Christian faith ‘can never justify homophobic bullying’

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that the Christian faith should never be used as a justification for homophobic bullying.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said yesterday that bullying was “invariably unacceptable and totally wrong”, regardless of a person’s view on gay relationships.

“No sense of something being right or wrong justifies another wrong,” he said.

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“So there is never a point in which because you say that a particular form of behaviour, whether it is this, or any other, is wrong, that that justifies you saying that it is OK to bully someone. Bullying someone is always invariably unacceptable and totally wrong.”

The Archbishop was speaking as he launched new guidance which states homophobia must not be tolerated in Church of England schools. Schools can be among the most homophobic of places and the Church’s schools need to do as much as they can to ensure that they are not turning a “convenient blind eye” to institutional homophobia, the new advice – published by the Church of England – warns.

But it goes on to say that while homophobic language and behaviour is unacceptable in Church of England schools, pupils, parents and staff who believe that homosexual acts are “less than God’s ideal” should be allowed to express the view without being discriminated against themselves.

The new guidance is part of fresh measures aimed at stamping out homophobic bullying in Church of England schools.

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Archbishop Welby announced plans to draw up new advice on the issue less than a year ago, after expressing concerns about the impact of homophobic 
bullying on the lives of young people.

The new document, Valuing All God’s Children, acknowledges that homosexuality is a “very divisive issue” for the Church.

But it adds that the purpose of schools is to educate, and they should be a safe and welcoming place for all children.

The guidance lists 10 recommendations for Church of England schools to help them deal with homophobic bullying, including ensuring that all staff are trained to recognise and deal with all types of bullying.

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It says: “Schools should ensure their behaviour policies include clear expectations that homophobic behaviour and language will not be tolerated” and 
that there can be no justification for this negative behaviour based on the Christian faith or the Bible.”