities over the next 15 years, but we hope to underline some key Christian values that we need to build on such as unity, forgiveness, justice, freedom service and love. It's time to imagine and work towards a better future for our children and a kinder way of living together.'