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Southwell and Nottingham General Synod member calls for safeguarding changes

A member of the Church of England’s General Synod who campaigns against gender-based violence is calling for changes to the way the Church of England tackles safeguarding. Gavin Drake has tabled two Private Members Motions (PMMs) which may be selected for debate by the Synod if they attract the signatures of 100 other General Synod […]

“Embarrassing security failure” or embarrassing lack of religious literacy

A man was arrested yesterday morning (Sunday) after two people were assaulted at York Minster. You can read about it on most UK news websites (but if you’re particularly discerning you can read my report for the Church Times here). An unusually high number of journalists were inside the Minster when the assaults took place because […]

The Church of England is a tortoise compared to Rome’s hare

There are many ways of comparing denominations. There are so many differences of style, liturgy, customs and even doctrine. But such comparisons are always subjective. One man’s heresy is another man’s cornerstone. But recent events involving the leadership of the Church of England and the Church of Rome, overlapping as they have, provide us with […]

Church lawyers to review advice to PCCs on chancel repair liability

Church lawyers are to review their advice to PCCs on Chancel Repair Liability (CRL), after the case in Broadway, Worcestershire, where the Charity Commission ruled that it would be “reasonable” for the parish not to register liability against 30 householders. Under recent legislative changes, PCCs have just over a year to register CRL against affected […]

Archbishop’s child abuse inquiry finds diocese “Dysfunctional”

An investigation set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury following persistent allegations of child abuse by priests has concluded that the Diocese of Chichester is “dysfunctional” and this “continues to impinge upon the adequacy of safeguarding in the diocese.” Dr Rowan Williams established a rare Archbishop’s Commission – the first in over 100 years – […]

PCCs given liability warning over Chancel Repair “assets”

Parochial church councils that fund chancel repairs without securing funds from a lay rector could be guilty of a breach of trust, with “serious consequences” for PCC members, Neville Rowles, a conveyancing solicitor with the Manchester-based law firm Boote Edgar Esterkin, has suggested. He warns: “Members of the PCCs concerned could be open to a […]