THE Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, has declined to grant permission to officiate (PTO) to a retired priest, the Revd Sue Parfitt, pending court proceedings. Ms Parfitt has been charged with causing criminal damage in a climate protest.
Ms Parfitt, who is 82, awaits trial over chipping a glass case in the British Library containing a copy of Magna Carta (News, 17 May). She had targeted the document to make the point that the Government had been found in breach of its own climate policy by the High Court.
At the time of the protest, she said: “There will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights, if we allow climate breakdown to become the catastrophe that is now threatened.”
Ms Parfitt and Bishop Faull were among the first women to be ordained in 1994. Ms Parfitt said: “Although I do, naturally, find the Bishop’s action personally painful, especially in this 30th anniversary year when we are celebrating women’s first ordination to the priesthood . . . that is not the important issue.
“Those of us who take part in acts of civil disobedience, do so in order to tell the truth about the uniquely catastrophic emergency which humanity faces and to highlight the determination of the powerful forces of opposition to close down this truth-telling. Courts, professional associations, government, the press and, sadly it seems, the Church, are what we are now up against.”
Ms Parfitt said that Bishop Faull had been supportive of her climate-change protests in the past, including when they led to arrests; and she was instrumental in pushing the Church of England to reach its goal of going net zero by 2030. “So it has come as a shock to discover that she is not now able to continue her support, even though nothing has changed, and has given me no reason why this is so,” she said.
Bristol diocese declined to provide any comment from Bishop Faull, or to clarify whether Ms Parfitt’s PTO could be renewed if she desisted from such actions in future.
A spokesperson said: “We would like to provide clarification that the Revd Dr Sue Parfitt has not held Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Bristol since 31 December 2022. She is retired and lives within the diocese and remains a Clerk in Holy Orders. The Revd Dr Sue Parfitt recently applied for a new PTO within the Diocese. PTO is not being issued at this time based on the fact that Ms Parfitt is facing criminal charges in ongoing court proceedings.
“The Diocese recognises everyone’s legal right to protest. We support the call for more urgent action to combat the environmental crisis and advocate for the changes in peaceful and lawful ways.”
Joe Ware is senior climate journalist at Christian Aid.