Church of England safeguarding drove Fr Alan Griffin to suicide
A priest is dead. That's okay: all priests die; ashes to ashes, and all that. But this priest killed himself because he was subject to a CDM. That's a Clergy…
Injustice
The Pope, the Patriarch and the Archbishop unite for Earth’s sake
Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew and the Archbishop of Canterbury have united for the first time in history to issue an urgent appeal for the future of the planet. Never before have the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern…
Christ Church Oxford: Dean Martyn Percy cleared for the fifth time
In the case of the allegation of sexual assault and harassment made against Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, the Church of England determined that the CDM (Clergy Discipline…
CDM PTSD: the trauma, stress and disorder of the Clergy Discipline Measure
The Clergy Discipline Measure (2003, amended by the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016) is a Measure passed by the General Synod of the Church of England for the maintenance…
Rev’d Paula Vennells should be removed from the CofE Ethical Investment Advisory Group
Paula Vennells was CEO of the Post Office for seven years, from 2012-2019, when hundreds of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses had their lives ruined (really, really, ruined) as they were convicted…
Calls for Charity Commission to intervene in CofE safeguarding saga
"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
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…
Christ Church vs Martyn Percy: a conspiracy of lawyers, divine PR, and the purgatory of CofE Safeguarding
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…
The harrowing of Martyn Percy (part ii): Church of England colludes in bullying
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…
Legal Aid: why is the Government riding roughshod over the rights of the poor?
It is a well established part of the life of General Synod that the clergy and laity can submit motions for debate to the Business Committee. Synod time is both…
Legal Aid is in crisis: can the Church of England help ensure justice?
The Brexit drama is sucking the oxygen of publicity away from many other newsworthy stories, and one of the more regrettable casualties is the parlous state of our Legal Aid…
The harrowing of Martyn Percy: Oxford University denies natural justice to the Dean of Christ Church
Look here upon this picture, and on this. These images are not separated by years, but a matter of months. You may wonder how the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy,…
Gender Recognition Act: could reform be used to impose same-sex marriage on the Church of England?
"This week we will also complete our consultation on plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act," the Prime Minister confirmed in her video message at the Pink News Awards last…
Lord Carey challenges Bishops to break their silence on the ‘significant cloud’ hanging over the name of Bishop George Bell
Lord Carey spoke at the 'Rebuilding Bridges Conference' at Church House today, which aims to restore the name and reputation of Bishop George Bell. This is his speech, reproduced in…
The BBC destroyed Sir Cliff Richard, just like the CofE dishonoured Bishop George Bell
Standing outside the High Court yesterday, Sir Cliff Richard cried. He had just been awarded £190,000 general damages against the BBC (infringement of privacy; general effect on his life), plus…
Ethan Couch and ‘affluenza’: where is God in the absence of visible justice?
‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers’ (Henry VI, Pt II, IVii). Sure, I know. Some pernickety pedant with a literary bent is going to tell me…
In Holy Week we should hold our Archbishops’ feet to the fire
Many years ago during the course of a philosophical discussion, an old writer friend of mine offered me one of the most simple yet incisive observations on the human condition.…
Church of England deducts 30p from child abuse survivor’s counselling expenses – because a dayrider ticket would have been cheaper than two single fares
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…
Church of England bullies George Bell’s elderly niece by denying her choice of lawyer
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…
Justin Welby has staked his reputation and legacy on the maintenance of a profound injustice to Bishop George Bell
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…