Updated Tuesday morning
The transcript of the first day’s proceedings is now available here. It contains opening statements by:
Alexis Jay, Chair of the Inquiry
Fiona Scolding, Counsel to the Inquiry,
Richard Scorer, representing survivors
David Greenwood, also representing survivors, and also MACSAS
Nigel Giffin, representing the Archbishops’ Council
Rory Phillips, representing Ecclesiastical Insurance
Richard Smith representing Peter Ball
The Church of England has issued this: Opening statement in IICSA hearing
Media reports:
Witness statements have been published by IICSA from numerous individuals, all listed by name here and accessible (but only by reference number) over here.
They include written statements from these Archbishops’ Council staff:
In a separate development, the BBC’s Yorkshire regional news programme Inside Out has broadcast an interview with Matthew Ineson who says senior clergymen ignored his disclosures of sexual abuse by a parish priest. Link to the TV programme here, is available for 29 days only.
See also BBC news article, Police look at bishops’ ‘failure to act’ over sex abuse claims.
Other media reports on this:
Archbishop of York could face police investigation for failing to act over abuse allegations
Church of England sex abuse victim to tell his story on TV
IICSA has published the timetable for the first week of hearings.
The CofE has published this page, with links to material about the IICSA hearings. Those links includes this Q and A for parishes. This in turn links to another document: Church of England Safeguarding Overview.
Earlier, the CofE published this Church of England statement on IICSA‘s Child Migration Report. The IICSA press release about that report is here.
Mandate Now is a pressure group that seeks the introduction of law requiring staff who work in ‘Regulated Activities’ to report concerns about the welfare of children [and vulnerable adults] to the Local Authority. Mandatory reporting of suspected or known child abuse is a vital component of a functioning child protection system in institutional settings.
Mandate Now is supported by the largest coalition of survivor charities in England, Wales and Scotland which are members of ‘The Survivors Trust’.
Mandate Now has issued a critique of Church of England safeguarding: Church of England Safeguarding is Dysfunctional and Can Have No Reliance Placed Upon It | A Review by Mandate Now.
The full text of the review (224 pages) is available here.
The BBC regional television programme Inside Out for Yorkshire will broadcast an item tomorrow evening, Monday, which relates to the IICSA hearings:
1 Comment…Inside Out hears from a man who says senior clergymen ignored his disclosures of sexual abuse by a parish priest.
Anna Norman-Walker ViaMedia.News Disgrace by Association
Mark Clavier The Living Church Schools for the Imagination
Church Times God’s gift, not priest-lite cherry-pickers
Self-supporting ministers do not receive the recognition or status that they deserve, says Jenny Gage
Church Times Women in ministry: the next steps
In response to Women’s History Month, Johanna Derry looks at issues faced by women clergy
Sarah Mullally Contemplation in the shadow of a carpark Accelerating Change – Safe and Open Churches
2 CommentsThe Church Times has a report this morning, which mentions (scroll to end) that:
Ongoing safeguarding allegations. It was revealed this week that The General Synod was misinformed last month about the number of safeguarding allegations being handled by the dioceses, it was revealed this week.
There are in fact about 2600 cases ongoing, not 3300, as previously reported by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, in a written question to a Synod member, Kat Alldread, last month (News, 16 February).
More than half of these 2600 cases involved children, and more than a quarter related to church officers — not 18 per cent as previously reported, the clerk to the Synod, Dr Jacqui Philips, confirmed in a letter to Mrs Alldread this week.
Harriet Sherwood in the Guardian today has a news report: Church of England faces ‘deep shame’ at child abuse inquiry which includes a link to the full text of the letter from Dr Jacqui Phillips, Clerk to the Synod, which corrects the statistics:
…At the General Synod on 8 February 2017 the Lead Bishop for Safeguarding answered your question no 47 about the scale of safeguarding casework. I very much regret to say that part of this answer was incorrect, owing to a human error in compiling the data from which the answer was drawn. The Lead Bishop has asked me to convey his apologies to you for this error and to express his hope that neither you nor other members of Synod will have been misled by this incorrect information…
The corrected answer reads:
“Each diocese is asked to complete an annual self-assessment circulated and collated by the National Safeguarding Team for the previous year’s activity. Our current data relates to 2016 activity. Reporting methods used by the dioceses may vary so the numbers given are an approximate figure.
“In 2016 dioceses reported that they were dealing with around 2600 safeguarding concerns or allegations. Concerns are different from allegations of actual abuse and may cover less serious matters but may include raising issues of neglect or potential vulnerability of children or adults. 53% of concerns or allegations relate to children, and 47% to adults. Around 27% of concerns or allegations raised relate to a church
officer.“The National Safeguarding Team has commissioned further work to analyse data for safeguarding concerns or allegations. The results of this analysis will be reported to the National Safeguarding Steering Group in due course.”
The main part of the Church Times news article by Hattie Williams, which is headlined IICSA hearing likely to prompt more disclosures of abuse, C of E safeguarding officials say previews the IICSA hearings that start next week, as does the Guardian article. The latter contains quotes from survivors Graham Sawyer and Gilo and from Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon.
3 CommentsThe Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will start three weeks of hearings into the Anglican Church [in England and Wales] on Monday 5 March.
There is voluminous information about IICSA, its other strands of investigation, and its other work, on its website.
IICSA summarises this investigation on its website thus:
An inquiry into the extent of any institutional failures to protect children from sexual abuse within the Anglican Church.
The Inquiry welcomed the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Inquiry to investigate, as a matter of priority, the sexual abuse of children within the Church. Allegations of child sexual abuse within the Church of England, the Church in Wales, and other Anglican churches operating in England and Wales (‘the Anglican Church’) are matters of ongoing public concern.
This investigation will assess the appropriateness of safeguarding and child protection policies and practices in the Anglican Church. It will consider the adequacy of the Past Cases Review of the Church of England and the Historic Cases Review of the Church in Wales. As a case study, we will consider the experience of the Diocese of Chichester, where there have been multiple allegations of sexual abuse, and numerous investigations and reviews. echoua.com We will also consider the case of Peter Ball, formerly Bishop of Lewes and subsequently Bishop of Gloucester, and investigate whether there were inappropriate attempts by people of prominence to interfere in the criminal justice process after he was first accused of child sexual offences.
A further page gives more detail of the Scope of Investigation and this is also available as a pdf file.
Documentation relating to this particular investigation starts here.
Transcripts of the preliminary hearings can be found here, and this page will be updated with information daily throughout the next three weeks.
We will endeavour to report on its progress regularly.
5 CommentsGiles Goddard ViaMedia.News “There are No “Problems” – There are Simply People!”
James Alexander Cameron Stained Glass Attitudes Church demolition and preservation revisited
Neal Michell The Living Church 11 Tips for New Ordinands
4 CommentsAnglican Mainstream has reproduced online this piece by Peter Sanlon, who as the article explains is at one and the same time:
Both churches are in Tunbridge Wells.
Securing a Future or Stockpiling Whitewash?
Dr Sanlon is not happy with the current state of the Church of England.
Dr Sanlon is also Convener of the “Anglican Partnership Synod” in Rochester. For those who don’t recall what the “Partnership Synod” in Rochester is, this earlier article from 2016 may help: Conservative evangelicals to form “shadow synod”.
Dr Sanlon was also a signatory here: The Movement for a Renewed Orthodox Anglicanism.
Other news reports about him from 2016 can be found in the Times of Tunbridge Wells:
Archdruid Eileen has been driven to comment on this: Disgusted with Tunbridge Wells.
39 CommentsFrom The Guardian The Guardian view on religious education: teach humanism too
Letters in response Is religion really a toxic brand?
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of giving and withholding blessing
Church Times Retention, not just recruitment
Churches and charities ignore at their peril the views of volunteers, warns Stephanie Denning
James Woodward ViaMedia.News Is the Church of England Guilty of Ageism?
Alison Kings Fulcrum Anger: Not Such a Bad Thing
3 CommentsWe published earlier an announcement of the fringe event held alongside the recent General Synod meeting on 9 February. This was a partnership between St Martin in the Fields and Inclusive Church.
We are now publishing the text of one of the presentations that was given. Fiona MacMillan is a Trustee of Inclusive Church and Chair of the Disability Advisory Group at St Martin in the Fields.
Her talk can be downloaded from this link.
The booklet which celebrates five years of jointly sponsored conferences on disability & church can be downloaded from here.
Information on the earlier conferences is available here.
Meeting pods are essentially a little room within a room. They are primarily used for meetings, hence the name, but can be used for all kinds of purposes. These meeting pods come in all shapes and sizes to meet different needs. Pods can be open like the office itself or closed off for privacy and confidentiality. Closed pods are more beneficial because of their natural soundproofing. Open pods still have some basic level of soundproofing, so people can still hold private conversations. meeting pods
2 CommentsRosie Harper ViaMedia.News Is Organised Religion Inherently Abusive?
Lisa Oakley Church Times Understanding spiritual abuse
Jeremy Morris ViaMedia.News Know Your Enemies
Michael Volland Ridley Hall Cambridge Why residential training is here to stay
19 CommentsUpdated
The Chichester Observer reported on Monday 12 February: Church defends its position on Bishop Bell amid mounting pressure
This includes a report of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme item on the morning of Saturday 10 February:
Lord Carlile, having advised in his report that alleged perpetrators, living or dead, should not be publicly identified unless a ‘proper and adequate investigation’ is settled with ‘admission of liability’, has opening [sic] criticised the Church for ignoring his recommendations in announcing this new information.
Speaking on Radio 4 Today on Saturday morning ahead of the General Synod gathering for a third day, Lord Carlile said:
“It’s like a small dictatorial government deciding to go ahead and acting any way it wishes, regardless of due process of the rule of law.
“It flies in the face of the recommendations I made which the Church said it accepted. “The Church has got to get a grip on this.”The programme also reported that the Church has denied Bishop Bell’s surviving family legal representation from their chosen barrister for this new investigation. Speaking on the programme on behalf of the Church, Tim Thornton, Bishop at Lambeth, said instead someone had been ‘put forward to represent the voice of Bishop Bell’ and his family…
On the same day, Martin Sewell wrote an article on the Archbishop Cranmer site, Church of England bullies George Bell’s elderly niece by denying her choice of lawyer. This long article really does need to be read in full, but here is a taster:
…Last December, Mrs Whitley would have taken comfort from the Carlile Report on the simple basis that if the original conclusion of the church’s Core Group is unsupportable through defect of process, then the reputational status quo ante applies. The Archbishop of Canterbury rather publicly does not agree, but in the Court of public opinion he is probably in a minority.
With the new matter placed prematurely in the public domain – against Lord Carlile’s specific advice – Mrs Whitley might have regarded that as simply the church’s token saving of face at a point when its sub-optimal competence in the handling of a historic case had been evidenced and asserted. ‘Look how transparent we now are’ is a way of kidding ourselves that things were/are not as bad as they were/are.
We all thought things would be done better the second time round, including the church putting right one of the more obvious errors of the first set of proceedings. The relevant Carlile recommendation had been: “The Core Group should have, in addition to someone advocating for the complainant, someone assigned to it to represent the interests of the accused person and his or her descendants.”
Those dealing with this new information acted with speed, but they had a problem. The old regulations which contributed to the errors referred to in ‘Bell 1’ were still in place; the House of Bishops have not yet formally accepted the Carlile Report; Church House was hurriedly drafting new regulations to address the need identified by Lord Carlile for a deceased accused to be represented at the Core Group. They wanted to ‘get on with it’, which is to be commended, but under pressure they gave themselves the unencumbered power to appoint the person who should represent that accused. Seeking the opinion of the family was plainly overlooked…
Today Martyn Percy also has a guest appearance at Archbishop Cranmer: ‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word: apologetics and apologies in the Bishop Bell case. He gives more detail on the latter point:
…Mrs Barbara Whitley, George Bell’s niece, and now 94 years of age, has made it clear that she wished to be represented by Desmond Browne QC. Yet without consulting with Mrs Whitley or the wider family further, on 8th February 2018, Graham Tilby of the NST informed Bell’s family and friends that he had assigned a Mr Donald Findlater to represent their interests and concerns. Moreover, it seems that Findlater had already attended the first Core Group meeting on 29th January 2018. At the time of that meeting Mrs Whitley had absolutely no idea about the new allegations. She has never met Findlater. So it must have been a strange and somewhat surreal sensation for the family and friends of Bishop George Bell to discover that the Church of England had appointed their defence advocate to represent Bell, without consulting the interested parties, and without anyone knowing what the “fresh information” consisted of…
Update
A correspondent has kindly supplied a transcript of the BBC Today interview mentioned above.
21 CommentsThe voting lists from the electronic votes at last week’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod are now available.
Voting results – Item 12 [Mission and Ministry in Covenant – relations with the Methodist Church]
Voting results – Item 16 [Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome]
Also available is the official summary of Business Done.
Today’s issue of Church Times carries their usual detailed Synod reports. Here is my personal selection; all eleven are linked from here.
General Synod: safeguarding presentation
General Synod: presentation and debate on Crown Nominations Commission
General Synod: debate on valuing people with Down’s syndrome
General Synod: presentation on Digital evangelism
Updated
Justin Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury five years ago this month. To mark the occasion Paul Handley, the editor of Church Times, has interviewed the archbishop: To bless and not to bless: Archbishop Welby in conversation.
Andrew Brown of The Guardian gives us his view: With piety and steel, Justin Welby has the church in his firmest grip. “The Archbishop of Canterbury has shaped the CofE to his will with a skill of a politician – and made it all the better.”
Update
There is an edited audio recording of the Church Times interview with the archbishop here.
0 CommentsGeorge Conger reported on 3 February: First woman bishop for GAFCON province
The Episcopal Church of South Sudan has consecrated its first female bishop. Anglican Ink has learned that on 31 December 2016, the Most Rev Daniel Deng Bul, primate of South Sudan and Archbishop of Juba consecrated the Rt. Rev. Elizabeth Awut Ngor as assistant bishop of the Diocese of Rumbek.
Archbishop Deng, who retired last month, upon the election of his successor, the Most Rev. Justin told Radio Good News: “It was in my dream to ordain a woman as bishop in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan before I leave”.
Rumors of a female bishop in South Sudan arose early last year, but queries to the provincial secretary and Archbishop Deng were not answered. The website of the Anglican Consultative Council does not show an assistant bishop for Rumbek and no mention of Bishop Awut’s consecration has been made on the Anglican Communion News Service. However, group photos taken at last month’s meeting of the South Sudan House of Bishops showed one bishop in a skirt holding a handbag. Subsequent queries identified her as Bishop Elizabeth.
Bishop Elizabeth becomes the third African female bishop, following the Rt. Rev. Ellinah Ntombi Wamukoya, who was elected bishop of the Diocese of Swaziland on 18 July 2012 and ordained and installed on 10 November 2012. Her appointment was closely followed by the election, on 12 October 2012 of Margaret Vertue as bishop of the Diocese of False Bay. She was consecrated and installed on 19 January 2013.
Bishop Elizabeth also becomes the first female GAFCON bishop. The GAFCON primates had asked the Churches of Uganda and Kenya to hold back from electing women bishops until GAFCON was of one mind on the issue. With the election of Bishop Elizabeth, pressure will mount for the East African churches to follow suit
GAFCON has issued: A Statement on the Consecration of a Female Bishop in South Sudan
21 CommentsFrom the beginning of the Gafcon movement there have been a variety of understandings among our members on the question of consecrating women to the episcopate. Recognising that this issue poses a threat to the unity we prize, the Primates agreed in 2014 to do what was within their power to affect a voluntary moratorium on the consecration of women to the episcopate. They then set up the Task Force on Women in the Episcopate, chaired by Bishop Samson Mwaluda which presented a report to the 2017 Gafcon Primates Council.
In discussion at this Council, the Primate of South Sudan, Archbishop Deng Bul (who had not been present when the moratorium was agreed) shared with us that his personal decision to consecrate a female bishop was an extraordinary action taken in the midst of civil unrest in a part of his country where most of the men were engaged in armed conflict.
The Gafcon Primates chose to not allow this anomaly to change the course followed since 2014. The Task Force was asked to continue to provide theological resources, and the Provinces were urged to continue the study of Scripture, to consult with one another and to pray that God will lead us to a common mind. The voluntary moratorium remained in place.
In accordance with these decisions, the Task Forces’ Report, which can be read here, is now being discussed at the regional level in advance of the April Gafcon Primates Council and the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem this June. Our hope is that the newly elected Primate of South Sudan will join us in these discussions as we seek to find a common mind, looking to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Peter Jensen, General Secretary
February 2018
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Ash Wednesday and going bonkers
Jonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau Abusive spiritual beliefs produce abusive acts
Duncan Dormor USPG Deepening our awareness of the Global Church: Companion Links and Prophetic mission
Church and youth: ‘If someone said come to church I would have laughed’
Madeleine Davies of Church Times visits St Laurence’s, Reading, where teenagers have found a family
Updated Saturday night, Sunday morning and Monday evening
Order papers
morning
afternoon [not available online]
Links to texts of the Safeguarding presentation at General Synod
Harry Farley Christian Today Church facing years of shame as extent of abuse emerges, bishop warns
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E faced 3,300 sexual abuse claims, figures reveal
Tim Wyatt Church Times Safeguarding: we’re doing better, Synod tells sceptical survivors
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Clergy still believe some complainants are ‘simply out for the money’, abuse expert tells church leaders
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Informal communities for nuns and monks becoming more popular – with daily prayers over Skype
Official press release General Synod affirms dignity and humanity of people with Down’s Syndrome
[see below the fold for the text of the motion as passed by Synod]
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘Every human being is made in the image of God’: Synod unanimously backs motion on Down’s syndrome
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Rate of Down’s syndrome abortions in UK and Europe is akin to Nazi eugenics, Church of England’s General Synod hears
Press Association (in The Guardian) C of E backs motion valuing people with Down’s syndrome
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday…
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
David Walker ViaMedia.News Valuing People with Downs Syndrome – A Place to Start
Paul Child Rediscovering For The First Time The Special Child – A Candlemas Reflection
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes St Bride’s Liverpool Welcoming trans people – reaffirmation of baptism liturgy
Emma Percy Women and the Church #100 Women – #our time now
Andrew Graystone Church Times How to give bread, not stones
1 CommentUpdated Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon
Order papers
morning
afternoon
Official press release General Synod backs motion to tackle food waste
Christian Today CofE backs campaign to reduce food waste
Anglican Communion News Service C of E Synod endorses Anglican Communion links as central to mission and discipleship
Read the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address to the General Synod in London today: Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address
Harry Farley Christian Today Archbishop warns Church of England against dangers of ‘radical change’
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Church should not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ by making radical changes, Archbishop says
Official press release General Synod welcomes move towards communion with Methodist Church
Press release from the Methodist Church Church of England and Methodist Church to continue exploring closer communion
Tim Wyatt Church Times Synod shows its enthusiasm for closer unity with Methodists
Harry Farley Christian Today Church of England embraces unity with Methodist Church
Ruth Gledhill The Tablet Church of England and Methodists move towards unity
Diocese of Guildford Synod affirms Anglican Communion links in run-up to Lambeth 2020
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: Move in a little closer, baby
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
Updated Friday morning and afternoon
Press reports on Thursday’s business
Tim Wyatt Church Times Choose bishops more openly, Synod members urge
Harry Farley Christian Today Entrenched opposition to women priests blocks Church’s diversity efforts, synod told
Anglican Communion News Service Justin Welby calls for greater Anglican Communion say in selection of successor
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E raises serious concerns about Christian Freemasons
Update
Stephen Lynas reviews what happened on Thursday The leader(s) of the pack
Archbishop of York General Synod Speech: “Discerning in Obedience: A Theological Review of the Crown Nominations Commission”
video recording of Thursday’s business
40 CommentsThe Church of England General Synod opens this afternoon. There are links to the agenda and papers here.
The Questions Notice Paper (with answers) is now available. Synod members will have the opportunity to ask supplementary questions later today.
There is an error in Questions 16 and 17; the correct text is in Notice Paper 7. There is also an error in Question 44, corrected in Notice Paper 10.
Stephen Lynas (a Synod member from Bath and Wells) previews the business: Oh, won’t you stay (just a little bit longer)?
A live video link is available here.
3 Comments