Bishops Support Christian Unions

Senior bishops in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as academics and representatives of major Christian organisations have signed a letter in which they claim that the Student Guilds/Associations, in Exeter, Birmingham and Edinburgh have changed their anti-discrimination provisions to discriminate against Christian students.

In an open letter to The Times, ten leading bishops gave their support to the Christian Unions stating that they are facing "considerable opposition and discrimination of their rights of freedom of expression, freedom of belief and freedom of association".

Christian Unions at Exeter, Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Birmingham have all been either disaffiliated from their Student Union bodies, or, in the case of Edinburgh University have been prevented from teaching a Christian course on university facilities.

The letter states that, "...university student guilds and associations have a responsibility to ensure that official societies are run in a proper and lawful manner.

"However this does not give them, or anyone else, the right to restrict or change the essential beliefs of those societies, or impose as leaders people who do not share those core beliefs."