During the debate on the Business Committee report, Mr Tim Allen (St Edmundsbury and Ipswich) made a speech in which, while requesting further action from the archbishops in relation to the selection of women for episcopal appointments, he mentioned specifically:
…their formidable powers of process control, leadership, and forceful persuasion to ensure (I am putting it very politely) that the CNC moves boldly with all speed and determination to the appointment of as many as possible of the best of the Church of England’s excellent senior women as diocesan bishops, preferably with seats in the House of Lords…
He later continued:
…And there is a closely related matter, on which I hope Archbishop Justin will also respond. For it is not only women who were excluded in a discriminatory and prejudiced way from the House of Bishops. So too were, and still are, those gay men who do not hide their sexuality in the closet. Those who are honest and frank enough to live openly in a civil partnership while behaving in the chaste way required by church law are it seems, from all the evidence de facto excluded from the House of Bishops, even when they are eminently qualified to be a bishop.
To make bishops of women required today’s change in the law of the church. But it is not law, it is simply prejudice which keeps out of the House of Bishops these men who are gay, chaste and honest. Such prejudice and discrimination is wrong, even when it is dressed up as a necessary tribute to certain homophobic elements of the Anglican Communion. Such prejudice and discrimination will increasingly be seen to be wrong by much of the nation which the Church of England seeks to serve, especially the younger people, who have shown for example by their sympathy for Alan Turing the gay wartime codebreaker [to] utterly reject the persecution of homosexual people.
What a first class speech.
It underlines the story we had from the last Provost of Southwark with only the merest hint of the bullying and coercion he described.
Please, please Jeffrey!
Don’t give in to these wicked men.
You must be under huge pressure to withdraw your name from consideration, despite assurances from Canterbury.
Let your name ring out on every possible accusation and may ever man and women nominated hold their office under the shadow of your unjust treatment.
So, has there been any response to Tim Allen’s allegations of prejudice and discrimination? Or perhaps the silence can be taken as an acknowledgement of their truth?
I do so agree with the comment made.Hold on in there Jeffrey.We are right behind you
Martin Reynolds and Jean Mayland are absolutely right.
“their sympathy for Alan Turing the gay wartime codebreaker”
Methinks the new film bio (“The Imitation Game”) may already be having an effect?
As God is The Great Artist, and we humans only pale, um, imitations, we should still never be surprised when our art has the ability to effect huge movement. Praise be the Holy Spirit who inspires!