Meghan and Harry’s bishop has claimed that the ‘woke movement’ is portrayed as a “sin created by people on the Left.”
The Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Bishop of Dover, led the prayers at Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding in 2018.
Britain's first black female bishop is putting forward a movement to “address issues of racial injustice” in the Church of England and is insisting that the British religious body is not scared of being called ‘woke.’
The bishop is calling to expand the number of bishops, cathedral deans and senior churchmen from ethnic minorities.
Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin has warned for the church to not fear being called 'woke'
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Hudson- Wilkon said: “Those who are frightened by the authenticity of this movement want to scare us into thinking that being woke is a sin created by people on the Left.”
On Sunday, the church’s legislative body passed a motion which said it should “encourage parishes and deaneries to develop local action plans to address issues of racial injustice.”
The motion passed by 364 votes in favour to zero against, with two abstentions.
The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell also spoke out about diversity and inclusion and said the church “has not been good enough” and that “racism and discrimination rupture our body.”
Rose Hudson-Wilkin has called for more diversity in the Church of England
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Bishop Hudson-Wilkin has also called for better data collection on the diversity of congregations.
The most recent figure from the church shows that 4.1 percent of clergy are from ethnic backgrounds in comparison to 18.3 percent that make up the population of England and Wales.
Although the church does not collect data often, the last figures show that seven per cent of churchgoers were from ethnic minorities.
During a speech, Bishop Hudson-Wilkin said that she did not doubt “that the church must continue to work at embedding racial justice in all its life and structures- lip service will not do, neither will ticking boxes."
Rose Hudson-Wilkin shakes hands with Queen Camilla in 2023
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Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin performed prayers at Meghan and Harry's wedding
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She told the Synod: “When it comes to the topic of racial justice, I've heard the word 'woke' being bandied about by many people including Government ministers, certain radio presenters, those in the media. And in every case, they've used it incorrectly.
“The term woke originated in the USA, and it was a black terminology speaking specifically and directly to black people regarding the need to wake up and stay alert, to be consciously aware.
“So it is not just a mere word, it is a movement. Those who are threatened by the authenticity of this movement, want to scare us into thinking that being woke is a sin created by people on the left.”
The church has also removed monuments in cathedrals and parish churches that contained references to slaves after a report found that the Church of England had benefited from the trade.
