John Cleese says Jesus was a psychopath
To be a psychopath in the vernacular of character abuse is to be mentally ill, if not quite mad or completely insane. The word conjures up all manner of personality…
Compassion
Cutting benefits would be un-Conservative, uncompassionate and un-Christian
"What a day," the Chancellor declared in his speech at the Conservative Party Conference. "It has been tough," he continued, "but we need to focus on the job in hand." He spoke as though he were oblivious to market turmoil,…
Germany to allow annual gender change (including children)
Just as a victory for sex/gender common sense is won in the UK with the closure of the Tavistock gender clinic for children (and a class action brought by a…
Lucy Allan MP: “Is a Conservative welcome in the Church of England?”
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…
Homes for Ukraine: finally, a refugee programme we can be proud of
It has taken a while, but the UK now has a compassionate refugee programme responsive to the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, which is the worst refugee crisis seen in Europe…
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…
Euthanasia: New Zealand Catholic Bishops make priests complicit
Euthanasia (/Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide) is now legal in New Zealand. If you want to die there today, there is now someone to help you along your way with all the…
Former archbishops split on assisted suicide, and there’s no Anglican via media
In the red corner is George, Lord Carey of Clifton, Archbishop of Canterbury 1991-2002. He favours the legalisation of assisted suicide (or assisted dying, if you prefer) because "there is…
What if Nottingham University were right to ‘cancel’ its Catholic chaplain?
TRIGGER WARNING: The following blog post includes a discussion of the harsh treatment experienced by a Roman Catholic chaplain, and issues of religious liberty, common sense and Christian compassion. Its…
Safeguarding suicide: ‘there is a crisis of trust within the Diocese of London’
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…
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…
As a child drowns in the Channel, the Bishop of Dover demands action
"What are we waiting for?" asked the Rt Rev'd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover. "Our children are being washed up on our beaches," she lamented, after the body of a…
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…
Care in a covid climate: in defence of Justin Welby
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has been secretly volunteering as a chaplain at St Thomas’s Hospital during the coronavirus lockdown, the Telegraph has learned." The Telegraph learned this when the rest…
A nation unites to pray for Boris Johnson (well, almost)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been stricken with coronavirus and now lies in intensive care in St Thomas' Hospital, London. He is manifestly quite frail and on oxygen support. Ostensibly,…
CofE insurers Ecclesiastical attempt to impede pastoral care
It has been known for some time that Ecclesiastical Insurance (EIG), the favoured insurance company of the Church of England, has a tendency toward callousness, obstruction and indifference in their…
Church of England guidance used against Christian in court
There's something ever so slightly disquieting about this, but not for the reasons permeating the websites and chat-threads of Evangelical Christendom. Dr David Mackereth, who said in a Department of…
We need to make more space for silence
High School student Jack Higgins has a severe form of autism which makes him hypersensitive to noise. His graduation rite of passage was looking to be an impossible occasion, with…
Child sexual abuse: the Blackburn Pastoral Letter is game-changer for the Church of England
When St Paul began writing his letters I doubt he expected them to become as copied, shared, dissected and analysed as they are today. He wrote to help and support…
Bemused by Brexit? Come to church for tea and prayer – unless your vicar is a Remainer
At this moment of national crisis and international humiliation (which it is), the Church of England is encouraging people to come to church to be 'Together' for a cup of…