Martin Sewell

christ church oxford martyn percy safeguarding purgatory winckworth sherwood luther pendragon

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 reputation of the Established Church for justice, mercy and…

Martyn Percy: Synod challenges Christ Church abuse of CofE safeguarding process

June 19, 2020
0 Comments

This letter is currently being circulated to members of General Synod of the Church of England, in advance of their virtual meeting in July. There will be two Q&A sessions,…

How far is Bishop George Bell’s reputation restored? When is a cloud not a cloud?

January 25, 2019
0 Comments

This is a guest post by Synod members Martin Sewell and David Lamming. _______ The Church of England has now published the Briden Report into the further allegations against Bishop…

Happy Brexit Year: control the language, control the argument

December 31, 2018
0 Comments

"An ennui hangs over British politics and the prime minister is depending on it", wrote Matthew Parris in the Times a few days ago. "Like a thin, wearisome fog it…

Lord Carey challenges Bishops to break their silence on the ‘significant cloud’ hanging over the name of Bishop George Bell

October 5, 2018
0 Comments

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…

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…

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…

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…

Church U-turn on sex abuse: from the victim ‘must be believed’ to being ‘taken seriously’

November 9, 2017
170 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer. _____ The recent furore about the Parliamentary 'sex scandals' – which I prefer to think of as…

“I need a friendly bishop,” said the child abuse survivor, as the prelate passed by on the other side

October 22, 2017
228 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer. _____ Two years ago, Archbishop John Sentamu gave one of those sermons which you know you will…

Child abuse in the Church of England: Justin Welby must either accelerate the change or carry the can

October 8, 2017
373 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer who takes a special interest in Safeguarding as a member of General Synod. _____ When I was…

Donald Trump is no neo-Nazi sympathiser: he’s just not a very good politician

August 17, 2017
175 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired solicitor. ______ When the USA elected Donald Trump to be their new President, it was, to a significant degree, because…

Safeguarding in the Church of England: when is a victim of child-abuse not a victim?

July 5, 2017
128 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer and a member of General Synod. ______ Yesterday I advanced a more sympathetic perspective on why Lord…

Lord Carey’s forced resignation is an injustice: he, too, was a victim of Peter Ball

July 4, 2017
160 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer and a member of General Synod. He considers here the wiles and manipulations of child-abuser Peter Ball,…

Synod 'No Confidence' motion looms in the secret trial of Bishop George Bell (RIP)

July 6, 2016
21 Comments

The Church of England has (at last) announced an independent review into its handling of its secret Cadaver Synod posthumous trial of the late Bishop George Bell (see here,…

The "absurd fiction" of the need for secrecy in the trial of Bishop George Bell

May 19, 2016
95 Comments

The living who are falsely accused of child abuse are slowly destroyed – physically, emotionally and spiritually. "I now have difficulty seeing myself being remotely employed, sociable, and relaxed…