Archbishop of Canterbury pledges support to other faith communities

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, reassured members of other faith communities in the UK after the General Synod debate on Christian Witness in a Plural Society on Saturday. The debate affirmed the church's duty to encourage positive and sensitive sharing of the Christian faith with people of all faiths and none. An amended motion was passed which included the call for Christians 'to learn from and be enriched by people of other faiths'. Dr Carey said that he hoped that no-one would take from the discussions the idea that the Church would be thoughtlessly and insensitively targeting members of other faith communities. "I have many, many friends in other faiths who are very insecure after the events of September 11th. We have to care for them and realise that we have much to learn from them as well as to be a witness. "I hope that the various messages of the debate will be heard widely. The church today affirmed that the Christian message includes a gracious invitation to others to hear the words of Christ. That is not to be understood as a directive to coerce others to believe what we believe." source: Lambeth Palace