Hear Us! Youth members ask Synod to keep in mind their hopes and fears as decisions are made

Young people’s hopes and fears featured prominently at the Scottish Episcopal Church‘s General Synod on Thursday.

Phoebe Pryce, Edinburgh Diocese Youth and Children‘s 12-18 Rep, and Chair of the Scottish Episcopal Church – Provincial Youth Committee (PYC), was among several young people to address the Church’s key annual conference.

Leading the PYC segment, Phoebe championed the views of young people in the SEC nationwide around the need to protect women’s rights, the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, nuclear disarmament, and global equality, justice and peace.

Phoebe Pryce, Chair of the PYC, told members: “We are not a group which tends to bring motions or debates to General Synod, but we do have ideas and opinions on things that you as General Synod make decisions about.

“We are still here to share our experiences and tell our stories, but we are also here today to share our thoughts and our opinions on some of the topics you are discussing later in the agenda.

“We hope that through being here today, you can gather from us where our views lie on these issues, and that you will bear them in mind as you go forward in the next few days.”

Ms Pryce then told the story of Lucy, a 12-18 representative from the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, ahead of Motion 14 on nuclear weapons.

Her opinion echoes the views of youth representatives that nuclear weapons are “highly dangerous and immoral, having the capacity to kill millions if they were ever used, potentially without solving underlying issues”.

Ms Pryce said: “Lucy’s question to you is this: ‘Why is there such investment in the building and maintenance of unethical and illegal weapons when that same money could be invested in other projects and make a real and positive difference to people’s lives?’

“Lucy voices the views of the whole PYC in encouraging you to take a decisive stance against nuclear weapons: we believe it would show that, as a community, the SEC is against the use of these incredibly destructive and immoral weapons.

“Whilst passing such a motion may not have an immediate effect upon our country’s nuclear programme, we think it’s important to show that we do not agree with the production, storage, and potential use of nuclear weapons in the UK, and across the world.

“Please consider this decision as one of human decency, morality and ethics, which reflect the Christian values of peace, compassion, and universal love that we strive to live by.”