Updated Friday evening
As we reported earlier the Church of England’s House of Bishops met today to consider proposals to reform the CNC (Crown Nominations Commission) procedures for nominating diocesan bishops. The proposals are in paragraphs 12 to 14 of HB(24)30. They were accepted with one amendment (which did not alter the proposed change to the CNC procedures) by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.
The proposals and their background are summarised in a press release, which is copied below.
The House met in public and there is a report of their debate in the Church Times.
The CNC procedures are part of the standing orders of General Synod. The bishops’ proposed changes must be agreed by the Synod, which next meets in February 2025. Changes to standing orders can come into effect immediately.
Friday evening update
The Church Times has published a further article House of Bishops’ CNC debate rouses ire of central members.
Press release
Bishops back proposals to simplify nomination process for diocesan bishops
18/09/2024
House of Bishops supports proposals to simplify the Crown Nominations Commission process
The House of Bishops has given its support to proposed changes to the process of nominating future diocesan bishops to the Crown, to simplify the process and help enable a broad representation.
The House – which is made up of the diocesan bishops and other senior bishops in the Church of England – agreed to ask General Synod to consider changing the rules governing how Crown Nominations Commissions (CNCs), which nominate future diocesan bishops, operate.
It follows two cases in the last year in which CNCs were unable to reach agreement to fill vacancies for new bishops.
When a see becomes vacant a CNC gathers to consider possible candidates and put forward a name to the King through the Prime Minister. Once the nomination has been approved by the King, the new bishop is announced by Downing Street. (Note: a ‘see’ is the area of a bishop’s authority and jurisdiction.)
In each case the CNC is made up of a combination of representatives from the local diocese and a group of “central members”, elected from the General Synod to represent the national Church.
Following the two recent cases in which the CNC was unable to appoint (for new Bishops of Carlisle and Ely), the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who chairs the Advisory Group for Appointments and Vocations, suggested a series of changes including to the voting threshold required to make an appointment.
Under the current Standing Orders, at least two thirds of the members of a CNC must support a nomination before it goes forward. That includes any who decide to abstain.
However, as Bishop Sarah explains in a paper to the House, currently, with 14 members on a CNC, this means 10 members must agree, meaning the threshold is in fact above 71 per cent.
Bishop Sarah proposed:
Speaking at the bishops’ meeting in Oxford today, she said: “There is a lack of diversity on the CNC, including gender, race, and theology, which has led to a loss of trust in the process.
“Restoring trust will require the process to be competent, consistent, full of integrity, and compassionate. Ultimately, we need to restore confidence in this discernment process under God.”
The House approved a motion welcoming the recommendations by 27 votes to nine, with three abstentions.
Notes to editors
The motion agreed by the House was:
‘That this House, regretting the difficulties in the recent CNC processes as set out in HB(24)30 welcome the recommendations as set out in paragraphs 12 to 14 of that paper and request that work be undertaken to bring the proposals to Synod.’
51 CommentsThe Church of England has mapped the 2021 Census figures against parishes.
These dashboards provide a 1-page parish summary of national census and deprivation data, mapped onto Church of England parish boundaries (boundaries as of October 2023).
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70 CommentsPress release from 10 Downing Street. Further information from Winchester diocese.
29 CommentsAppointment of Suffragan Bishop of Southampton: 13 September 2024
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Rhiannon King, Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton, in the Diocese of Winchester.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 13 September 2024The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Rhiannon King, Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton, in the Diocese of Winchester, in succession to The Right Reverend Deborah Sellin, following her translation to Bishop of Peterborough.
Background
Rhiannon was educated at Exeter University, has two Master’s degrees and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. She served her title in the Huntingdon Team Ministry in the Diocese of Ely and in 2001 she was ordained priest. From 2004, Rhiannon served as Rector of Fulbourn and the Wilbrahams, a rural multi-parish benefice outside Cambridge, during which time she was elected to General Synod. In 2010 she was appointed Transforming Church Co-ordinator/Diocesan Mission Enabler in the Diocese of Birmingham and, from 2014, she served as the Director of Mission.
In 2019, Rhiannon took up her current roles as Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of ‘Inspiring Ipswich’, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
Updated Thursday
Updated again 17 September
The House of Bishops meets on 18 September. The Agenda is published here.
The paper to be discussed HB(24)30 is published here: Crown Nominations Commission September 2024.
General Synod members have today been sent an email, which includes the following:
House of Bishops
The House of Bishops will meet on Wednesday 18 September at St Hugh’s College Oxford to consider proposals for reform of CNCs. The paper and agenda will shortly be available on the House of Bishops section of the website . This will follow on from a meeting of the College on this topic at which all bishops will be able to speak. The House of Bishops Standing Committee has agreed that this part of the meeting should be open to the public and press, subject to limitations in the room, to observe. Priority will be given to central members of the CNC but if General Synod members wish to attend they are asked to notify synod@churchofengland.org and seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Updates
Law & Religion UK has this report: Bishops to discuss difficulties in Crown Nominations Commission processes
Church Times has this: After deadlocks, Crown Nominations Commission’s secret ballots may end
Second Update
An order paper has been issued for the House of Bishops meeting. The meeting will now last an hour (5.00 to 6.00 pm) instead of the originally planned 25 minutes. The bishops of Oxford and Rochester will be proposing amendments.
Law & Religion UK has also published the Order Paper text here. This copy includes live links to the GS documents referenced.
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“Can the next archbishop of Canterbury unite a divided Church?”
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86 CommentsChurch Times report by Francis Martin: Next Bishop of Wolverhampton regrets part in non-canonical ordination
THE next Bishop of Wolverhampton, Dr Tim Wambunya, has apologised for the part he played in a non-canonical ordination of a bishop in Germany, saying that he merely wished to support a former student.
The service, which took place in Berlin in April, was billed as the ordination, as Bishop, of the Revd Wamare Juma, who founded and leads the Revealed Evangelical Mission. The organisation’s website describes it as a “non-denominational para-church”, and it has branches in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as well as Germany…
…At the service in April, Dr Wambunya laid hands on Bishop Wamare Juma, led him through the declarations and ordination prayer from the Common Worship rite of ordination and consecration of a bishop, and presented him with a “certificate of ordination” which identified Dr Wambunya as the “ordaining bishop”.
On Tuesday, Dr Wambunya said that he took part in a personal capacity. “I did not for a moment imagine I was representing the Church of England, or even any other Anglican province, and I was not there in any official capacity,” he said…
Do read the full report, which includes comments from the Bishops of Oxford and Lichfield.
Also, you can watch the entire event here:
Video: ORDINATION OF BISHOP WAMARE JUMA
The Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2023, along with a press release, which is copied below.
Cathedral statistics show continued recovery in 2023
05/09/2024
Coronation Celebrations, cultural initiatives, and sustainability efforts highlight year of positive change.
The Church of England’s latest cathedral attendance statistics reveal continued recovery in 2023, with a five per cent increase in weekly service attendance. Attendance at Christmas services was up 20% year on year and the rise was also reflected in easter services, where attendance was up by 10%.
Cathedrals also experienced a resurgence in visitor numbers, with 9.35 million people visiting in 2023, a 17 per cent increase from 2022. This marks a significant recovery, although overall numbers remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels.
The year was marked by celebrations of King Charles III’s coronation, with cathedrals hosting special services and community events. In addition to worship and national events, cathedrals made notable strides in cultural and sustainability efforts, with exhibitions, civic events and significant energy-saving initiatives and biodiversity projects across the country.
The report, released today, shows a weekly total of 30,300 individuals attended cathedral services each week, reflecting a continued return to in-person worship. (more…)
20 CommentsAndrew Goddard has written a detailed discussion on this subject, which includes
There is a précis of this article here: Is the Church in an episcopal stalemate? But I recommend reading the full article.
Transforming Worship (formerly Praxis) South West will be hosting an online colloquium entitled ‘Using the Prayers of Love and Faith’ on Thursday 3 October from 10am until 12.30pm via Zoom.
The keynote speakers are Canon Dr Phillip Tovey and the Revd Mark Earey, who are co-authors of the recently published Grove Booklet Can We Use the Prayers of Love and Faith? examining the liturgical possibilities of the PLF material. In this colloquium they will look at the options and possibilities available with the material thus far commended.
Further details, including booking information, can be found on the Transforming Worship website.
The colloquium is open to all.
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47 CommentsPress release from 10 Downing Street. Further information is available from Lichfield diocese and from Oxford diocese.
62 CommentsAppointment of Suffragan Bishop of Wolverhampton: 27 August 2024
The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr Timothy Wambunya to the Suffragan See of Wolverhampton in the Diocese of Lichfield.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 27 August 2024The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr Timothy Wambunya, Vicar of St Paul’s, Slough, in the Diocese of Oxford, to the Suffragan See of Wolverhampton in the Diocese of Lichfield, in succession to Bishop Clive Gregory, following his retirement.
Background
Tim’s initial career was in Marine Engineering. He trained for ministry at Oakhill Theological College, London, serving his title at St John, Southhall Green, in the Diocese of London, and was ordained Priest in 1998. Tim was appointed Vicar at Emmanuel Holloway Church, Stepney, in 2000 and, in 2007, was appointed Principal at Carlile College (The Church Army Africa College) in Nairobi, Kenya. During these two roles, he studied for a PhD in Paremiology at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (University of Wales). In 2013, he was consecrated and became Bishop of the Diocese of Butere, Anglican Church of Kenya, before taking up his current role in 2020 as Vicar at St Pauls, Slough, in the Diocese of Oxford. He has additionally served as an Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford.
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[This is a long extract from the sermon that I linked to two weeks ago.]
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Gerry Lynch Church Times Star-gazing brings a new perspective
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135 CommentsUpdated
Continued from here.
The BBC has published a further article: Why does the Church of England struggle to deal with child abuse allegations?
Gavin Drake has written Archbishops’ Council ignored chances to fix safeguarding risk assessment loophole
Bishop Philip North has published a reflection: Three Steps We Need to Take Towards a Safer Church – A Reflection on File on 4 ‘The Priest and the Payoff’
The Church Times reports: Risk assessment should suffice to remove a cleric from office, Bishop of Blackburn argues
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77 CommentsUpdated Tuesday and again Wednesday (twice)
The BBC has published a File on Four radio programme (43 minutes long), to be aired at 8pm this evening on Radio 4
A priest assessed as posing a risk of “significant harm” to children and young people was given a pay-off. What does this tell us about safeguarding in the Church of England?
The BBC News website reports it thus: Priest thought to pose risk to children is paid off. But I recommend listening to the entire radio programme.
The Church of England has released Statements regarding BBC File on Four Blackburn Cathedral case
Statement from the Church of England
“The case highlighted on the BBC today is complicated and very difficult for everyone involved particularly those who came forward. A number of allegations were made about the Canon over a number of years and a risk assessment was conducted according to the House of Bishops 2017 safeguarding guidance. In the event, none of the allegations resulted either in a conviction in the criminal courts, or in a determination of misconduct in the independent Church courts through the Clergy Discipline Measure.
“He was removed from office on health grounds by the former Bishop of Blackburn, in 2021, under the Church Dignitaries (Retirement) Measure 1949 , but the Canon then brought a claim in the High Court for judicial review of that decision and payment was made in settlement of that claim. The Church of England is currently reviewing the disciplinary procedure for members of clergy (Clergy Discipline Measure), as recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, IICSA and a review of the risk assessment regulations and guidance is under way.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell, said:
“We are truly sorry when survivors are let down by the Church. We were both made aware of this case, including the concerning background and the challenges caused by statutory and Church processes ending with no further action.
“We absolutely believe that there is no place in ministry for people who are a risk or pose a risk to others and continue to work to ensure that our systems are made ever stronger and more robust.
“This case highlights the complexity of our structures and processes and is just one example of why we asked Professor Alexis Jay, the former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, to provide options and recommendations for how further independence of safeguarding within the Church of England might be achieved. This work is now being taken forward.
“As the Bishop of Blackburn told the BBC, the Church has made huge strides in safeguarding in the past 10 years particularly in listening to the voices of survivors and victims. However, this case, which goes back many years, shows that we are still working to get our processes right and we must learn from the mistakes of the past.”
This is also being reported in other media:
Updates
Blackburn Cathedral published Public Statement by the Trustees of Blackburn Cathedral
On Tuesday 13th August 2024, BBC News reported details of an investigation by Radio 4’s File on Four programme, to be broadcast at 8.00pm on Tuesday 13th August, into historic safeguarding concerns in the Church of England involving a senior member of clergy at Blackburn Cathedral.
The Cathedral recognises and fully accepts that there were failures, apologises for them, and has learned important lessons. In October 2023 The Cathedral Chapter made a statement about the lessons learned from this case and it can be found here.
Since that time the Cathedral has worked and continues to work assiduously to improve its safeguarding culture, policies and procedures to ensure everyone is, and feels, safe.
Regretfully, the Cathedral cannot undo the pain and hurt of the past, and our thoughts are with those survivors whose trauma may now be re-lived as a result of this programme.
The programme gave details about legitimate safeguarding concerns that were raised repeatedly over a twenty-five-year period and highlighted the systemic nature of the institutional failures within the Church of England that prevented Blackburn Cathedral from dealing effectively with the concerns.
There remains work to be done for these institutional hurdles to be overcome.
The programme disclosed that a sum of money was paid to the individual by the Church of England. No Blackburn Cathedral funds were involved in this payment.
Peter Howell-Jones
Dean of BlackburnFinding support
If you or anyone you are in contact with are affected by this report and want to talk to someone independently, please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Diocese of Blackburn Safeguarding Team: catherine.smith@blackburn.anglican.org or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org