Question

To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church provides guidance on helping to determine that asylum seekers are genuine converts to Christianity.

The document “Supporting Asylum Seekers – Guidance for Church of England Clergy”, which has been publicly available on the Church of England website for around seven years, states that clergy should assess the faith of those claiming conversion to Christianity and should rely on evidence to do so. The guidance also refers to the need for discernment – to be “wise as serpents” – in recognising mixed motives and the potential for gaming the system.