New interfaith commission launched in the UK

The Woolf Institute has launched a Commission on Interfaith Relations, chaired by Dr Ed Kessler with the Area Bishop of Willesden as vice-chair, to examine how global conflicts affect faith relations in the UK; it will meet six times this year.

A Commission on Interfaith Relations was launched last week by the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. The commission is chaired by Dr Ed Kessler, founder of the Woolf Institute, and the Area Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, is vice-chair. Its remit is to identify and defuse potential areas of conflict and to examine how relevant global conflicts affect faith relations in the UK. The UK's Inter Faith Network closed in 2024 after government funding was withdrawn. Key details: - Convened by the Woolf Institute in Cambridge and launched on Tuesday. - Chaired by Dr Ed Kessler with the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy as vice-chair. - The commission will examine the most relevant global conflicts and their direct impact on UK faith relations and aims to identify and defuse potential areas of conflict. - The commission will meet six times this year to review evidence gathered from public-participation sessions around the UK. - A further 12 commissioners have been confirmed, including the Rt Revd Sally Foster-Fulton and Dr Shabna Begum. - The Inter Faith Network closed in 2024 after government funding was withdrawn. Summary: The commission seeks to improve understanding of how international conflicts become points of tension within UK communities and to gather evidence from public participation. It will meet six times this year to consider that evidence and to examine the most relevant global conflicts and their direct impact on faith relations in the UK.