Durham Deanery for Warden of Cranmer Hall
THE next Dean of Durham is to be Canon Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham, it was announced on Wednesday of last week. He succeeds the Very Revd Andrew Tremlett, who was appointed Dean of St Paul’s last year (News, 30 March 2022). Canon Plyming has held his present appointment since 2017. He was appointed an Honorary Canon of the cathedral last year.
Missional Youth Church Network on track, says review
A REVIEW by the Church Army of the work of the Missional Youth Church Network (MYCN) has concluded that it is enabling leaders to grow, and that it has the potential to contribute to the delivery of the C of E’s Vision and Strategy. MYCN partners with churches, dioceses, schools, and communities to develop new expressions of church “for young people by young people”. It works in partnership with the Archbishop of York, the Church Army, and the Benefact Trust.
Canon Jonathan Brewster to be Dean of Carlisle
THE next Dean of Carlisle is to be Canon Jonathan Brewster, Downing Street announced on Wednesday. Canon Brewster is currently a Team Vicar in the Cartmel Peninsula Team Ministry in the diocese of Carlisle. From 2017 to 2021, he was Canon Treasurer of St Paul’s Cathedral. Canon Brewster, who takes up his new post in September, succeeds the Very Revd Mark Boyling, who retired last year (Gazette, 11 March 2022).
St Paul’s edits Churchill description
A REFERENCE to Sir Winston Churchill as an “unabashed imperialist and white supremacist” on the website of St Paul’s Cathedral has been changed after an outcry. The Daily Telegraph reported that the description appeared in a section of the website on Churchill’s state funeral, and is believed to have been up for more than a year before a member of the cathedral’s Friends, Nick Gent, complained that the language was “too heavily charged, condemnatory to the extent that it demonises Churchill”. Lord Soames, a grandson of Churchill, told the Mail on Sunday that the description was “thoughtless, stupid and ignorant and does the image of the Church so much harm”. The wording was amended last Friday to describe the former Prime Minister and war leader as a “figure of controversy, especially when viewed from a modern perspective”. A spokesperson for the cathedral is quoted in the Telegraph: “It was brought to our attention that part of the text within the description was not consistent with the tone of the rest of the page. We have therefore reworded the paragraph with the aim of making the description more balanced and appropriate in its context.” Press
First Quaker Truth Award goes to journalist
THE inaugural Quaker Truth and Integrity Award has gone to Carole Cadwalladr, features writer and investigative journalist for The Observer. The citation commends Ms Cadwalladr’s “great courage” in exposing “serious instances of malpractice and threat to democracy. In doing so, she has made a major contribution towards the enhancement of truth and integrity in public affairs.” In 2018, Ms Cadwalladr contributed to exposing Cambridge Analytica’s collection of personal information through Facebook without users’ consent, and the use of that data for political advertising.
Bridge the gap for mothers in prison, says RC charity
A PILOT project employing social workers in two women’s prisons should be rolled out across the country in line with recommendations from a Government-commissioned review, the Roman Catholic charity Pact has said. The Together a Chance pilot project, run by Pact and funded by the Sylvia Adams Trust, employs two prison-based social workers to support mothers in HM Prisons Send and Eastwood Park. Their purpose is to bridge the gap between the prison and social services in the community, keeping mothers in touch with their children where it is in the child’s best interests.