10. Short Debate: Reason to be Human — Celebrating World Humanist Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:26 pm on 20 June 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 6:26, 20 June 2018

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm delighted that Mick Antoniw has given us this opportunity during Refugee Week to discuss the importance of working with all our communities in Wales, whether they belong to faith groups or non-faith groups—all faiths and none, as we say. The quote that he read out at the end pretty much sums up our attitude to where we should be, and as I said earlier in a debate, Deputy Presiding Officer, what we most want to remember during Refugee Week is our common humanity and not anything that divides us. On this day of Jo Cox's Great Get Together, her words that we 

'have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.' are well worth remembering in this context.

Engagement with all of our communities is a really important factor in providing community cohesion across Wales, including faith communities and those committed to other philosophical life stances, such as humanism. We are extremely committed to continuing our work to foster and promote shared values and understanding across all our communities in Wales.

Can I just say that, on a personal level, I support Julie Morgan's call to devolve marriage? And, Deputy Presiding Officer, you'll have to indulge me as I tell yet another small anecdote from my own life, but my son is getting married in July. Those of you who know me will have heard me talking about this. When he and his bride-to-be went to register their proposals to get married, they were asked for the professions of their fathers. I'm delighted to say that they're both well brought up young people. They were able to say the profession of their mothers, but neither of them knew the profession of their father, which I was very comforted by, but of course they were not allowed to list the profession of their mother on the banns, which I think is outrageous. So, for that reason alone, I would like to see it, but there are a number of modernising things that could happily be brought to bear in this regard, including the ability to have ceremonies that are not currently recognised in a humanist way. It's very important that we're all able to express our views, to listen with respect to the views of others, and to improve how we can work together to help keep Wales a very tolerant society.

This year's Interfaith Week, from 12 to 16 November, is an opportunity for us to celebrate and strengthen tolerance and understanding of shared values across all faiths and none. I think that's a very important point. At the meeting of the Faith Communities Forum on 3 April this year, the Interfaith Council for Wales said that it's considering a way in which the views of unrepresented faiths could be heard and served at forum meetings through the interfaith council. We are looking forward to them reporting their decision, with a name to be put forward as a recommendation for the First Minister to consider, and we've welcomed that approach with a view to being an inclusive, cohesive society, with, as the quote that Mick Antoniw read out said, an appreciation of the humanity and common endeavour of everyone on the planet.