The Church Times has a report C of E is ‘being used’ in campaign against Dean of Christ Church.
THE Church of England is being “dragged into a vendetta” against the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, the Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy, General Synod members have been told.
In a letter circulated last week to other Synod members, David Lamming and Martin Sewell characterise the investigation by the National Safeguarding Team (NST) — initiated after a complaint lodged by the Senior Censor, Professor Geraldine Johnson, and others (News, 29 May) — as an abuse of the C of E’s processes by “well-connected persons”…
Archbishop Cranmer has published the full text of the letter mentioned above, see Martyn Percy: Synod challenges Christ Church abuse of CofE safeguarding process.
This letter is currently being circulated to members of General Synod of the Church of England, in advance of their virtual meeting in July. There will be two Q&A sessions, and it is hoped that this summary of the situation will encourage Synod members to look carefully into the way the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, is being appallingly treated – not only by the Governing Body of the College, but also now by the National Safeguarding Team of the Church of England.
The authors, lawyers Martin Sewell and David Lamming, have worked tirelessly on the chronic mishandling of the Bishop George Bell case, and it is profoundly disappointing to see many of the problems identified by the Carlile Report seemingly replicated in the case now being considered against Prof Martyn Percy…
General Synod members Martin Sewell and David Lamming are courageously ‘walking the talk’ – with the former writing in a Church Times letter this week [June 19]: “Christians are called to be ‘as wise as serpents, as gentle as doves’; we are not called to be the ‘useful idiots’ of which Lenin spoke” Martin was also mentioned at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse- IICSA [March 5 2018 – Page 129 – Paras. 2-19] by Richard Scorer – Counsel for the complainants, victims and survivors represented by Slater & Gordon. The words continue to resonate like… Read more »
Has the letter from David Lamming and Martin Sewell been sent to all members of General Synod? I haven’t received it yet.
Jenny I am away and do not have access to all GS email addresses. If you have the directory email me. If not ask Simon here to forward yours to me and I will keep you informed.
Yes, also have not received the letter – would very much support this.
From Saturday’s Telegraph:
SIR – The way allegations have been made against the Dean of Christ Church, the Very Rev Professor Martyn Percy (Letters, June 19), breaches the Church of England’s guidelines and ignores recommendations of the Carlile Report into the Bishop Bell fiasco.
I hope that Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury whose right to officiate has been revoked (report, June 18), fares better. Abuse victims know that an organisation which puts PR before justice is no friend of theirs.
Martin Sewell
Member of the General Synod
Gravesend, Kent