Statements from bishops
News reports
Church Times Archbishop of Canterbury announces resignation
The Guardian Justin Welby says he will step down as archbishop of Canterbury
BBC Live News Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over Church abuse scandal
The Telegraph Live Archbishop of Canterbury resigns
The Tablet Archishop of Canterbury resigns over abuse scandal
Independent Justin Welby resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury after ‘failures’ over Church of England sex abuser
The Guardian Bishop says more C of E senior clergy may need to resign over abuse scandal
[This is Julie Conalty, the bishop of Birkenhead and deputy lead bishop for safeguarding]
Other comment
Gavin Drake The Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation won’t make the Church of England a safer place
Stephen Bates The Guardian Justin Welby: why archbishop chosen for his managerial skills had to go
Martyn Percy Prospect Welby is gone–but trust in the Church is broken beyond repair
The Dean of Winchester, the Very Revd Catherine Ogle, has announced that she will retire next year.
5 CommentsThe following statement was released by the Lambeth Palace Press Office at 2pm today.
Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury
12/11/2024
Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.
When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.
The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.
I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.
I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.
For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person.
Finding support
If you or anyone you are in contact with are affected by the publication of 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 diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
There are also other support services available.
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Jon Price Earth & Altar All Things Bright and Beautiful
Jonathan Clatworthy The point of it all Sacrifices, meat and celebration
11 CommentsTheo Hobson The Spectator
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Modern Church (How) Can the Church Change Doctrine?
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93 CommentsThe Archbishop of Canterbury was recently interviewed for The Rest is Politics podcast. The wide-ranging interview is also available on YouTube. The topics covered are listed below with links to where they start in the YouTube video.
The section “Is LGBT love sinful?” has attracted much comment. The Church Times has covered the interview and there has been a statement from Lambeth Palace.
Links to YouTube video
00:00 Intro
00:20 The Archbishop’s dad
03:50 The Archbishop’s mum
06:43 Alcoholism in his house
09:10 How he found his faith
10:00 How he found being a teenager
11:48 What did he want to do with his life
14:05 How he decided he wanted to be a priest
19:00 Archbishop’s relationship with politics
23:40 His experience of the war on terror
30:30 Israel and Palestine
36:47 How to feel hopeful
39:05 Peace building
41:05 The death of Queen Elizabeth II
45:50 The Coronation of Charles III
48:35 Is LGBT love sinful?
52:50 The Church as a broad coalition
54:50 The Church is growing
55:25 Mental health
59:40 What Christ brought to the world
1:01:35 Trump
1:04:37 Politics and power
1:07:10 Is he going to criticise keir starmer
1:07:41 Debrief
Nic Tall ViaMedia.News Smoke and Mirrors and the Alliance
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love We are all implicated in the corporate, systemic, abusive, unhealthy, persistently homophobic culture of the Church of England
70 CommentsThe Church of England’s House of Bishops met earlier this week, and the following press release has been issued.
House of Bishops Autumn Meeting
23/10/2024
The House of Bishops met in person for its Autumn meeting
The House of Bishops met in Hertfordshire from 22nd-23rd October.
The House discussed the recently proposed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the importance of investment in palliative care, the potential risks to vulnerable people and possible unintended consequences for those who might feel a burden to others at the end of their lives. The Bishops reflected on the need for compassion for all those involved in the debate and work on the subject.
In a session on finance the House received updates on the Triennium Funding Working Group, Diocesan Finances Review and the work of the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board. The Bishops continued to consider material from the Seal of the Confessional Working Group, noting that further legislative steps by Government on mandatory reporting have yet to be announced.
The House agreed to commission further work on safeguarding risk assessments with proposals to come back to the House within 12 months.
The House continued their discussions on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process. In accordance with the General Synod motion GS 2358 passed in July, the Bishops considered what guidance could be given to the working groups developing the detail of proposals on specific areas of work, including the proposed Bishops Statement and Code of Practice. Additional feedback from the discussions will be provided to the working groups.
The House received an update on progress on the preparation of new policy and guidance on Clergy Files, supporting good safeguarding practice, safer recruitment and record keeping. Following the adoption by the House in May of the pilot template for the Episcopal Reference and Clergy Current Status Letter (CCSL) the House agreed to approve the final version presented with minor changes.
The Bishops had an initial discussion of the report ‘Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters’, exploring the well-being of working class clergy, and committed to further work.
The meeting closed in prayer.
More information
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Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Revising Christian fundamentals
73 CommentsThe Church of England issued the following press release this morning.
Smyth independent review publication plan
22/10/2024
The National Safeguarding Team, NST, has now received the independent review from Keith Makin relating to the John Smyth case. A detailed plan, drawn up in consultation with survivors, is now in place to enable those that choose to do so to read the document in advance in a timely manner and with support on request. The NST has also been asked to factor in the half term period and the fact some of those impacted will not be around during those weeks. Once this process has been completed the report will be published in full on Wednesday November 13. On this day survivors will have the opportunity for a confidential webinar to ask questions. After the survivor webinar there will be a separate press conference.
13 CommentsHelen King sharedconversations Yet another autumn of Living in Love and Faith
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Sounds like bog-standard Anglicanism to me
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111 CommentsMarcus Walker The Spectator Why C of E bishops are so bland
Kelvin Holdsworth What in Kelvin’s Head Finding a place to be
Luke Bretherton Comment The Conversion of Public Intellectuals
Al Barrett This estate we’re in When ‘being interrupted’ is not enough
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Stephen Parsons Surviving Church
122 CommentsUpdated Wednesday
The Scottish Episcopal Church has announced today that the disciplinary proceedings against the Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney have been dropped. The Rt Revd Anne Dyer was suspended in August 2022 following complaints of bullying which she has always denied. This brings to an end the suspension of Bishop Dyer, who will resume duties in the Diocese in due course.
Update: The Church Times has a report here.
The full announcement is copied below.
Canon 54 process concludes after review by independent Procurator
October 8, 2024
During the Canon 54 process enacted following complaints made against the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, the independent Procurator to the Scottish Episcopal Church has kept under continuous review his decision of May this year to take charges to the Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal.
Having maintained that review throughout discussions with involved parties over the past five months, the Procurator, Paul Reid KC, has now decided that it would no longer be in the public interest to pursue the charges, and the Clergy Discipline Tribunal has granted his application to dismiss the proceedings.
In his Note of Reasons explaining his decision not to lead evidence, Mr Reid says: “As with the initial decision to refer allegations to the Tribunal for trial, I have approached each allegation in two stages: (a) is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of the allegation; and (b) whether a prosecution, or the continuation of a prosecution, in respect of each charge is in the ‘public interest’.”
He continues: “I have approached ‘public interest’ in these circumstances by considering the wider Church community and general confidence in the Church.” (more…)
32 CommentsPress release from the Prime Minister’s Office
Appointment of Second Church Estates Commissioner: 7 October 2024
The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 7 October 2024The King has approved the nomination of Marsha de Cordova, Member of Parliament for Battersea, to be appointed as Second Church Estates Commissioner
Marsha de Cordova is the Labour MP for Battersea, and has been an MP since 8 June 2017.
She was educated at London South Bank University studying Law and European Policy Studies. She was born with Nystagmus and is registered blind.
She has worked for numerous charities including Action for Blind People and Thomas Pocklington Trust before founding the charity South East London Vision (SELVis) in 2014. She was elected as a Labour Party councillor for the Larkhall ward on Lambeth Council in 2014.
Marsha has served in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities and Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) (Disabled People). She also served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and the Petitions Committee.
There is also a press release from the Church Commissoners.
The Second Church Estates Commissioner answers oral and written questions from MPs in the House of Commons about Church of England matters, is a member of Parliament’s Ecclesiastical Committee, and guides Church of England legislation through the House of Commons. She will be a member of the Church Commissioners’ Board of Governors and an ex-officio member of the General Synod.
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Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Looking for the Qualities of Leadership in our Bishops
Save The Parish Bishop of Chelmsford challenges the Church’s ‘Vision and Strategy’
This is a transcript of the Bishop’s Church Times Podcast that I linked to here.
Church Times Podcast: Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani: Encouraging the weary with a word
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Clothes Maketh the Man : Do Vestments Maketh the Priest?
Richard Peers Oikodomeo Why is it so hard to talk about Walsingham?
Stuart Haynes Seen & Unseen How the curious react to creativity in a cathedral
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Holy Spirit failure to update Church operating systems
Anon & Friends Surviving Church Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice 5
[the last in the series]
Martyn Percy Surviving Church continuing the series “Weighing Church of England Safeguarding on the Scales of Justice”
Chris Polhill ViaMedia.News 30 Years, 40 Years: And Not Equal Yet
29 Comments