Church of England

Sentamu ordered ‘no action’ against paedophile priest – leaving him to abuse again and commit suicide

The Church of England "covers up and manipulates and colludes with the abuse", so Matthew Ineson told the BBC's Inside Out programme last night (available on iPlayer until 3rd April). His story has previously been recounted on this blog, along…

child abuse survivor protest lambeth palace

Church of England deducts 30p from child abuse survivor’s counselling expenses – because a dayrider ticket would have been cheaper than two single fares

February 23, 2018
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Chris Hernandez is a child abuse survivor in the Church of England. He has been quoted in a previous post, in which he decried the continuing deficiencies in the way…

‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word: apologetics and apologies in the Bishop Bell case

February 16, 2018
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This is a guest post by the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. _________ An apology is a written or spoken expression of regret and remorse;…

Church of England bullies George Bell’s elderly niece by denying her choice of lawyer

February 12, 2018
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Just as the General Synod of the Church of England was sotto voce congratulating itself on finally looking at its multiple failures towards its victims, a decision was being made…

Did Lambeth Palace know the ‘fresh information’ about Bishop George Bell before Lord Carlile published his report?

February 5, 2018
445 Comments

It was all going so well for the George Bell Group and the less well-known Bell Society. The Carlile Report had delivered a blow every bit as devastating as they…

Lord Carlile denounces ‘foolish’ Church of England for casting further doubt on the name of Bishop George Bell

February 1, 2018
219 Comments

The George Bell Group was established in 2015 to defend the integrity of the much maligned (60-year-dead) Church of England Bishop, who had been accused of abusing a child between…

The George Bell saga evidences a CofE legal culture which is not merely incompetent, but predisposed toward deception and injustice

January 25, 2018
142 Comments

How many times must I forgive my errant brother? St Matthew tells us it is seventy times seven, which, by my reckoning, suggests that Archbishop Justin has at least another…

Justin Welby has staked his reputation and legacy on the maintenance of a profound injustice to Bishop George Bell

January 23, 2018
145 Comments

There are times when you really, really don't want to write any kind of response to a contentious issue, no matter how burning it may be, not least because by…

rosie harper general synod assisted suicide

Senior Anglican priest slams continuation of General Synod as ‘pure fatalism and superstition’

January 5, 2018
486 Comments

Canon Ronnie Harpoon, the chaplain to the Bishop of Barchester and a member of the Church's General Synod, has written a controversial post, suggesting that the famously tedious legislative body…

How has the Church of England failed to grasp the core finding of the Carlile Report, that a superficially ‘truthful’ complainant might be an unreliable historian of fact?

January 2, 2018
372 Comments

I don't imagine there are many members of the House of Bishops who are aficionados of American sports, but some might relate to the words of ice hockey legend Wayne…

Cathedral crib competition: the best, worst, coolest and naffest

December 23, 2017
132 Comments

This Doggy Nativity isn't in an actual cathedral crib, but perhaps it ought to be. It is reproduced here not only because it is the best crib in the whole…

The year is 2067, and long-dead archbishop Justin Welby is accused of child abuse…

December 20, 2017
260 Comments

It is absolutely shocking. No one ever guessed. No one even suspected. No one knew the darkest secret, the chill in the air, the poison in the communion chalice of…

“Late ordinand” Sarah Mullally to be next Bishop of London

December 18, 2017
521 Comments

The long wait is over: the person selected by the Crown Nominations Commission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be the next Bishop of London is the Rt…

Carlile Report: Bishop George Bell has been traduced, and the blame lies squarely with Church House and Lambeth Palace

December 17, 2017
170 Comments

“The George Bell case represents the perfect storm from which injustice emerges. We had a church fearful and sensitive to allegations that it might be covering up abuse, a plausible…

The Church of England is a compromised and compromising church – thank God!

December 14, 2017
248 Comments

As we await the appointment of the next Bishop of London, some are limbering up for the next round of culture wars within the Church of England. In a 'warning'…

Mandatory reporting of CofE child abuse is complicated, so let’s proceed incrementally

December 11, 2017
239 Comments

When judges are considering whether children can be returned to failing parents, they set the bar at a fairly low standard: ‘good enough parenting’ is sufficient. This approach does not…

Iwerne Trust abuse: leading public school gives victims immediate help, while the Church of England leaves them hanging

December 5, 2017
128 Comments

There are many stories of abuse within the Church of England, and for years they have remained hidden, either undisclosed or covered up. It is hard to think of there…

The General Synod of the Church of England puts same-sex relations over youth evangelism

December 1, 2017
300 Comments

There is perhaps nothing more challenging in mission than the proclamation of the gospel to those who have never heard it, in a foreign land, in an unfamiliar culture, in…

religion without holy spirit william booth

Is the Church of England doing religion without the Holy Spirit?

November 27, 2017
197 Comments

Much has been written about the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, or the Paraclete; the third person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. In fact, so much has been written over…

Safeguarding: why is the Church of England’s institutional compassion so constipated?

November 21, 2017
87 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired child protection lawyer. _______ A few weeks ago I wrote about the way in which the Church of England had…