*** DEBUG START ***
*** DEBUG END ***

Letters to the Editor

by
18 October 2024

iStock

Outcome of the Bishop Dyer case

From Mr Richard Murray

Madam, — I refer to your report (News, 10 October) “Proceedings in Dyer case are halted”. I am puzzled and perplexed by the reasons the Procurator has given to support his decision “not to lead evidence in respect of any of the accusations which have been referred to trial against Bishop Anne Dyer”.

The Procurator remains of the view that “there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of each allegation.” Central to his decision are the “public interest” aspects of the case, which he outlines in his note of reasons. He emphasises, however, that, although the Bishop has been set free from the disciplinary proceedings, she is not free from the “court of public opinion”, as the charges against her have not been dismissed, merely the prosecution. In addition, there remain on public record the Torrance report and the two references to Scotland’s charity regulator, whose investigations are awaited.

The Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney has not been exonerated. The Procurator’s opinion of her guilt is unqualified, which, he says, could have resulted in her being removed from Holy Orders. His decision provides an opportunity for the Bishop to handle her reinstatement with humility and grace. I am disappointed that she has not done so, judging by the public statements that she has made and that show a lack of self-awareness and a triumphalist tone.

Through her legal representative. she has asserted that a “small cabal of church members” who object to women bishops and same-sex marriage are waging a relentless campaign against her. The accusation is baseless. given that those who have lodged Canon 54 complaints support women’s ministry in the Church, including women bishops, and have family and close friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and the priest among them is one of the few licensed to celebrate same-sex marriage in the diocese.

A consequence of these comments is that fresh anxieties have been raised in the minds of clergy and laity for whom no preparation has been made for this outcome under the Church’s safeguarding rules.

The Scottish Episcopal Church has failed to deal with the Canon 54 complaints in a fair and just manner, which are the stated overriding objectives of the disciplinary rules. Canon 54 is not fit for purpose. Representations about errors in the Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC) process have been rebuffed by those within the Church who have the power to make changes.

Curiously, the current Procurator’s predecessor and four PPC solicitors have all resigned after detailed representations made to them. Furthermore, two judicial members of the Clergy Discipline Tribunal resigned in April shortly before it was announced in public by the Procurator that charges were to be taken to the tribunal.

I am deeply saddened by the outcome. The whole thing is a mess. Had the Torrance report been accepted at the outset, a great deal of pain, reputation, and status would have been spared.

RICHARD MURRAY
Rowanbank, Kendal Road
Kemnay, Inverurie AB51 5RN


Flawed assessment of Labour’s 100 days in power

From Dr Andrew Purkis

Madam, — I usually admire Paul Vallely’s column, but was unconvinced by his analysis of the first 100 days of Labour in office (“How did Labour sink so far, so fast?”, Comment, 11 October).

He criticises Sir Keir Starmer for prioritising lawyerly logic over political instinct; but Sir Keir has already appointed Morgan MacSweeny, who personifies political instinct and calculation, as his Chief of Staff instead of the civil servant Sue Gray. Mr Vallely wrongly complains that Labour has failed to give the public a sense of direction on policy, such as the planning system and workers’ rights; but draft proposals on the planning framework were issued for consultation in the summer, and those for workers’ rights have also been published. Pretty good going for such complex and disputed subjects?

Mr Vallely fails to mention altogether the settlement of long-running pay disputes in the NHS, and, if he or the public don’t know “the direction of travel” on the NHS and the railways, they have not been paying attention. Perhaps the scrapping of the infamous Rwanda policy for asylum-seekers might have been worth a mention, too, and the determined response to toxic racist riots?

I believe that it is an optical illusion that Sir Keir has “lost control over the agenda”. One thing that is clear from his biography by Tom Baldwin is that he has a prodigious capacity not only for hard work but for strategic focus. We should take him seriously when he says that he is focused intently on his five missions as his priorities for fixing the worst problems of the country and will not be deflected from them by the ups and downs of opinion polls and politics.

Time will tell. But isn’t it odd, from a distinctively church perspective, to criticise a leader for setting too little store by short-term political considerations and focusing on what is in the long-term good of the country? How often do we offer precisely the opposite criticism!

ANDREW PURKIS
44 Bellamy Street
London SW12 8BU


Environmentalism in the Marie Antoinette vein

From Dr Barry Barton

Madam, — The call by Chris Packham and other celebrities (News, 11 October) for the Church Commissioners to rewild 30 per cent of their estate by 2030 is a classic example of virtue-signalling. How many of the Church of England’s agricultural tenancies are small family farms, already struggling to make a living from farming? Losing one third of their productive land will render their farms uneconomic, forcing them into bankruptcy and possibly homelessness. The cumulative effect on some smaller and more remote rural communities could be dire.

England has been unable to feed itself since the 19th century. (When the tipping point occurred is open to debate; some time between the repeal of the Corn Laws and the collapse of High Victorian agriculture.) Throughout the 20th century, England has been rich enough to be able to import food in bulk from overseas, outbidding poorer nations in the process, but for how long, in an increasingly strife-torn and hostile world, can we expect this situation to continue?

Not only does England have one of the highest population densities of any major European country, but our population is currently increasing at the fastest rate in recorded history. The ever-growing need for land to house our burgeoning population and for the infrastructure necessary to support it means that the area of land available for domestic food production diminishes accordingly. Yes, of course our farming must be ecologically sensitive, but to take good agricultural land out of production when tens of millions of the world’s poorest people go to bed hungry each night — how Christian is that?

Under such circumstances, those demanding that the Commissioners rewild 30 per cent of their estate demonstrate as much knowledge or understanding of farming and food production as did Marie Antoinette and the thoughtlessly self-indulgent ladies of her court when dressing up and pretending to be shepherdesses. At least Marie Antoinette did not suggest that the peasants eat lamb chops.

BARRY BARTON
15 Swinstead Road
Corby Glen, Grantham
Lincs NG33 4NU


From the Revd Stephen Cooper

Madam, — While I understand and support the environmental imperative to reduce humanity’s impact on the planet (News, 4 and 11 October), so many of the solutions proposed merely export the problem, in one form or another, to other parts of the world.

It would be great to have an electric car if I could afford one, but for the UK to go electric is resulting in the environmental devastation of places such as the Congo to provide the lithium and other rare metals required to build the cars and so much else in the e-economy. What kind of good stewardship is that?

It would be great to re-wild much of our countryside and have our food production at the highest environmental and animal welfare standards, but, on our track record, that would further export our food production, currently 40 per cent and rising, to places where we have no control over the environmental and animal-welfare standards. How is that good stewardship? And are we ready for the reintroduction of the top predators, wolves, bears, lynx, etc., which genuine rewilding requires?

It would be great to “just stop oil”, but, until we have the technology to replace our dependence on fossil fuels, then just stopping the production will shut down transport, food, and industrial production, and much more. Until such replacement technology is available, shutting down UK fossil-fuel production merely exports the environmental problems of production to other countries.

Good environmental stewardship should mean that we control the environmental impact of our food, energy, and industrial production, ensuring that it happens to the high environmental and animal-welfare standards that we expect. We can have such control only in the UK and in cooperation with countries that are working to the same environmental and animal-welfare standards. Without this, we are heading in the direction of turning the UK into an artificial environmental theme park while exporting the environmental problems of production to other parts of the world. That cannot be good stewardship.

And no one ever wants to talk about the environmental unsustainability of our current population, whether world or UK, which is the real problem behind humanity’s environmental impact. Quite simply, there are far, far too many of us for the planet’s good.

STEPHEN COOPER
Flat 15, 3 Addington Road
Croydon CR2 8RE


Is the centralised Vision throwing out the baby?

Madam, — When, as a curate, I was discouraged that some bright scheme that I had to bring people to church flopped, the vicar would tell me gently, “What counts is not success, but faithfulness.”

In her criticism of target-driven strategies for church growth, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, seems of the same mind: “if growth is to happen, it will be God’s doing” (Quotes, 20 September; Canon Tilby, Comment, 11 October).

But the paradox is that faithfulness can be not just the antidote to decline, but the basis for growth. The rural parish I work in has long been in vacancy; we have had zilch support from the bishop, and little more from successive archdeacons. Yet the people’s faithfulness in word and sacrament and pastoral care for one another and their communities has led to a growing congregation (and income).

Our only dread is the imposition of some Church of England “Vision” blind to the strength of faithful worship and service.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED


From Mr Oliver Iliffe

Madam, — Mr Baird’s reference to “unintended consequences” (Letters, 4 October) of Vision and Strategy is apt. Church leaders seem genuinely keen to fill their seats in the House of Lords and to participate in the set pieces of national life, but appear unaware that the unnecessary retreat from the parish is hollowing out the very concept of the Church “established by law” and the constitutional monarchy that she sanctifies.

In breaking the main direct link between the Defender of the Faith and every community in England, we may also soon find that (like the proverbial nail) because the parish was lost, the kingdom was lost. It now seems clear that Vision and Strategy is undermining the Church’s claim to maintain its established status, but surely this cannot have been an intended consequence?

OLIVER ILIFFE
Address supplied (Ogbourne St George, Wiltshire)


Get trauma-informed

From Mr Stephen Parkin

Madam, — I read with interest the article “Putting on the full armour of God” (Michaelmas Ordinations, 4 October), by the Revd Dr Christian Selvaratnam, as I have been looking at trauma for a number of years. I hope that those in involved in lay ministry also receive such input.

Surely, it is time for all churches to be trauma-informed. Social workers receive input dealing with the most vulnerable: why not churches that do the same? Are we not all “wounded healers”, according to Henry Nouwen?

Trauma affects us all in different ways, and trauma theology is being discussed more today. Why could we not have training on trauma-informed churches as part of safeguarding training modules?

STEPHEN PARKIN
26 Northfield Road, Beverley
East Yorkshire HU17 7HN

Browse Church and Charity jobs on the Church Times jobsite

Letters to the editor

Letters for publication should be sent to letters@churchtimes.co.uk.

Letters should be exclusive to the Church Times, and include a full postal address. Your name and address will appear below your letter unless requested otherwise.

Forthcoming Events

Inspiration: The Influences That Have Shaped My Life

September - November 2024

St Martin in the Fields Autumn Lecture Series 2024

tickets available

 

Can a ‘Good Death‘ be Assisted?

28 November 2024

A webinar in collaboration with Modern Church

tickets available

 

Through Darkness To Light: Advent Journeys

30 November 2024

tickets available

 

Festival of Faith and Literature

28 February - 2 March 2025

tickets available

 

Visit our Events page for upcoming and past events 

The Church Times Archive

Read reports from issues stretching back to 1863, search for your parish or see if any of the clergy you know get a mention.

FREE for Church Times subscribers.

Explore the archive

Welcome to the Church Times

 

To explore the Church Times website fully, please sign in or subscribe.

Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month. (You will need to register.)