Interfaith Understanding

Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, asked the Government what progress the Church has made on developing interfaith understanding. In her response, Marsha De Cordova, the Government Minister, acknowledged that around 85% of the global population have a faith that shapes their daily lives. She stated that the Church has been working at a global, national, and local level to improve interfaith understanding and engagement, particularly by supporting faith and civic leaders, mayors, and MPs in building trust and resilience within their local communities, as they did during and after the most recent civil unrest. Rodda welcomed De Cordova to her post and congratulated the local faith communities across the diverse and tolerant town of Reading on their work to support and understand one another's faith. He also expressed his support for the retiring Bishop of Reading, Bishop Olivia, and paid tribute to her outstanding work in tackling knife crime in the community. De Cordova joined Rodda in congratulating all those working across all faiths to ensure good, strong community cohesion, and she also congratulated the retiring bishop. She emphasized the importance of such efforts in constituencies like Reading, which have diverse communities with diversity in faith.