Festus

 

This column mentioned Martyn Percy earlier this year who promptly resigned from Christ Church and announced his departure from the Church of England. It also mentioned the Rev Catherine Relf-Pennington of Wymondham Abbey, who resigned as vicar at the end of June after five years in post and a rancorous relationship with bishop and parishioners alike. Her predecessor is being brought back and has much to do. Pray for them all.

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The pencil of scrutiny is now sharpened for north of the border. The Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, was suspended on 10 August after two formal complaints alleging misconduct. But it doesn’t just start there as she’s been complained about for a while. Clergy were told not to report bullying complaints to the press. Professor Iain Torrance wrote a major report a year ago which recommended she take an immediate sabbatical before ‘ stepping back permanently’. She hasn’t, and has appealed her suspension, so remains in post.

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A previous reference to indignity in the Diocese of London has come to court. Martin Sargeant is accused of defrauding the City church grants committee of about £5.2 million over 10 years before his retirement in 2019. He is 52, lives in Dudley, and the ‘braindump’ author whose behaviour contributed to the tragic death of Fr Alan Griffin. The case continues as Westminster Magistrates have referred it up to Southwark Crown Court.

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Congratulations to the Lambeth Conference media team who did their best under the circumstances. The usual suspects were there (Daily Telegraph, Tablet, Church Times, BBC) but also a dubious constellation of conservative evangelicals. Perhaps Canon Chris Sugden was ok as he writes a column for the Church of England Newspaper, even if his questions seemed to want bishops from the Communion to opine on matters local to the Diocese of Oxford. But the Rev Julian Mann, who left the CofE to join the Free Church of England in 2019 and dialling in from Morecombe? Or Susie Leafe of Anglican Futures, a lettriste for the movement and General Synod for Truro Diocese 2010-21? In one blog post (because bloggers demand to be taken as seriously as journalists) she accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of ‘a hurtful snub’ for not taking seriously enough ‘a carefully written 11-page Communiqué proposed by senior Archbishops’. This document was believed to have been written and disseminated by Paul Eddy who staged a separate press conference at a different venue in Canterbury. ‘I have to confess to not reading with remorseless interest every press release that is put out by every group,’ said Welby when questioned. ‘But I did look at that one and, er, it’s what it says.’

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It was the Salvation Army lady who fainted in the heat at the Lambeth Conference ‘family photo’. She was in situ on the scaffolding and fell onto the row below, her drop being cushioned by the Archbishop of York. Rescue via golf buggy was cheered by all.

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It was almost comical to see bishops placed in student accommodation on the university campus in Canterbury. Delightfully set on hills outside the city and looking down upon the cathedral, it’s a sprawling set-up. There were comments about the distances (15,000 steps a day), the beds (uncomfortable), the food (naturally) and the bar stocks geared to student tastes and not episcopal palates. Perhaps a few rounds of shots and alcopops made the experience more authentic. Is this why one CofE bishop referred to the ‘Instruments of Confusion’?

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Archbishop Welby plugged a commentary by his former chaplain Isabelle Hamley on the Book of Judges. Finding it at the on-site book stall, one bishop from a West Country diocese examined the back and exclaimed ‘Is it really that much?’. A pearl of great price, it would seem. Meanwhile, Bishop Philip North and Bishop Will Hazlewood were enjoying Zumba (#freshexpression).

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Caroline, Mrs Welby, is looking for a PA. The advert states: ‘As well as her own distinct ministry, Mrs Welby spends a considerable amount of time working alongside her husband, particularly around the Anglican Communion, including involvement in the Lambeth Conference. In addition, she plays a central role in the “Women on the Frontline” reconciliation programme, equipping women living in contexts of violent conflict and post-conflict in fomenting peace and reconciliation.’ This ‘excellent opportunity for a confident communicator who thrives on organising and forward planning, to provide high quality PA support to Mrs Caroline Welby’ pays almost £30k pro rata.

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Fr Philip Barnes of St Stephen’s, Gloucester Rd, is often seen with ice cream. But so far not an inflatable altar. Roman Catholic Fr Mattia Bernasconi celebrated an open-air mass in the sea for students at Crotone, Italy, wearing swimming shorts. He’s since been disciplined and reminded of the ‘minimum of decorum and attention to the symbols required by the very nature of liturgical celebrations’.