Public testing of the Emergency Alerts system
Readers are reminded that the Government will be carrying out a national test of the UK Emergency Alerts system today, 7 September, at 3 pm. The test alert will be sent to all compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones and compatible tablets across the UK. This follows the first successful national test in April 2023.
Assisted dying legislation, House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords will debate the core aims of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill across two days on Friday 12 and Friday 19 September. It will be noted that this second date is within the House of Lords recess period allocated for Party Conferences.
During the second reading, members will discuss the main issues in the Bill and highlight concerns or specific areas where they think amendments are needed. More than 200 members of the House of Lords are expected to speak in the debate, which will be broadcast live on Parliament TV from 10.00 am.
Assisted suicide – Jersey
Christian Today reports that the Jersey Council of Ministers has put forward “final proposals” for the legalisation of assisted suicide on the island. These would limit eligibility to: those aged 18 and over with a terminal illness; a life expectancy of six months or less, or 12 months in the case of those with neurodegenerative conditions; and residency in Jersey for a year or more. It is anticipated that assisted suicide could become legal by 2027.
COVID-19 and restrictions on public worship
On Friday, the First Section ECtHR dismissed Dr Ján Figel’s Article 9 challenge to the restrictions on public worship imposed by Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We posted a note here; unfortunately, because of server problems, it was inaccessible for a time.
Problems with replacement roof material
Last week, the BBC reported Church lead theft causing problems 17 years on. After the theft of its lead, St John’s Penistone, near Barnsley, could not afford to replace the it or even use stainless steel roofing. The temporary felt replacement has not held out against the elements, leading to water ingress that now threatens its structural integrity.
The church has carved medieval ceiling bosses including “the smiling head” and “the two-headed Archbishop of York”(!). Damp and water penetration could destroy these carvings and the organ if the roof is not repaired. The church is seeking to install stainless steel roofing and has raised £100,000 from grants and events. It is to share in a £1M urgent payout from the National Churches Trust, designed to keep UK churches open and in use. On the recommendation of the National Churches Trust, St John the Baptist will receive a £10,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from The Wolfson Foundation towards the £150,000 cost of the roof replacement.
The Duchess of Kent
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, who became the first senior British royal to be received into the Roman Catholic Church since the 17th century, died on 4 September at the age of 92. She was received into the Catholic Church in January 1994 by Cardinal Basil Hume, then Archbishop of Westminster. Until then, no senior royal had publicly been received into the Roman Catholic Church since 1685.
The Act of Settlement of 1701 barred royals who became or married Catholics from the line of succession, although some changes were introduced through the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. The Act removed the prohibition on succession by heirs married to Roman Catholics, and marriage to a Catholic would no longer be a bar to succession. On the other hand, being a Roman Catholic still is. Likewise, the constitutional provisions that require succession to be dependent on being “in communion with” the Church of England were unaffected.
The funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on 16 September will be presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, with the Dean of Windsor participating, before accompanying the coffin to Frogmore, Windsor.
Ecclesiastical Law Society: forthcoming events
Update: The ELS London Lecture by Patti Russell on 9 September has been postponed because of strike action on the London Underground. A revised date will be arranged as soon as possible.
In addition, there has been a change of venue for this year’s Lyndwood Lecture on 8 October which will be at St Aloysius Church in Somers Town – 20 Phoenix Rd, London NW1 1TA, which is conveniently located for Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross stations.
Tuesday 9 September: Patti Russell will deliver the next ELS London lecture; her subject will be “Justified or condemned by their words?” – a look at the law on free speech, discrimination and expression of religious belief. The lecture begins at 6 pm at the Grosvenor Chapel, London. The lecture is free and open to all, but please book via the website: https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/events/free-speech.
Tuesday 16 September: The next “Bitesize” ecclesiastical law discussion will take place on Zoom beginning at 5:30pm. The Rt Revd Moira Astin and the Revd Russell Dewhurst will be talking about the law of baptism. Register here for a Zoom link: https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/events/bitesize-13/.
Wednesday 8 October: The biennial Lyndwood Lecture is arranged alternately by the ELS and the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, which is hosting the 2025 lecture. Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, Sostituto at the Vatican Secretariat of State, will be speaking on “Synodality and the principle of subsidiarity” at St Mary Moorfields Church, Eldon Street, London. It begins at 6:15 pm, followed by a drinks reception. Attendance is £15: register here: https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/events/synodality-and-subsidiarity/.
Tuesday 25 November: The last ELS London lecture of the year will be the Ven Luke Miller on “Speaking First: the Prolocutors of the Convocations, past, present and future”. It starts at 6 pm at the Grosvenor Chapel, London, and is free and open to all. Please book via the website: https://ecclawsoc.org.uk/events/speaking-first/.
The ELS is grateful to Birketts LLP for their sponsorship of the 2025 London lectures.
Quick links
- Conor Casey, Richard Ekins and Stephen Laws, Policy Exchange: The ECHR and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement: argues that withdrawal from the ECHR would not breach the Belfast Agreement.
- House of Commons Library: What is the Ecclesiastical Committee? Published 2 September 2025.
- Brandon Reece Taylorian, Talk About: Law and Religion: Islamic law in the United Kingdom.