Bishops

Archbishop Justin Welby Pope Francis father of the church in the west

Welby: most Anglicans recognise the Pope as “the father of the Church in the West”

As the Lambeth Conference drew to a close, the Archbishop of Canterbury waded into ecumenism, declaring he believed that most Anglicans in England now recognise the Pope as "the father of the Church in the West". His exact words aren't…

Welby’s chief regret? His carelessness over other people’s views

July 25, 2022
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There's a rather beautiful interview with Justin Welby in Prospect Magazine, entitled 'Brief Encounter'. It reads like a quick-fire series of questions, giving the Archbishop almost no time to think.…

Diversity: Conservative Party shows Church of England how to do it

July 13, 2022
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The eight candidates in the Conservative leadership contest are the most diverse and inclusive group of contenders for Prime Minister in history. They have risen on merit, and won the…

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Synod to lament Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: where’s the condemnation?

July 6, 2022
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There is a motion before the General Synod of the Church of England, proposed by the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev'd Nick Baines, calling on Synod to "lament Russia's…

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Diocese of Oxford puts a green stumbling block into liturgy of baptism

June 26, 2022
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On 15th June, the Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, issued an ad clerum to the clergy in his Diocese: Dear xxxxx, In every service of baptism, confirmation and the renewal…

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Lucy Allan MP: “Is a Conservative welcome in the Church of England?”

June 20, 2022
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Conservative MP Lucy Allan has challenged the Archbishop of Canterbury directly on his 'robust' intervention in Priti Patel's (presently thwarted) policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. "When the Church…

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In the case of the Bishop of Oxford v Archbishop Cranmer

June 16, 2022
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On 10th May, the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev’d Steven Croft, instructed his lawyers to demand that a post on this site be taken down. The letter from Birketts…

Bank of England warns of ‘apocalyptic’ times ahead

May 17, 2022
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The Governor of the Bank of England has issued a warning of an 'apocalyptic' scenario, with food price surges affecting our daily bread in particular. There is a war and…

Bishop of Oxford instructs lawyers to censor Archbishop Cranmer

May 11, 2022
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The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev'd Steven Croft, has instructed lawyers to demand that a post on this site be taken down. Never in its 16-year history has the…

Martyn Percy Bishop of Oxford forces of darkness

Bishop of Oxford “colluded with the forces of darkness”, and is considered by some to be a safeguarding risk

May 8, 2022
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Liberated from the purgatorial shackles of Christ Church, Oxford, Martyn Percy is now free to speak, and he has done so. Andrew Billen in The Times Magazine recounts the tortuous…

Boris Johnson’s ‘disgraceful slur’ against the Archbishop of Canterbury

April 20, 2022
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The Prime Minister sat rather dejected in the House of Commons yesterday, and spent two hours iterating (and reiterating) how sorry he was for sharing the Cabinet Room of No.10…

How does facilitating people-traffickers reflect the nature of God?

April 18, 2022
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The Home Secretary's announcement that the thousands of asylum seekers (or economic migrants) crossing the Channel in an endless stream of dinghies (246,190 last year) are to be sent to…

What’s wrong with appointing a Bishop for Brexit?

February 7, 2022
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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…

Guildford Cathedral ‘reviews’ statues by sinner sculptor Eric Gill

January 19, 2022
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You have to pity poor Hiram of Tyre, an artistic metalsmith whom King Solomon chose to work on his Temple, because 'he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning…

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The Prime Minister partied while clergy lamented

January 13, 2022
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"Could the Minister advise those of us on these benches," ventured Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, "how we should respond to clergy who took an enormous personal toll in having…

Tutufication is not the solution to division and oppression

January 3, 2022
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Canon Mark Oakley wrote to the Times over the weekend with a plea for the Church of England to adopt Tutufication: It is an interesting thesis, not least because quite…

Rev'd Will Pearson-Gee Buckingham Parish Church

Rev’d Will Pearson-Gee: “I am not going to close our services”

December 31, 2021
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As 2021 draws to a close, with Covid mutations multiplying, millions isolating, thousands dying, gas prices soaring, inflation pressing, poverty increasing, Putin and Xi agitating, and the Church of England…

Archbishop Welby House of Lords Freedom of Speech

Welby defends freedom of speech – ‘living out the Reformation truth’

December 10, 2021
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The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a debate on freedom of speech in the House of Lords today, in the context of so many contemporary challenges (and robust assaults) against it.…

Lusa Nsenga-Ngo Bishop of Willesden Church of England Bishops

Why are schoolchildren selecting Church of England bishops?

November 29, 2021
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Caroline Boddington is barely out the door, and bishops are now being appointed by... schoolchildren called Temisan, Keziah, Honey and Sophia. With the retirement of the Rt Rev'd Pete Broadbent…

Queen reminds General Synod of its essential mission

November 17, 2021
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The 11th General Synod of the Church of England was opened yesterday, and the Supreme Governor was absent for the first time since Synod was created more than 50 years…