Church of England commits £3.6billion to ‘making Christ known’
The Archbishop of York, the Rt Rev'd Stephen Cottrell, has told the General Synod of the Church of England that the Church Commissioners will dedicate £3.6bn over the next nine…
Archbishop of York
Liz Truss needs to listen to her uncle, the Rev’d Canon Richard Truss
Boris Johnson has gone. His farewell speech on the steps of Downing Street was a classic of the 'boosterism' genre, but quite unmemorable (apart from a reference to his feeling like Cincinnatus leaving to plough his farm [who subsequently returned…
The CofE ‘Independent Safeguarding Board’? A Review
Following a complaint brought Professor Martyn Percy to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) published Terms of Reference (ToR) for a ‘review’ to commence on…
What’s wrong with appointing a Bishop for Brexit?
There's a move afoot to create a Cabinet of Bishops to shadow government departments, with the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding like a Prime Minister Spiritual, and those around him holding…
Archbishops’ Racial Justice Commission has just one Conservative member
The Archbishops' Racial Justice Commission was announced last week. It is a 12-member board, chaired by former Labour MP Paul Boateng, now Lord Boateng, and its members include just one…
A ‘Church for England’, but whose understanding of Englishness?
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…
General Synod elections: can ‘Save the Parish’ save the Church of England?
"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…
BBC Panorama smears the Church of England as ‘racist’
'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…
Churchwarden soundly rebukes Archbishops (in Christian love)
There is a letter in the Church Times which merits a much wider readership (they have been asked for permission to reproduce it here, but have yet to respond [if…
Archbishops call the nation to prayer as Covid deaths reach 100,000
As the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 passes 100,000, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written an Epistle to the Nation calling everyone to prayer. And if you…
Black Bishops Matter: Sentamu’s peerage has been paused for a reason
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…
Archbishops go on consecration strike – they will make no more bishops
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…
Cottrell and Carey: why is some safeguarding secret, while others are thrown to the media?
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…
Archbishop cheers Labour MP for breaking lockdown law
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…
“Shabby and shambolic” – the CofE still conspires against truth and justice in historic sexual abuse
Anyone wishing the Church of England well might have hoped that the end of the IICSA hearing last month represented the nadir of its unhappy handling of victims complaints. Despite…
Church of England’s Brexit prayers – what exactly do they mean?
A few months ago the Archbishop of York issued a Brexit prayer, or, rather, 'A Prayer for Parliament in Time of Brexit Trouble'. It was a fairly benign effort which…
Brexit and the ‘moral failure’ of ‘no deal’
In his speech to the House of Lords last week on Brexit, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke eloquently about the moral responsibility that comes with parliamentary sovereignty, and of the…
Church in Wonderland: the Clergy Discipline Measure shoves victims down a rabbit hole
On 22nd November 2017 the Rt Rev'd Peter Burrows, Bishop of Doncaster, was having lunch in a cafe when his chaplain began a discussion about the case of Fr Matt…
Sentamu: ‘pure’ (‘real’/ ‘hard’) Brexit is “a childish dream”
On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the Archbishop of Canterbury was asked about the disparity (/gulf) between the laity and clergy in the Church of England regarding the…
National Secular Society equates Anglicans with Islamists baying for blood
While the Church of England was preparing to lead the nation in a corporate commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day 1918, the National Secular Society issued a tweet.…