Church of England

Martyn Percy cleared again: CofE safeguarding goes from tragedy to farce

December 9, 2020
Martin Sewell
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It has been reported that the Church of England’s Director of Safeguarding, Melissa Caslake, has tendered her resignation after only 18 months in the post, and will be leaving at the turn of the year to take up a position…

Sabbatical problematical: give the Archbishop a break, for God’s sake

November 26, 2020
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"Unlike the archbishop, Jesus could not retire to cultivate his personal spirituality because he was perpetually besieged by desperate people", writes Karen Armstrong in the Guardian's 'Comment is Free', objecting…

Black Bishops Matter: Sentamu’s peerage has been paused for a reason

October 19, 2020
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There's been a lot of noise about John Sentamu's peerage – he hasn't got one, and the Telegraph, Sunday Times and Guardian aren't happy about it. It is customary for…

The Church of England – a safer space for abusers than for the abused

October 7, 2020
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The long awaited IICSA report into 70 years of sexual abuse, cover-up and neglect of victims in the Church of England has finally been published. It has been followed by…

Vicar: ‘If you don’t worship in the CofE (or only come at Christmas), don’t complain about what we do’

September 24, 2020
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The Rev'd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes had a premonition that her tweet would be unpopular, but still she shared her ecclesiology with the world: "People are only allowed to complain about the…

martyn percy dean christ church oxford exonorated safeguarding allegations

Church of England clears Martyn Percy of all safeguarding allegations

September 8, 2020
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The Dean of Christ Church Oxford, The Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy, has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the discharge of his safeguarding responsibilities in respect of his various…

Lead Safeguarding Bishop to critics: “You don’t understand”

August 17, 2020
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Considering the experiences they have been through, and the historically indifferent responses of the Church of England to their suffering, many of those who survived sexual abuse are surprisingly positive…

charity commission church of england safeguarding

Calls for Charity Commission to intervene in CofE safeguarding saga

August 12, 2020
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"After many attempts to secure reform of the National Safeguarding Team and the secretive Core Groups of the Church of England, we reluctantly reach the conclusion that there is no…

Martyn Percy is challenging an entire cultural mindset of establishment privilege

July 22, 2020
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Reflecting upon the developing Dean Martyn Percy story, I called to mind the famous observation by Abraham Lincoln upon the institution of slavery which was defended at the time by…

Archbishops go on consecration strike – they will make no more bishops

July 20, 2020
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Something peculiar happened in the Church of England last week. We are, of course, very used to peculiar things happening in the Church of England, but this was so peculiar…

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Christ Church vs Martyn Percy: a conspiracy of lawyers, divine PR, and the purgatory of CofE Safeguarding

July 5, 2020
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The story of injustice being inflicted by the Church of England upon Prof Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, has been grinding on now for over three months, and…

Stephen Cottrell Archbishop York safeguarding George Carey

Cottrell and Carey: why is some safeguarding secret, while others are thrown to the media?

June 30, 2020
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It was announced yesterday that the Rt Rev'd Stephen Cottrell, who next week is to be formally installed as the 98th Archbishop of York, had been investigated over a past…

Martyn Percy: Synod challenges Christ Church abuse of CofE safeguarding process

June 19, 2020
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This letter is currently being circulated to members of General Synod of the Church of England, in advance of their virtual meeting in July. There will be two Q&A sessions,…

Archbishop cheers Labour MP for breaking lockdown law

June 4, 2020
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We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and the law of the land is clear: "no person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public…

Lord Carey: Bishops exacerbate the “hysterical, coarsened and divisive nature of our debate”

June 1, 2020
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Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has publicly admonished those Bishops who decided to "speak truth to power" by joining the onslaught against Dominic Cummings. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph,…

Boris Johnson and the Episcopal Land of Zoom

May 29, 2020
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This is the 18th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author is an Incumbent in the Church of England, who wishes to remain anonymous.…

The harrowing of Martyn Percy (part ii): Church of England colludes in bullying

May 27, 2020
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The harrowing of the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, ought to have ceased with his vindication in the judgment of Sir Andrew Smith. Professor Percy…

Bishop: ‘Sack Cummings, or the Church of England will no longer work with Government’

May 25, 2020
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A number of Bishops have rounded on the Prime Minister for not sacking his senior advisor Dominic Cummings, following revelations that he drove from London to Durham during lockdown to…

Rev’d Marcus Walker returns to his pulpit: “Here I stand!”

April 20, 2020
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"We are back!" exclaims the Facebook page of Saint Bartholomew the Great, London's oldest extant church, founded in 1123 as an Augustinian Priory and which, they say, "has been in…

Safeguarding: the Church of England’s house is slowly being rebuilt

February 11, 2020
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On 25th November 2015 the newly elected General Synod of the Church of England gathered to worship together with HM The Queen before she inaugurated the first sitting of its…