Dear Ms Bradley, Thank you for your message. You ask that “Church of England land will not be used to fox hunting meets again”. It is not possible to give such as assurance, not least because there is no single land-owning body called “The Church of England”. The Church Commissioners own a lot of land; the various dioceses including the Diocese of Hereford own some land. Individual churchyards belong to the vicar in his or her corporate capacity. Each has to make its own decision. The Church of England is committed to animal welfare, and to protection of the environment: these are among our mission objectives. However I do not need to tell you that within the church – as in the population at large – there are different views on how this relates to fox-hunting. The Church has not taken an official line on this matter; individuals can and do make the case either for retaining a hunting ban or for repealing it. Vegans in our congregations feel passionately in one direction; other Christians from traditional farming communities often feel equally passionate in the other direction. The New Testament gives us cogent examples of Christians who differed profoundly about important ethical and cultural matters: they are told that they have to place their unity in Christ ahead of all other considerations. Like many people, I was shocked by the news reports about alleged misconduct at the South Herefordshire Hunt. However I wholly reject your apparent suggestion of guilt-by-association attaching to Revd Neil Patterson or to other hunt supporters. I was saddened to read your petition. It gives the impression that, having failed change Mr Patterson’s mind by rational argument, you are now resorting to threats and pressure against him. I associate these tactics with the hard left and with the extreme right. They do not come well from someone who urges me to “do what is right- to seek no harm towards others”. I hope that you will withdraw your petition and make your case by better means, Yours sincerely, Paddy Benson Ven. Paddy Benson Archdeacon of Hereford Dear Ms Bradley, Your case can be made by speaking to people, as I am sure you do, and writing to them to persuade them that your views are correct. Hunt supporters would no doubt tell you that hunting foxes with dogs is at least as humane as shooting, trapping or poisoning them. They would therefore hold that hunting foxes is consistent with animal welfare (and certainly promotes the welfare of poultry, lambs and even on rare occasions human babies). Other people however are dismayed at the sight of horsemen and hounds tracking down and killing foxes. This dismay is not always motivated by love of foxes. It sometimes grows from dislike of privilege, or from a principled repudiation of killing for sport. As I said, both views are represented in church, and in each case the people concerned would claim to be acting in the interests of animal welfare. There is no contradiction in the church’s refusal to take a side officially, Best wishes, Paddy