THE value of international diocesan links has been affirmed by a joint visit to the diocese of Nairobi this month. The Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Philip North, was joined by his counterparts from three other linked dioceses.
Deeper friendships were being forged, Bishop North said last week after his week-long visit with the Bishops of Liwolo, South Sudan, the Rt Revd Joseph Aba; the Free State, Southern Africa, the Rt Revd Dintoe Letloenyane; and Multan, Pakistan, the Rt Revd Leo Paul.
“Our link dioceses are so important to us in the diocese of Blackburn because they open the window on the global Church,” Bishop North said. “Some are living in war zones, some are ministering in places of persecution.
“The vibrancy they have in their faith, the joy in believing, is so feeding and sustaining and inspiring for us in the West. . . I really pray that out of this we develop ever deeper friendships for the good of the Church, so that we can witness more effectively and serve with ever greater generosity, inspired by each other’s prayers.”
His fellow bishops shared his enthusiasm. Bishop Aba spoke of “studying the word of God together, praying together, reflecting together; bringing a lot of understanding and a deepening of our relationship and our friendship”.
Part of the gathering was supported by Christian Aid, which arranged a visit to its Africa head office, a meeting with representatives from the All Africa Conference of Churches, and a visit to one of its charitable partners, Beacon of Hope, which works to facilitate urban farming.
The Bishops watched the première of a new song, “Your great name”, commissioned by Christian Aid from a Kenyan minister and award-winning musician, Dr Pete Odera, to raise the profile of Black Christians in the climate-justice movement. The project was developed by Christian Aid’s Black Majority Church Climate Action Group, which brings together black theologians, faith leaders, and activists from the UK and the global South.
The diocese of Liwolo was inaugurated in 2019, with Bishop Aba its first bishop. He visited Blackburn in 2023 and has spoken of the challenges facing South Sudan, where civil war broke out in 2013 (News, 4 April 2025).
Pakistani Christians are among the top ten most vulnerable groups in Open Doors’ World Watch List.
“When you share your joys, those will be multiplied,” Bishop Paul, of the United Church of Pakistan, said after the trip. “And if you share your sorrows, they will be cut down. It’s a great honour being here and I’m thankful to all the bishops who have strengthened me in this journey.”
Bishop Dintoe, for whose diocese Bishop North raised funds with his sponsored cycle around Lancashire last year (News, 24 October 2025), spoke of a “wonderful fellowship as well as time in prayer and worship together”.
The link chair for the diocese of Blackburn, the Revd Sam Cheesman, who is the Rector of St James’s, Clitheroe, said that the visit had been “an absolute joy. . . I’m really looking forward now to seeing how we move forward with our links, making sure that they are integral parts of our worshipping life in Blackburn diocese.”
