Former Worthing vicar sentenced to four years
A FORMER Vicar of Christ Church, Worthing, David Renshaw, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images portraying acts of intercourse with animals. A jury found him guilty of eight offences in February. He had more than 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer. During a search of his home, Sussex Police found dead and malnourished animals, and drugs paraphernalia, the BBC reported. The diocese of Chichester has launched an investigation into why he had been added to the National Clergy Register (of authorised clerics) a year after his arrest in 2020 (News, 17 February).
Michael Ramsey Prize relaunched
NOMINATIONS are open for the 2023 Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing, which has been relaunched this year. The prize, launched by Lord Williams when he was Archbishop of Canterbury, in 2005, seeks to recognise the most promising contemporary theological writing from the global Church, and to commend it to a wider readership. Members of the public are asked to nominate books at www.michaelramseyprize.org.uk/nominate-a-book. The closing date is 14 June. The criteria for nominations are that: the book is by a living author; it was published between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2022; it is written in, or has been translated into, English; and it is by no more than three authors. The longlist and panel of judges are due to be announced in the summer; the shortlist will be announced in the autumn. The winner will be awarded £15,000, to be announced at an awards ceremony in December. Shortlisted authors will receive £2500 each. The present Archbishop of Canterbury said: “It is absolutely vital that Christians engage thoughtfully, in a deep and robust manner, with scripture, doctrine, and tradition.”
Bishop Faull asks for clarity on grant applications
THE Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, has asked the Government to “clarify the issue of local-authority funding responsibilities for all Christian churches, including parish churches”. She was speaking during the Committee Stage of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill on Wednesday of last week (News, 23 May). A diocesan press release explained that existing legislation — some dating back to 1894 — offered parish and town councils conflicting instructions about whether they could support appeals for grants for building works in “ecclesiastical buildings”. Bishop Faull has tabled amendments to allow local bodies to act in favour of all churches.
Manchester CathedralTurned out dry: a traditional Whit Walk through the centre of Manchester last Sunday, the first since the Covid pandemic began