Reading Gilo’s article, I am wondering where we can learn to be better as a church? Can the Roman Church help us here? Given this is our “Jimmy Saville” moment, can the BBC help us? It becomes more clear to me that we are unable to do this ourselves, but need models of better practice and there have to be better institutional models.
Fr Dean
2 hours ago
So Archbishops Welby, Cottrell, Sentamu and Carey are all embroiled in these safeguarding issues and splashed across the national news: how can the rest of us – the little people – possibly hope to do mission with that backdrop?
Fr Dean
1 hour ago
Bishop Helen-Ann is a prophetic voice and history will judge her rather better than her drippy colleagues. This institution doesn’t like uppity women; she’ll have known that since before she was ordained deacon. I trust that she is surrounded by family, friends and respected colleagues who are praying for her and supporting her as best they can. Whatever happens she will be able to hold her head high, whilst her mealy mouthed episcopal colleagues are looking at their unpolished shoes.
Susannah
1 hour ago
I may not be a total fan-girl of the Bishop of Newcastle, but the time had come for a voice that called out the crisis: and specifically, the fact that this is no longer a case for sticking plasters and polite niceties, but a compelling moment crashing down on the Church and demanding radical change. There needs to be a recognition that from the top down there’s a problem (however faithful many parish safeguard leads have been), and that a serious part of the problem is culture and frameworks of leadership, reluctance to act radically, or take personal responsibility for… Read more »
Susannah
1 hour ago
(continued response…) People in the ‘inside’ of the culture just don’t seem to ‘get’ how it is failing, or how they themselves may be (collectively) the problem (not just as individuals but rather as an organisation that buys in to its own structures and ways of operating/perpetuating/knowing best at the top). The perception of Church failure, and huge loss of trust and confidence, whether fair or not, cries out for more radical voice and critique, and radical changes, and it’s sad if such voices are marginalised because things can’t go on as before. The country is disgusted. The ‘in crowd’… Read more »
Reading Gilo’s article, I am wondering where we can learn to be better as a church? Can the Roman Church help us here? Given this is our “Jimmy Saville” moment, can the BBC help us? It becomes more clear to me that we are unable to do this ourselves, but need models of better practice and there have to be better institutional models.
So Archbishops Welby, Cottrell, Sentamu and Carey are all embroiled in these safeguarding issues and splashed across the national news: how can the rest of us – the little people – possibly hope to do mission with that backdrop?
Bishop Helen-Ann is a prophetic voice and history will judge her rather better than her drippy colleagues. This institution doesn’t like uppity women; she’ll have known that since before she was ordained deacon. I trust that she is surrounded by family, friends and respected colleagues who are praying for her and supporting her as best they can. Whatever happens she will be able to hold her head high, whilst her mealy mouthed episcopal colleagues are looking at their unpolished shoes.
I may not be a total fan-girl of the Bishop of Newcastle, but the time had come for a voice that called out the crisis: and specifically, the fact that this is no longer a case for sticking plasters and polite niceties, but a compelling moment crashing down on the Church and demanding radical change. There needs to be a recognition that from the top down there’s a problem (however faithful many parish safeguard leads have been), and that a serious part of the problem is culture and frameworks of leadership, reluctance to act radically, or take personal responsibility for… Read more »
(continued response…) People in the ‘inside’ of the culture just don’t seem to ‘get’ how it is failing, or how they themselves may be (collectively) the problem (not just as individuals but rather as an organisation that buys in to its own structures and ways of operating/perpetuating/knowing best at the top). The perception of Church failure, and huge loss of trust and confidence, whether fair or not, cries out for more radical voice and critique, and radical changes, and it’s sad if such voices are marginalised because things can’t go on as before. The country is disgusted. The ‘in crowd’… Read more »