Turmoil in the Church of England
Bishop of Newcastle says CofE is evading accountability
The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen Ann Hartley, has repeated her view that anybody in the church who is shown to have failed with safeguarding ought to step back from public ministry, be subject to independent investigation and face resignation. Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley was speaking to reporter Cathy Newman, on Channel 4 news, which is continuing its coverage of the Makin review into the horrific abuse by John Smyth and the Church of England’s cover up. The Bishop said the church is causing further trauma by the ongoing process and “obfuscation of accountability” and it must move on with some urgency to an independent system of safeguarding. “This has to be a watershed moment”, she said.
Keith Makin says police action must be considered
The author of the report, Keith Makin, told Cathy Newman that he was pleased the review was causing change. Church officials had not been effective in bringing about change. He agreed that consideration should be given as to whether police action should be taken against people who covered up the abuse and that in any other organisation faced with a similar report, there would be an expectation of resignation.
Nadine Dorries abused by a vicar aged 9, says ‘If the Church of England crashes and burns, so be it’
The former Culture Secretary and novelist, Nadine Dorries, has given interviews on being abused by a vicar aged 9, which she said had ruined her life. She explained that she wrote in the Daily Mail about her abuse because she was so angry at the Makin report and the cover up of John Smyth’s abuse. She told BBC Newsnight that the CofE had emailed her just before she went on air to say they had progressed when they first knew of her complaint, but then no other information became available. However, she had found out what happened – the vicar had been moved to a quiet rural parish in East Anglia. Now 58 years later, she is consulting a lawyer seeking acknowledgment. She admired the Bishop of Newcastle for challenging toxic culture and “speaking uncomfortable truths that needed to be said”. She added: “If the Church of England crashes and burns as a result of it, then so be it because it cannot continue behaving the way it does and allowing abuse to continue over many, many decades”. Asked why cultures exist that allow abuse to go unchecked, she said in her view it was about protecting the brand and protecting money, with fear of escalating costs of compensation.
Bishop Helen-Anne hailed as making history
Baroness Harriet Harman was also a guest on the programme, and said Bishop Helen Ann Hartley’s words would in time come to be seen as really historic. She had challenged the institution and it must completely change in order to rebuild its credibility and win back trust. She said: “I think that it’s a real turning point that we’re seeing here tonight”.
Calls for CofE’s top official, William Nye, to go
Gavin Drake, a former member of the CofE General Synod, has written an open letter to William Nye, the church’s most senior official, calling on him to resign. He said: “With you at the helm, the Church of England has become a more dangerous place. It will not, and cannot, improve its safeguarding with you at the helm.” The letter lists instances where Mr Nye is accused of mismanagement and giving poor advice, including over the dismantling of the Independent Safeguarding Board, which caused such a rupture at a general synod meeting in July 2023, that Mr Drake resigned his position there and then.
Archbishop announces exit date
Lambeth Palace has issued a statement outlining the dates by which the Archbishop of Canterbury will leave office. It says: “Following the announcement last week of his resignation as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin intends to complete his official duties by the upcoming Feast of Epiphany (6 January). Archbishop Justin intends very little public-facing activity between now and Epiphany, but plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments. At Epiphany, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official functions will be delegated to the Archbishop of York – more details will be provided on this in due course. The date on which Archbishop Justin formally ceases to hold office will be set in agreement with the Privy Council”.
The editor of Private Eye’s verdict on Welby’s resignation
Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, recounts a conversation with Justin Welby at the Trustees’ annual dinner of the British Museum last Wednesday, the day after the archbishop announced his resignation. He said he and other guests could not believe Dr Welby had attended a public event so soon after the announcement. In their conversation which touched on whether it was a lovely event, or the accuracy of Private Eye’s stories on the John Smyth story, or whether precisely the Archbishop had lied before 2013 or between 2013-2017, Ian Hislop came away saying: “Welby seemed to me to be unrepentant and unashamed”. Various guests said he had been brave to attend the event, but Ian Hislop disagreed.
Other news
Faith leaders in Wales come out against Assisted Dying bill
Faith leaders in Wales, including bishops from the Church in Wales, have joined forces to publish a statement against the proposed Assisted Dying Bill, which is being debated in Parliament next week. The statement focuses on the common heritage of the different faiths, which they say commits them to care for people who are vulnerable, sick or dying. The statement reads: “Compassion is at the heart of all the great world religions. Life is sacred.” Signatories include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh leaders. They say the bill is “dangerous legislation” which would mean “the most vulnerable can no longer presume on the balance of healthcare being in their favour. Instead of helping those in need, such lawse risk encouraging them to end their lives.” The bill would allow people over 18, who have been diagnosed with less than six months to live, to be given assistance to end their life, provided that two doctors and a judge agree. But the two ministers who would be responsible for overseeing its implementation, health secretary Wes Streeting and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, have said that they will oppose the bill.
Tony Campolo, US evangelist bringing good news for the poor, has died aged 89
Tony Campolo, an American Baptist evangelist with a message of progressive social justice, has died aged 89. A tribute in Christianity Today explains that his compelling presence saw him speak at some 500 events per year, with a call for conversion to bring good news to the poor, the hungry and the dispossessed. He coined the term “Red Letter Christians”, emphasising the teaching of Jesus, sometimes printed in Bibles in red type, and was at odds with right wing conservative evangelicals, once undergoing a six-hour grilling for heresy. A second-generation Italian immigrant, he became a pastor in his 20s and delved into politics to provide fair and affordable housing for black communities in Pennsylvania. Later he formed an education programme to help children read, campaigned for guns to be turned into garden implements, advocated programmes to help young women and reduce abortions, believed in same sex marriage and was active in the Democrat party. He was President Clinton’s personal spiritual adviser during the sexual misconduct scandal. Christianity Today quotes an anecdote frequently included at his speaking events, where he shocked his audience by swearing and asked whether they were more upset about that than thousands of children dying. Tony Campolo is survived by his wife and two children.
Climate activists from 11 faith traditions influence debate at Cop 29
Hundreds of religious climate change activists are taking part in a “Faith Pavilion” at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The pavilion follows on from an ambitious project held in Dubai at Cop28, and is organised by the Muslim Council of Elders, a UAE based organisation headed by the Egyptian Sunni Muslim scholar, the Grand Imam Shaikh of al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed al-Tayyib. A programme of workshops, plenary sessions and speeches involving 97 organisations representing 11 different religions and sects, has been continuing alongside the Cop29 talks. The intention is to offer spiritual, moral and ethical perspectives on climate action, including identifying faith based reasons for action, reviewing non-economic impacts of climate change, emphasising the role of women’s leadership and young people in achieving climate justice and “harnessing indigenous and interfaith wisdom”. It’s hoped that religions worldwide will form collaborative projects to inspire urgent climate action. Papers, reports and recordings of workshops are on its website here
Bishop of Norwich concerned at inheritance tax impact on family farms
The Church Times reports comments by the Bishop of Norwich on the government’s plans to impose inheritance tax on family farms. Bishop Graham Usher told the paper he had been struck by the anger and anxiety of farmers in Norfolk. The changes would impact the ability of future generations to farm the family’s land, put young people off farming and impact nature if large companies bought small farmers out. Story is here
1500 year old tablet with ten commandments up for $2million Sotheby’s auction
The oldest stone inscription of the Ten Commandments is up for auction at Sotheby’s next month, but its buyer must commit to it always being on public display. Jewish News explains that The Tablet, created 1500 years ago, surfaced during a 1913 railroad excavation and was installed in the entrance of a house near Yavneh, walked across for 30 years. In 1943, a scholar recognised its significance and translated the ancient inscription, finding that “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” was replaced by a commandment to worship on Mount Gerizim, a Samaritan holy site in the West Bank. The Samaritans are thought to be descendants of ancient Israelites, whose religion diverged from Judaism. The tablet was kept in Israel until 20 years ago when the Israel Antiquities Authority allowed it to be sold to a rabbi in New York, who placed it in the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn. It was sold on again to a private buyer in 2016 and has resurfaced in the Sotheby’s catalogue. The estimated sale price is between one and two million dollars.
Confessions to an AI version of Jesus
St Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne has installed an AI version of Jesus to hear confessions and offer spiritual counselling. In a project named “Deus in Machina”, the hologram of Jesus has been built by a team from the church working with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. It appears within the confessional box, as a face behind a grid like screen, listening to people confess and answering their concerns. The avatar was schooled in the New Testament to enable it to think and speak like Jesus. There were some concerns that the training offered was American evangelical in tone, but the AI Jesus has handled that and the chapel’s theologian Marco Schmid said it had performed well with answers matching the Chapel’s “theological understanding.” The Daily Mail reports that at least two-thirds of people who spoke to the AI Jesus came out of the confessional reporting having had a spiritual experience. The installation is temporary and a meeting is planned next week to discuss how the experiment went. St Peter’s Chapel says that similar chatbots could one day take on some of the responsibilities of church pastors.
