Updated Sunday (twice)
Reports on today’s virtual meeting of General Synod
Video of the whole day’s proceedings
The presidential address was given by the Archbishop of York, but with contributions from others.
Video of the address
Full text of the presidential address
Official press release: Church must ‘learn afresh how to share the gospel’, Archbishop of York tells Synod
Church Times reports Archbishop of York: God wants a Church of ‘glorious and profligate diversity’
Welby browned off after grilling on church closures
Commissioners are trying to help cathedrals to weather financial crisis, Dr Poole tells Synod
The Guardian ‘Tribal and divided’: Church of England faces turbulent times
Yorkshire Post Newly confirmed Archbishop of York speaks of ‘devastating impact’ of pandemic in first public address
Glasgow Times Bishop of Manchester defends tweets criticising Dominic Cummings
Update
Andrew Nunn Unprecedented
Stephen Lynas Oh Zoom! You chased the day away
‘Tribal and divided’, oh, thanks, mainstream media. Of all the encouraging and inspiring words in Archbishop Stephen’s address, those were the ones you went for. You could have had ‘safe and loving’ or ‘just and merciful’ or even ‘glorious and profligate’ Ah, well. Do read the full text.
Actually I think that exposes inexperience on Stephen’s part as that is about the only newsworthy soundbite he included. My impression is that his address reflects what he wanted to say rather than what he wanted to be heard. In the world of speech writing (and press releases) the two are not the same.
The new Archbishop of York is in the ideal position to ensure ‘glorious and profligate diversity’ in the church. The problem is that we’ve been promised this so many times before but it doesn’t ever materialise. The succession of blunders by the bishops over the LLF themes do not inspire much confidence that things will change anytime soon. The archbishop wants to give a voice to young people, another recurring aspiration for the bishops, but young people by and large are not keen on sexism, racism and homophobia. The bishops by their own admission are not doing well on these… Read more »
The Guardian
‘Ten days before he was confirmed as archbishop, Cottrell admitted he had failed to take proper action relating to allegations of domestic abuse by a priest 10 years ago, saying he was “deeply distressed and extremely sorry”’
Is saying sorry enough?
It may not be enough, but it’s more than Archbishop Welby or Archbishop Sentamu were prepared to do. Each was asked by counsel at IICSA to apologise to Matt Ineson, who was in the room. Each declined.
Janet: I fully understand your (and Richard Symonds’) strength of feeling, but have you asked yourself (or has anyone else) whether counsel had any right, in the context of a formal Tribunal hearing, to ask witnesses to apologise? It’s rather adopting an immediate judge and jury approach without having any legal authority to do either. Counsel’s function is to assist the Tribunal impartially.
RW, the counsel in the formal Tribunal hearing did NOT ask witnesses (ie Archbishops Sentamu and Welby) to apologise: IICSA transcript relating to ++Sentamu – 10/07/2019 MS SHARPLING: Thank you, Archbishop Sentamu. Could you just clarify something for me: we heard evidence from Mr Ineson today, and if the church accept that he was abused as a young lad whilst under the care of the church, is there now any impediment for an apology to be given for that abuse? Leaving aside anything that might have happened subsequently, is there any impediment in the collective church mind that… Read more »
Thank you for that helpful clarification. I responded to statements that Archbishop Welby and Archbishop Sentamu were each “asked by counsel at IICSA to apologise to Matt Ineson who was in the room. Each declined.”
Archbishop Sentamu‘s position seems clear, and I don’t need to comment.
The assertion that Archbishop Welby declined to apologise must have been based on the comment which Mr Chapman made the day after the Archbishop gave evidence. It was a robustly critical comment, but I entirely accept on the evidence of the transcript that the Archbishop was not asked by counsel to apologise.
Janet, maybe the apology was enough but in allowing his confirmation to proceed Stephen has declared himself to be the judge of his actions rather than sending the matter back to the CNC so they can independently decide whether it is enough. Allegations have been made that the outgoing Archbishop of York failed to properly follow up on safeguarding allegations. Stephen knows that but presumably he won’t (can’t legally?) have access to the full files until confirmed. So hasn’t Stephen allowed himself to be put in the position of having to accept whatever he finds in this files when he… Read more »
Hear this, ye synods: “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want, says the Lord.” Amos 5. There can never be peace until there is justice. Pacem… Read more »
I have always wondered if John Lennon had read Amos 5 v 23-24, before writing ‘Just Gimme Some Truth’ – and simply substituted Truth for Justice and Righteousness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbhktzkGoH0
We were trying to seek truth and justice in some of the questions.
The last paragraph of Archbishop Cottrell’s address contains the phrase ‘tribal and divided’. The scribblers at The Guardian are paying attention. It may be wise for TA commentators who self identify with particular communities within the orbit of the C of E to do likewise. Two related aspects of the phrase indicate its problematic nature. (1) It is under scrutiny in current public discourse (see links). (2) It may be a clue as to how to read between the lines of those strategic narratives in which the phrase appears. The phrase may indicate a kind of corporate cultural understanding of… Read more »
Rod Gillis: “+ York is providing a strategic narrative. Such are particularity important to an entity when it is at a turning point or has reached a crisis or is in danger of catastrophic decline” Steve Lewis [over at ‘Surviving Church’]: “Hiding behind lawyers can be the sign of an organisation in death throes. The lack of humanity…and evasion of answers to persisting questions is indeed pathognomonic” ‘Leslie’ [over at ‘Surviving Church’] “Nigel Davies who has recently restarted blogging on his site concerning Trinity Church Brentwood has brought to mind a safeguarding issue from 2005… Read more »
An institution is in terminal decline when it hides behind ‘lawyer-speak’ and “strategic narratives”
Steve Lewis: “Hiding behind lawyers can be the sign of an organisation in death throes. The lack of humanity…and evasion of answers to persisting questions is indeed pathognomonic”
Another sign is the callous disregard of the sacrosanct law of the Presumption of Innocence.
Steve Lewis is an accountant and not a lawyer. You didn’t quote this from his comment (also referring to his own profession) on ‘Surviving Church’: “I don’t denigrate these professions incidentally. It would be stupid to ignore legal considerations or financial ones for that matter. I would go further and recommend getting the best advice you can afford. But they can’t run the show for you wearing their particular hats. They are advisory only. As leader you must have courage to stick to the key thing you believe in.” To which I would add, based on personal experience,… Read more »
‘Rotten At The Core Group’ http://survivingchurch.org/2020/07/13/they-a-talking-head/ “I no longer know what they are doing. I know nothing about the new Core Group they set up to investigate me. I don’t know who they are. I don’t know if they are doing this to me deliberately to cause me harm, or because they are incompetent, and too proud to admit their failings. But I do know that I no longer trust them. I do know that I no longer believe them. I do know that none of their statements can be taken at face value anymore. I do know that they… Read more »
Church of England Core Groups have become Kafkaesque and Orwellian all rolled into one Purple Circle. In Surviving Church’s recent ‘They’ article, Stephen Parsons gives an insight as to the reasons why Bishops and the like are unwilling to ‘rock an already-sinking boat’. Noam Chomsky did much the same – in greater depth – in his ground-breaking article ‘The Responsibility of Intellectuals’, written over 60 years ago. It’s a challenging, uncomfortable read [like that of Stephen P’s] – and if the word “Intellectuals” is replaced by “Moral Intellectuals” [such as Bishops and the like], it becomes even more… Read more »
‘Gilo’ [over at ‘Surviving Church’]:
“It [C of E Core Group] should be better called the Christ Church/Winckworth Sherwood/Luther Pendragon core goup. They seem to be running this scurrilous circus”
Vision and strategy doesn’t touch on structure, although some imaginative thinking is going to have to be applied to it very soon. Following the nationalization of parochial financial assets in the 1970s and the socialization of stipends, the reality over the last half century has become increasingly Darwinian. A mixed economy is now the norm. The majority of the clergy enjoy a generous remuneration package in comparison with equivalent jobs in the secular world (comprising the burden of parish-share), while a significant minority are non-stipendiary or retired – a substantial cost saving for parishes. Further fragmentation is likely to take… Read more »
I thought the Q & A session was a little chaotic. The chairman was very hard on people who wanted to ask supplementaries, but could not do so because of various mix ups. Awkward questions were ruled out of order, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was in a foul mood. Had he got out of the wrong side of the bed that morning?