Bishops ‘very deeply shaken’ by sudden departure of the Bishop of Liverpool
The sudden retirement of the Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, following a Channel 4 report of sex abuse and harassment claims against him, has stunned the Church of England. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, the Bishop of Blackburn, Philip North, said the bishops who met last week, were “very, very deeply shaken” by the turn of events. The panel also considered a crisis of trust in the church, disillusioned clergy, the role of the media, the need for independent safeguarding and tighter employment rules. Fr Alex Frost, from Burnley said: “We’re running two parallel universes here. We’re running the hierarchy of the Church of England that is in disarray, and we’ve got the local churches that are going about their business, doing their best, against the backdrop of a church that seems to be in in free fall. What chance have you got when you’ve got this as the backdrop?” Bp Perumbalath denies the allegations. View the briefing again, listen to the podcast or read the report, here >>
The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, has died aged 88
The Aga Khan, who became spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims when he was at Harvard aged 20, has died aged 88. The Associated Press reports the official announcement that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV and 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, died on Tuesday in Portugal surrounded by his family. He was considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and took office when his grandfather passed over his playboy father as his successor, saying the leader needed to be a young man. An entrepreneur, he built a fortune of between $1 billion to $13 billion through projects such as a luxury resort in Sardinia and breeding thoroughbred racehorses. He owned a Caribbean island and ran health programmes in the developing world. He is survived by his four children; his brother, Prince Amyn Muhammad; his half-sister, Princess Yasmin; and four grandchildren.
No investigation into sex abuse claims against Abbé Pierre
The Paris prosecutor said it cannot investigate allegations by several women who said they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Abbé Pierre, a renowned French Catholic priest and founder of the Emmaus movement on poverty and homelessness. Pierre died in 2007 and the prosecutor said his death made it impossible to open an investigation into his past actions. The statute of limitations meant it could not investigate people who covered up or failed to report the abuse allegations. Last year, a report outlined sexual assault and harassment accusations from seven women between the 1970s and 2005. Later a further 17 accusations were made from the 1950s to the 2000s across various countries. The French Catholic Church asked for an investigation to uncover the full extent of the abuse, any other victims and any systemic cover-up.
Cardinal criticises Assisted Dying bill parliamentary process
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, has criticised the government for allowing the assisted dying legislation to be tabled as a private members bill, which so far has had one single morning of deliberation. He told The Times that it was “deeply irresponsible of any government to allow a change of this magnitude to be carried out without due, proper, government-supported parliamentary process”. He described the exercise as a shambles and hoped the bill may still be defeated. The bill passed by 330:275 and is in the committee stage, with 50 witnesses giving evidence.
Cape Town diocese failed to protect people properly from John Smyth
The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has apologised to his diocese and the wider community for failing to protect them properly from the risk of John Smyth, the barrister who groomed and abused young men and boys in England and then Zimbabwe. Smyth lived in Cape Town from 2001-2014 and a panel of inquiry, set up by the Archbishop, has just reported back, saying the diocese had failed to respond adequately to reports of abuse sent to them from England, and failed to pass on this information to a church Smyth moved into. There was evidence of grooming behaviour but no complaints. Archbishop Makgoba issued a statement saying he accepted the panel’s findings and would spend the next two years improving safeguarding in the diocese, until he retires. The Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, Joanne Grenfell, said the panel inquiry report was a sobering read.
CofE elderly clergy allowed to minister despite safeguarding concerns
The Telegraph reports that three elderly priests and a former vicar are permitted to minister in their local parishes despite safeguarding concerns. All have permission to officiate subject to safety plans restricting their contact with children. Richard Scorer, head of abuse law at Slater and Gordon, told The Telegraph: “If a priest is unsafe to work with children he is unsafe to have PTO [permission to officiate].” Story is here
Charity Commission investigation into two Jewish charities
The Charity Commission is investigating two Jewish charities over regulatory concerns on management and administration. Solev Co. Limited offers health, education and religious activities in Israel. Hatzlocho Limited advances the Orthodox Jewish faith and relieves poverty. In a statement, the Charity Commission said it will investigate why both charities have not submitted accounts for five years, and will look at conflict of interest among trustees in both cases.
Swedish Shia Muslim Centre ‘base for Iranian spying’
Sweden’s government has stopped state aid to the Shia Muslim Imam Ali Islamic Centre in Stockholm, accusing it of being a platform for Iranian spying against Sweden and the Iranian diaspora. Jakob Forssmed, minister for social affairs, said on X that the situation was “extremely serious. State funds should not be used for activities that conflict with fundamental democratic values”.
