Bishop Jones to
retire from Liverpool
THE Bishop of Liverpool, the
Rt Revd James Jones (above), will retire on his 65th
birthday in August, it was announced on Monday. Bishop Jones was
appointed to the post in 1998, and is a member of the House of
Lords. In a letter to the diocese, Bishop Jones said that the
willingness of parishes to "rethink and to reshape our common life
for the service of others" had been "inspiring". It had been a
"privilege" to serve the wider community, "not least in chairing
the Hillsborough Independent Panel" (
News, 14 September;
Comment, 21 September). After a farewell service at Liverpool
Cathedral on 3 July, the Bishop will move to Yorkshire.
Jail for woman who
assaulted Exeter Canon
A WOMAN who assaulted the
Canon Precentor of Exeter Cathedral, Canon Carl Turner, was
sentenced to 18 weeks in prison last week for assault and criminal
damage. Exeter Magistrates' Court heard that the woman, Sharon
Thornton, 39, had been drinking, shouting, and swearing on the
cathedral green in August. She hit Canon Turner in the face after
he went to speak to her.
Government to appeal
against CRB ruling
THE Court of Appeal has
ruled that a law that requires people to disclose previous
convictions to employers is a breach of human rights. A spokesman
for the Government said: "We are disappointed by this judgment, and
are seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court." Earlier this
month, the Home Office announced that a new "portable"
criminal-records check would be brought in by the end of this year
(
News, 11 January).
St Michael's
College, Llandaff, appoints new Dean
THE Revd Dr Mark Clavier,
who has dual British-US citizenship, has been appointed Dean of
Residential Training at St Michael's College, Llandaff. Dr Clavier,
who is 42, served in parishes in Maryland and North Carolina before
moving to England five years ago. Since then, he has served as a
house-for-duty priest in County Durham, and as Priest-in-Charge of
three churches in Oxford diocese. Dr Clavier will take up the post
after Easter.
Professor Robin Gill
appointed editor of Theology
THE Revd Professor Robin
Gill has been appointed editor of the journal Theology,
SPCK announced last Friday. "The November/December 2013 issue will
complete a five-year editorship under the Revd Dr Stephen Plant,
with Professor Gill's first issue appearing in January 2014," a
statement said. Professor Gill said that he hoped to encourage
"links between theology and the arts", and to publish articles "by
younger as well as more experienced authors". He said that he hoped
"to have regular features on the latest trends in various
disciplines within theology".