Updated Thursday and Friday and Saturday
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Church of England’s General Synod debated and voted on two proposed models (labelled 3 and 4) for independent safeguarding in the Church of England, and passed the following motion
That this Synod:
(a) thank all those involved in Church safeguarding, particularly the victims and survivors who give so generously of their wisdom and experience, often at great personal cost, and parish safeguarding officers who make sure that safeguarding is a priority in every level and all those who support them in dioceses;
(b) affirm its commitment to greater independence in safeguarding in the Church of England;
(c) thank the Response Group for its work for greater independence in safeguarding in the Church of England; and, noting the significant reservations around model 4 in paragraph 62 of GS 2378 and the legal advice from VWV dated 31st January 2025, endorse model 3 as the way forward in the short term and call for further work as to the legal and practical requirements necessary to implement model 4;
(d) and lament and repent of the failure of the Church to be welcoming to victims and survivors and the harm they have experienced and continue to experience in the life of the Church.
Details, including voting figures, are in an official press release: Synod votes on next steps for independent safeguarding.
Reactions to Synod’s vote include the following.
This post will be updated as the meeting proceeds.
The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting this week. The timetable is here, the agenda is here and the papers are here.
Live video etc
All sessions are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to view afterwards. Links have been provided in advance.
There is an official X/Twitter account.
Official list of General Synod members (updated February 2025)
[This includes bishops attending (without voting rights) in dioceses with vacancies for their diocesan bishop.]
Order papers
Notice papers
Business Done
Official press releases
Press reports and comment etc
Church Times
BBC
The Guardian
Christian Today
The Living Church
Liverpool Diocesan website
Independent
103 CommentsMinutes of meetings of the House of Bishops of the Church of England are now available online; they are towards the bottom of the page. This is announced in the answer to a question at next week’s meeting of General Synod. I have copied the question and answer below.
The Revd Andrew Atherstone (Oxford) to ask the Chair of the House of Bishops:
Q153 In May 2024, the House of Bishops committed itself to “maximum transparency”, including the publication of its agendas (before each meeting takes place) and its minutes, as outlined in GS Misc 1387. What processes are now in place to ensure the regular publication of these papers in an expeditious manner?
The Archbishop of York to reply as Vice-Chair of the House of Bishops:
A Thank you for the question and I am grateful for your persistence and help on the important question of how we can build trust through transparency in the work of the House of Bishops.
The minutes of the House of Bishops meetings are now available on the website at House of Bishops | The Church of England. I recognise there has been a delay to publishing the minutes, but in future these should now appear in a timely manner after they have been agreed by the House. Regarding the publication of the agenda – we are aware of further work needed to complete the points set out in GS Misc 1387 and will be working with colleagues on that over the next few months.
6 CommentsThe Questions (and answers) for next week’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here: Questions Notice Paper February 2025.
Questions will be taken on Monday afternoon (10 February).
28 CommentsTwo documents have been issued to General Synod members, both of which raise concerns about the recommendation in favour of Option 4, as described in GS 2378.
We reported here that the Charity Commission had written to General Synod members. They have now written to Diocesan Bishops who are trustees of their Diocesan Board of Finance or other Church charities. There is a press release and the letter can be found here. The full text of the letter is copied below the fold.
Press release text:
60 CommentsAs regulator of charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission is engaging with certain National Church Institutions regarding safeguarding in Church charities following the recent publication of the Makin Review.
This letter to bishops, sent on 31 January 2025, seeks their assessment of whether any aspects of Church law, structure or processes are currently preventing trustees of Church charities from fulfilling their safeguarding obligations. The letter follows a letter sent to Members of the General Synod who are also trustees of Church charities on 24 January 2025.
A press release with more information about the Commission’s engagement can be found via this link: Regulator sets out safeguarding expectations ahead of key Synod votes – GOV.UK
Published 3 February 2025
(more…)
The Charity Commission has issued this press release: Regulator sets out safeguarding expectations ahead of key Synod votes.
The letter to which it refers can be found here: Letter to General Synod members who are also trustees of Church of England charities. The full text of the letter is copied below the press release.
Press release text:
The charity regulator is engaging with the Church of England over the urgent need to improve its safeguarding arrangements, following the publication of the independent Makin Review and ahead of key debates at the Church’s General Synod (Parliament) next month.
In February, the Synod is due to consider proposals and legislation related to safeguarding including options for new structures, in response to various independent reports including the Makin Review. While the Commission does not regulate the General Synod itself – which is not a charity – decisions the Synod makes impact on charities within the Church.
The Commission renewed its engagement with Church authorities following the publication of the Makin Review – an independent review by Keith Makin into the Church of England’s handling of allegations of serious abuse by the late John Smyth QC.
(more…)
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet next month. The usual pre-synod press release was issued today and is copied below.
Independent safeguarding proposals published ahead of Synod decision
23/01/2025
Detailed proposals for a new structural model of organisations to deliver and scrutinise safeguarding on behalf of the Church of England are published today.
Members of the Church’s General Synod will be asked to choose between two possible models for independent safeguarding at their upcoming meeting in London from February 10 to 14.
In one model safeguarding officers currently working in dioceses, cathedrals and the national Church would transfer to work for a new organisation. In the other diocesan and cathedral officers would remain with their current employers but most national staff would move to a new body. In both cases safeguarding work would be scrutinised by a second external body.
The models, set out in more detail in a paper to members of Synod, were developed in response to reviews conducted for the Church of England by Prof Alexis Jay, chair of the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), and the barrister Sarah Wilkinson.
Synod members will also have an opportunity to debate a motion responding to the Makin Report into the abuse by the lawyer John Smyth, which prompted the resignation of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. And they will be asked to approve new safeguarding codes of practice including guidance on managing allegations.
The Synod papers also include detailed draft proposals for possible new arrangements to enable the wider use of prayers asking for God’s blessing for same-sex couples including in special services.
The proposals, developed by working groups representing the range of views on questions of sexuality and marriage across the Church of England, are published for discussion and feedback.
These proposals also include additional measures of “pastoral reassurance” that seek to affirm and support the diversity of theological views within the church.
Other key items coming to General Synod include a motion, brought by Fr Alex Frost from the Diocese of Blackburn, on encouraging the ministry of people from working class backgrounds in the Church of England.
There will also be debates on racial justice; the role of sport in Christian outreach; the global prayer initiative Thy Kingdom Come; and possible changes to the voting procedures of the Crown Nominations Commission.
Synod will also have an opportunity to look at proposals for simplifying the way money flows around the Church, providing more financial support to dioceses and levelling up clergy stipends.
The Bishop of Stepney, Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, said: “There is, quite rightly, considerable interest in our safeguarding work and I will be leading a number of debates and sessions on these vital questions at Synod.
“In the light of the Makin review, it is essential that we recognise together the pain of all victims and survivors living with a legacy of abuse, while highlighting the recommendations and work already under way.
“The proposals on safeguarding independence are the product of a huge amount of work and feedback from across the Church including from victims and survivors and it is right that Synod now makes the decision on which model to pursue.”
9 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in London from 10 to 14 February. The agenda and papers for the meeting were released today.
There are links to the papers below the fold, grouped by the day on which they are due to be debated. There are also a number of GS Misc papers and items of deemed and contingency business.
Also available are these two zipped files.
12 CommentsSee earlier article about yesterday’s House of Bishops meeting.
The House reviewed detailed updates from the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) working groups presented by Bishop Martyn Snow. After considered reflection on the complexity and depth of the proposed changes, it became clear that Bishops with views across the range of different perspectives agreed that it was unlikely all elements of the proposals would be sufficiently developed in time for Synod to make a decision in July.
They agreed to extend the timetable to ensure that all elements of the proposals are sufficiently developed for a decision to be taken on them as a whole. The intention is still to update General Synod in February, and bring further proposals to General Synod in July, but it is likely these will not be able to be formally put to a vote until a subsequent Synod. This will also give further time for consultations with Diocesan Synods and other networks.
Two reactions to this have been published:
Trusting in Love and Faith? A January 2025 Update by Helen King
We reported on 10 December that Rochester has no confidence in the Archbishops’ Council.
This provoked the Council to respond on 20 December, see Archbishops’ Council responds to Rochester Diocesan Synod’s motion of no confidence and the full text of the letter signed by the Secretary General, William Nye is available here.
Rochester diocese has now replied to that letter. See:
The Church Times has this report: Synod to vote in February on future of church safeguarding
For background and context see Safeguarding and independence.
The new document mentioned can be found here: Wilkinson-Jay Response Group – Emerging Proposals
This describes the two models (out of the original four) between which the General Synod will be asked to make a choice in February. It’s worth the time to read the whole of this document to get the sense of where the Response Group is heading.
The differences are summarised by the Church Times this way:
Updated Wednesday
The Rochester diocesan synod has passed a vote of No Confidence in the Archbishops’ Council with reference to safeguarding.
“That this Synod resolves to pass a vote of no confidence in the Archbishops’ Council’s oversight of safeguarding and urges for the necessary reforms to restore trust, safeguard the vulnerable, and uphold the Church’s moral and legal responsibilities.”
The voting was:
In favour: 51
Against: 5
Abstentions: 9
The diocesan bishop supported the motion.
For more details, including a link to the full text of the proposer’s speech, see here: Diocesan Synod backs vote of no confidence
This action has attracted some media attention:
Update: A revised version of the Outline of Business was published on 15 January 2025. I have updated the outline below. The changes include: removing the items on the Redress Scheme, moving the item on Sports and Wellbeing Ministry from contingency to definite business, and a change in the number of Archbishops’ Council members to be appointed from two to one.
The Church of England’s General Synod will meet in London from 10-14 February 2025. An Outline of Business has been published, and is available for download. It is copied below the fold. (more…)
25 CommentsUpdated 20 January 2025
December 2024
The Church of England has recently published two press releases on this topic.
This describes progress to date by the Wilkinson and Jay Reports Response Group which will report to the General Synod in February 2025.
This describes work being done by the National Safeguarding Team in conjunction with dioceses and others, to follow up the recommendations of the Makin report. A four stage process is outlined.
The following reaction to the latter has already appeared at Church Abuse: Church of England announces response to Makin review: kick it into the long grass.
We will add any further items relating to these two releases as they appear.
Update: this was issued on 16 January: Update on Makin Review Methodology
30 CommentsThis web page was published today:
LLF Working Groups continue: Update on membership and residential meeting
Following the decision at July General Synod to develop proposals to introduce standalone services including Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) alongside pastoral reassurance, there will be continued input from four working groups into this process. The group membership includes bishops and members of General Synod, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. Some of the members were part of the working groups that began their work in March 2024, while others have joined since the July Synod…
…There are four working groups in total, each with a different remit, looking at specific questions connected to:
- Prayers of Love and Faith – Guidance for registration and use including arrangements for use of the PLF in Standalone Services.
- Pastoral Reassurance – Code of Practice for Delegated Episcopal Ministry.
- Bishops’ Statement – Drafting group for an overarching rationale for a settlement around current and future practice for implementing the objectives of LLF.
- Ministry and Vocations Guidance – Development of guidance as part of the work to replace Issues in Human Sexuality (in parallel with decisions on a timetable to address questions around clergy in same sex marriage).
Full membership lists are included in the web page linked above.
There are two other new documents:
And there is this video, which was published earlier
39 CommentsThe Church Times reports: Opponents and supporters of prayers for same-sex couples lobby bishops
TWO Church of England pressure groups wrote to the House of Bishops before its meeting this week to express hopes and expectations about the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process.
The groups–Together for the Church of England, which campaigns for wider provision for LGBTQ people in the Church, and the Alliance, which represents opponents of the proposed blessings of same-sex couples–wrote the letters at the invitation of the House of Bishops, before their meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday this week…
The full texts of these letters are linked below.
The Alliance Letter 8 – October 24
Together for the Church of England Letter to House of Bishops (October 2024)
69 CommentsThe Church Times reports: New working group to look at issues raised by Soul Survivor scandal
AFTER the exposure of “appalling practices and a shocking abuse of power” at Soul Survivor, in reviews by the National Safeguarding Team (NST) and Fiona Scolding KC, a group is being formed to carry out further work, the Bishop of Stepney, Dr Joanne Grenfell, the lead bishop for safeguarding, said this week.
The working group will look at ordination processes, clergy training and supervision, and safeguarding and governance in church-plants, bishop’s mission orders (BMOs), and mission charities that have an Anglican focus to their work…
The article refers to recent correspondence between a group of General Synod members and the Bishop of Stepney.
See letter to the Bishop of Stepney. And her reply.
Some background. At General Synod in July a motion was proposed by Robert Thompson but this was substantially amended by Bishop Joanne. See here and then here for the briefings prepared at that time, and over here for the Order Paper containing the motions. The outcome is recorded in the Business Done report.
Today on X (formerly Twitter) Robert Thompson has written this.
17 CommentsThe Diocese of St Albans has published this 8 minute video on YouTube: Diocesan Synod LLF October 2024.
28 CommentsTwo previous articles dealing with this:
Two Church Times articles (both linked previously):
Other opinions:
Andrew Goddard Choosing Bishops: A Failure to Discern?
Anthony Archer Crown Nominations Commission Back in the Firing Line
108 Comments