Mixed response to draft guidance on public benefit and religions

The Church of England has expressed a number of concerns about the Charity Commission's latest draft guidance on public benefit and the advancement of religion but still believes it has made progress in recognising the contribution of religious bodies to the public benefit.

Responding to the latest Charity Commission consultation, the Archbishops' Council, Church Commissioners and Church of England Pensions Board welcome in particular the Commission's recognition that religious bodies may generate a wide range of different benefits for the public, including both direct benefits to individuals and indirect benefits to society at large.

"We welcome the fact that the Commission recognises that religious bodies may in principle generate a wide range of different benefits for the public, including both direct benefits to individuals and indirect benefits to society at large," the response states.

It adds, "We welcome the fact that the Commission recognises that smaller religious charities may find the tasks of identifying and expressing their public benefit difficult and is willing to work with umbrella bodies to provide guidance for their constituencies to help them."

The Church response identifies, however, a number of areas that need further clarification.

It questions the assertion that pastoral work and social welfare activities should "be distinguishable from purely secular and/or social work in similar fields", seeing no legal basis for that proposition.

The Church bodies accept the Commission's assertion that "it should plainly not be charitable to promote the views of particular individuals", but argue that it is unclear why "it should not be possible to establish a charity for the promotion or better understanding of a particular tradition within a religion, which is not necessarily shared by all within it".

Public policy group Christian Concern for our Nation is urging Christians to respond to the guidance before the 30 June deadline, believing that it curtails Christian freedoms.

"It is important that the Charity Commission knows that it cannot squeeze the church into the secular mould and that Christian organisations will not stand by and see their freedom to preach the Gospel in other countries, or to restrict their membership in this country curtailed," said Andrea Minichiello Williams, Public Policy Director at Christian Concern for our Nation.

"The Charity Commission must be told that it is not their role to assess the beliefs of religious groups, or to determine which viewpoints we may promote."