How can a court force a Catholic woman to abort her child?
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel Gabriel, on hearing she was pregnant and not fully understanding. "O, if you don't fully understand what it means, better to have…
Mental Health
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 vast crowds of students all clapping, cheering and whistling in…
No-fault divorce won’t end the ‘blame game’; it will just displace resentment and anger
On the day plans were announced to reform the divorce laws in the UK to remove all reference to blame, the Daily Mail published a front page headline: 'How Boat…
Emotional abuse in the Church: Bishops need psychological help
There is a Jewish proverb that a good name is worth more than precious stones. In this reflective and penitential season of Lent, members of the Church of England House…
Faith, sexuality and conversion therapy: how not to do research
This is a guest post by Dr Judith Sture. _______ We can only applaud those who wish to carry out research to help improve the lives of others. But the…
Four-day week: mandatory indolence or an interfaith ‘sacred weekend’?
When Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell mooted imposing a four-day week on the British economy (that is, a four-day working week; Labour has no plans to re-calibrate or 'modernise' the solar…
CofE clergyman tells suicidal sex-abuse victim to “crawl back under a stone”, and that he “probably enjoyed” it
Surprising as it may seem, the wave of comment following the death of former Iwerne Chairman and serial abuser John Smyth very nearly wasn't the worse news for the Church…
The Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team is either untruthful or incompetent (or quite possibly both)
In a robust rebuttal to Matt Ineson's account of his appalling treatment by the Church of England, the National Safeguarding Team (NST) issued the following statement (without so much as…
Sentamu ordered ‘no action’ against paedophile priest – leaving him to abuse again and commit suicide
The Church of England "covers up and manipulates and colludes with the abuse", so Matthew Ineson told the BBC's Inside Out programme last night (available on iPlayer until 3rd April).…
Accepting more child refugees from Calais prolongs the heartache of those already in care
It appears that the perfidious French have ‘got one over on us’ again. Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed with President Macron to pay additional monies to assist the control…
Iwerne Trust abuse: leading public school gives victims immediate help, while the Church of England leaves them hanging
There are many stories of abuse within the Church of England, and for years they have remained hidden, either undisclosed or covered up. It is hard to think of there…
Richard Dawkins: Oxford’s Christian Union is “predatory and nasty”
The 'Oxford University bans Christian Union' story has gone half way round the world, and it really shouldn't have. Oxford's Cherwell newspaper originally carried it: 'Christian Union banned from Balliol…
Prison chaplains may no longer convict offenders of sin: preaching must be ‘sensitive’
Remember the case of the Rev'd Barry Trayhorn, the 'tent-maker' (gardener) volunteer prison chaplain at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire? Being an ordained minister in the Pentecostal Church, he quoted Scripture…
The compassionate origins of Tory transgender self-identification proposals
"Maria Miller gathers up her handbag and makes to leave: 'I don’t think I’m happy about this. I think I’ve finished... I didn’t realise this was such a stitch-up'", the…
Safespacing the Church: revising doctrine to suit mental health
Mental health matters, right? Yes, of course it does. And the Church of England is right to focus on this often-neglected area of human flourishing and wellbeing, with speeches in…
NSPCC Childline: rise of Corbyn and Clinton leads to rise in young people’s anxiety
Thousands of young people are very worried and seeking counselling from the NSPCC's Childline for unbearable levels of anxiety. Almost 12,000, to be exact. This isn't funny: mental health issues…
London stabbing: Met and BBC say mental health a "significant factor", but what's the whole truth?
Appalling stabbing incident in Russell Square, London. A woman in her 60s has been murdered; five others are being treated for knife wounds. According to the BBC: "A 19-year-old…
Don't gloat over Stephen Fry quitting Twitter: he's an ally in the battle for freedom
During the Bafta ceremony on Sunday evening, Stephen Fry made an acerbic comment about the dress sense of one of the award winners. He referred to Jenny Beavan's appearance…
Rev'd Barry Trayhorn "forced to resign" as prison worker – for quoting the Bible in chapel
HMP Littlehey is a 'Category C' men's prison ("Those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape") and Young Offender Institute near…
Corbyn's moral mission for a kinder, more inclusive politics
A bit doddery and oafish, Jeremy Corbyn stumbled and stammered through his first Conference speech like a 1950s grey-bearded puritan. He was robed in a bright red tie, though…