80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan

Lord Bishop of Peterborough Excerpts

Friday 9th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Peterborough (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, it is a privilege to be making my maiden speech today. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, for opening this debate and for the encouragement for us to mark and reflect such an important anniversary. It is an honour to follow such moving speeches.

Before saying any more, I take the opportunity to thank the many Members and staff of your Lordships’ House who have made me feel so welcome. I have been struck by the care that has been shown to help me to find my feet, and I am most grateful for the time taken to do so. I have been Bishop of Peterborough for just over a year, following four years as Bishop of Southampton, and I hope to bring experience from both dioceses as I take my place among your Lordships.

As we have heard, the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe and victory over Japan has been marked in our communities in a number of different ways. Across Peterborough diocese, there have been street parties in Northamptonshire; bunting in the beautiful villages of Rutland; and bells of churches ringing out, including from Peterborough Cathedral, which has always been a place of gathering at times of national significance and last night played its part again, drawing people together and helping them to remember.

It is the theme of remembering that I would like to focus on. Having begun full-time ministry as a family and children’s worker over 20 years ago, I have been inspired by young people and the work that goes on in our local schools. As the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, said, it is so important for our children to understand the past. One of the most moving experiences that I had in parish ministry was an annual joint remembrance service that took place with our elderly midweek congregation and the year 2 children of our local church school. This was a genuine collaborative exercise, and each generation learned from it. For the seven year-old children, it brought to life their study of World War II, when they could hear personal stories of those who had lived through it, speaking to a woman who had been an evacuee or a gentleman who had served in the Army. The school lesson came alive for them, because these personal stories have power, like the one that the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig, has just shared. For our seniors, it was a time for them to share their stories, to be listened to and to be given permission to talk about the hardships of their time. But there was more going on; as they listened, they could hear the hopes of young children, who in their own short lives already knew of recent conflicts, some of which were having a direct impact on two or three of them.

How do we change, how do we move on, if we do not remember and learn together? I suggest that putting ourselves into the shoes of others helps to turn an act of remembrance into something that can bring change for the future, as we learn from others. Peterborough diocese is linked with the diocese of Seoul in Korea, and our partnership is based on listening to one another and seeing life through the eyes of another. The Koreans’ experience of war and conflict has shaped their theology and their worship, and we can learn from that. Two years ago, I had the privilege to visit the Anglican Church in Burundi, and again heard stories of strife and struggle. We also met many young people who are determined to ensure that life is different in the future. They taught us much about the transformation of relationships across different social groups. Young people give us hope for a different future.

Across Peterborough diocese, there are 103 church schools, with more than 20,000 students. These are places where children are encouraged to develop values that they believe will help society, ways of living that will decrease conflict. One area that is being encouraged is that of courageous advocacy, promoting an ethos of action-taking, challenging injustice and becoming agents of change. As I play my part in your Lordships’ House, I hope to be involved in the work of education and family life, supporting children and young people to become those agents of change and play their part in shaping the world to be a better place. That would indeed be a tribute to the people we remember today.