Church of England

Lord Lexden: “My faith in the Church’s institutional integrity has been completely broken”

September 18, 2021
Archbishop Cranmer
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Lord Lexden has resigned as a member of the Ecclesiastical Committee (the Church of England in Parliament), over the Clergy Discipline Measure and "the harm it is capable of inflicting on innocent clergy". He specifically mentioned the suicide of his…

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Anglican Conclave to ‘sift’ all candidates for vacancies to see if they are ‘appropriate’

September 15, 2021
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There is no doubt that the governance structure of the Church of England is labyrinthine, convoluted, inefficient and opaque. It's what comes of half a millennium of Catholic and Reformed…

Sarah Mullally Bishop of London the buck stops here

Fr Alan Griffin (RIP): the buck stops with Bishop Sarah Mullally

August 27, 2021
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Upon taking office as 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman famously placed a sign on his desk to remind himself of the awesome responsibility which the Office…

Fr Alan Griffin diocese of london safeguarding suicide

Safeguarding suicide: ‘there is a crisis of trust within the Diocese of London’

August 26, 2021
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Following the comments and demands made by the Coroner in the wake of the suicide of Fr Alan Griffin, the Diocese of London and Lambeth Palace have accepted responsibility for…

A ‘Church for England’, but whose understanding of Englishness?

August 12, 2021
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Much has been written about the Archbishop of York's article in the Telegraph, in which he set out his vision for England woven with his preferred themes of Englishness, calling…

The Church of Englishness

August 9, 2021
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Upon reading Archbishop Stephen Cotterell’s remarks on English identity in the Telegraph, I was reminded of the time I was reading the Law Society Gazette whilst waiting for a court…

Radical progressive activism and the Church of England

July 26, 2021
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Civitas have published a new report: Rotting from the Head: Radical progressive activism and the Church of England. 'Radical progressive activism' is a slippery concept, not least because not all…

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The immoral, scandalous and disgraceful nature of CofE bullying

July 22, 2021
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'Immoral, scandalous or disgraceful' is a phrase from the Statutes of Christ Church, Oxford: it describes behaviour warranting disciplinary action being undertaken within that institution, but it is also an…

Fr Alan Griffin suicide safeguarding CDM

Church of England safeguarding drove Fr Alan Griffin to suicide

July 19, 2021
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A priest is dead. That's okay: all priests die; ashes to ashes, and all that. But this priest killed himself because he was subject to a CDM. That's a Clergy…

hedgerley church save the parish general synod elections

General Synod elections: can ‘Save the Parish’ save the Church of England?

July 13, 2021
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"There are about to be General Synod elections. So, stand. Stand and write in your manifesto that you are standing to ‘Save the parish’," writes the Rev'd Marcus Walker, Rector…

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Institutional bullying in the Church of England: it’s time to face the liturgical music

July 7, 2021
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On 1st July 2021 a research paper by Clive Billenness was published to assist the Diocese in Europe in addressing the problem of institutional bullying within the Church of England.…

Diocese of Oxford Dean of Christ Church Martyn Percy

Diocese of Oxford misrepresents the President of Tribunals, leaving Martyn Percy ‘under a cloud’

June 19, 2021
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This is a guest post by Martin Sewell and David Lamming, members of General Synod. The statement posted belatedly on the Diocese of Oxford website on 18th June Decision…

Christ Church Cathedral Oxford Canon Angela Tilby Twitter block

Christ Church Cathedral Oxford blocks its own Canon on Twitter

June 10, 2021
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The Rev'd Angela Tilby is a Canon Emeritus of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford. She is also a writer, broadcaster, columnist, and Canon of Honour at Portsmouth Cathedral. She is thoughtful,…

Christ Church Oxford: Dean Martyn Percy cleared for the fifth time

June 2, 2021
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In the case of the allegation of sexual assault and harassment made against Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, the Church of England determined that the CDM (Clergy Discipline…

Was Tim Dakin made Bishop of Winchester without being validly ordained priest?

May 30, 2021
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There is something very peculiar going on in the Diocese of Winchester (which may or may not have spent £500,000 on NDAs). Not only has its Bishop 'stepped back' or…

CDM PTSD: the trauma, stress and disorder of the Clergy Discipline Measure

May 28, 2021
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The Clergy Discipline Measure (2003, amended by the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016) is a Measure passed by the General Synod of the Church of England for the maintenance…

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If ‘contested’ monuments, statues and memorials must fall, who shall stand?

May 12, 2021
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The guidance issued by the Church of England in respect of its 'contested heritage' (specifically monuments, statues and monuments relating to the slave trade and/or colonialism) is confusing (to put…

From Lament To Action: the report of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce

April 23, 2021
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The Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce have published their report 'From Lament to Action', which proposes a raft of changes designed to bring about a change of culture in the life of…

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One Church of England diocese has spent £500,000 on 20 Non-Disclosure Agreements

April 22, 2021
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It has been disturbing to learn that victims of racism in the Church of England have had to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) before they could receive compensation which might be…

BBC Panorama smears the Church of England as ‘racist’

April 20, 2021
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'Is the Church racist?', asked the BBC's Panorama yesterday evening, as reporter Clive Myrie interviewed a few minority-ethnic clergy who have experienced some awful abuse at the hands (or from…