Conservatives are about to ban the right to peaceful protest
The pictures from last night's vigil in memory of Sarah Everard are dominating the front pages. They are also probably circling the world. This is policing in London in the…
Protest
If Martyn Percy kills himself, the Church of England will have blood on its hands
465 years ago today, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake for 'heresy'. 15 years ago today, on the 450th anniversary of that fateful day, the Archbishop Cranmer blog was born. It has been a long, sometimes fruitful, sometimes…
Myanmar nun offers her life to protect protesting civilians
Unarmed civilians are being arrested, tortured, or summarily shot and killed. Children are being slapped, teenagers beaten with batons, and the elderly maimed with rubber bullets. People have become police…
Why has Cardinal Wuerl (retired) been given $2m by the Washington Archdiocese?
"In 2020, the Archdiocese of Washington allocate more than $2 million for the 'continued ministry' of retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl. For comparison, the archdiocese earmarked $400k for charitable giving", tweeted…
Capitol invasion: it wasn’t Trump supporters who first chanted ‘Not my President’
The scenes at the US Capitol should distress any supporter of democracy, and have rightly attracted condemnation across the globe. That people have died in the chaos adds to the…
Archbishop cheers Labour MP for breaking lockdown law
We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and the law of the land is clear: "no person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public…
Bishop endorses Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion say billions of people will die in the next decade or so due to climate change, so they are blockading parts of London for a fortnight, preventing people…
Boris Johnson nails his Brexit Theses to the door of Brussels Cathedral
As we countdown to 31st October, the date upon which the UK is set to leave the European Union; the day which happens to be by happy coincidence (if not…
The weird cult of Greta Thunberg: she’s not the Green Messiah
The activities of those following the latest fashion in political activism have been disrupting the nation’s capital, and yesterday its unlikely spokesperson and poster child, Greta Thunberg, went to Westminster…
Bercow, Brexit, conspiracy and coup: the inescapable feeling of betrayal
The most difficult controversies are those in which both sides have a point. Two well known historic examples come to mind. The English Civil War was contended on multiple controversies,…
It is time for General Synod to protest: victims of sexual abuse deserve better than ‘adequate’
Critics of the Church of England’s responses to historic sexual abuse can be fairly generous. Consider the words of David Pearson, founder of the Child Protection Charity CCPAS, who was…
Anti-prayer ‘safe zones’ around abortion clinics are a threat to civil liberties
Women who want an abortion will no longer be harassed by zealous pro-life protestors outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing. No longer will they be bludgeoned with choruses of…
Filial Correction: laity who are more Catholic than the Pope
The Pope of Rome hath erred. So, of course, hath the Pope of Alexandria, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and we mustn't forget the Pope of the Christian Palmarian…
Tory MP hates social media: “It gives a voice to people who don’t deserve one”
Gary Streeter is the Conservative MP for South West Devon. He is a committed Christian who helped found the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He now chairs the cross-party group Christians in…
Momentum drops commitment to nonviolence: how can CofE clergy be permitted to join this group?
"Momentum is wholly committed to working for progressive political change through methods which are inclusive, participatory and nonviolent," the Momentum code of ethics used to state. But not any more.…
Church of England priest calls for the overthrow of Theresa May
Fr Christopher Woods is the parish priest of St Anne's Hoxton. He is a Labour Party supporter, which is laudable, and also a member of Momentum, which isn't so, but…
The Reformation 500 years on: do we need 95 New Theses for the 21st century?
‘Protestants’ acquired their name because they were first and foremost, protesters. They publicly declared their dissent. In the expressing of dissent from and rejection of prevailing mores, they understood themselves…
There's one surefire way of silencing objectors to women bishops – without changing the liturgy
There is a serial objector who pops up at the consecration of just about every woman bishop in the Church of England, and he isn't even an Anglican. The…
Murmur in Manchester Cathedral: Corbyn counters Conservative Party Conference
The Bishop of Manchester is neither a member nor a supporter of the Labour Party. We know this because he tweeted it. He lauds the Guardian for its superior…
Church "mad as hell" over Tory election victory
The Church in this instance is not the body of believers that comprise the universal Christian Ekklēsia, but the angelic singer called Charlotte, who took to the streets of…