Churches must do more to support families, says bishop

The Bishop of Hereford has told clergy and churchgoers they must do more to support married couples and families.

Speaking at the Diocesan Synod last week, Bishop Anthony Priddis said that the church had failed to adequately address marriage and family issues.

“Many parishes are involved in marriage preparation work and in weddings but we are very poor at any follow up afterwards and research has shown that couples are surprised by our lack of interest after the big day,” he said.

Bishop Priddis said contact with families through baptism, mother and toddler groups, youth work, and marriage preparation presented the church with opportunities.

“But do we connect them up?” he said. “What do we need to strengthen and support these relationships? Can we do a bit more?”

He pointed to the findings of the recent Good Childhood report, which concluded that the lives of children in Britain had become “more difficult than in the past”.

“There is brokenness in so many of these reports,” he said. “We need to look at things with the eyes of children. We need to ask is there more that we can do to strengthen the loving relationships that they, and we, desire for them.”