Bishops reject request to ring bells on St George's Day

Church of England Bishops have rejected a request to ring out the bells of churches on St George’s Day.

The idea to ring out the bells was suggested by churchgoer Libby Alexander, who wrote to each of the 44 Church of England diocesan bishops suggesting the idea.

Only five of them responded positively to the idea, whilst more than half did not respond to the letter.

In her letter, Alexander said that church attendance was falling because of “the lack of assertiveness or confidence emanating from the top… [and the] strangulations of political correctness”, reports the Daily Mail.

She also encouraged the bishops, “What an uplifting, wondrous sound it would be if bells rang out to remind the country that Christianity exists and that churches are there to welcome."

However, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, responded saying, “I am not sure assertiveness is a Christian value.”

The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Dr Kenneth Stevenson, also expressed concern that “some secularists would claim the Church was imposing its beliefs and practices on the whole population”.

The Rt Rev Dr Peter Foster, Bishop of Chester, said meanwhile, “There would be dangers in putting on ‘public displays’ of confidence.”