Scottish Episcopal Church drops bullying tribunal against Scotland's first female bishop

Bishop Dyer was suspended in August 2022.                                                                                              Source: STV News

In 2024 it ws reported that bishop Anne Dyer was to face a disciplinary tribunal after being suspended in August 2022.

In a document outlining the reasons for the decision to drop the bullying tribunal, lawyer Paul Reid KC said: "It has become apparent that the prospect of giving evidence, and in particular facing cross-examination in a public forum, is a source of anxiety for a number of potential witnesses." He added: "Given the already difficult situation in the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney, a public trial very materially risks, whatever its outcome, of making an already difficult situation worse."

According to Mail Plus, angry parishioners in the Scottish Episcopal Church are threatening to leave while others have vowed to remove it from their wills after bullying complaints against its first female bishop were dropped.

In 2022 the bishop of Llandaff found herself in the clear after the Dean of Llandaff withdrew his charge of bullying following an extended period of sick leave. 

The Vicar of Radyr at the time resigned saying that she could no longer, with integrity, knowing the many things she knows, serve in the diocese where she believed a 'culture of fear' exists.

Then there were two! 

Black hole

Source: X (formerly Twitter)

The Government's decision to cut the winter fuel allowance for all but the country’s poorest pensioners looks particularly harsh when set against revelations about gifts to the prime minister and Cabinet members.

From BBC News: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since becoming prime minister, following a backlash over donations. A Labour peer donated more than £32,000 worth of clothing and spectacles to Sir Keir when he was leader of the opposition, which he has not paid back.

Addressing the Labour Party Conference Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said, "Conference, focusing Winter Fuel Payments on the poorest pensioners wasn’t a decision we wanted or expected to make. But when we promised we could be trusted with taxpayers’ money, we meant it. And when we’re faced with a £22 billion black hole which the Tories left this year – we had to act."

The absurdity of the Government's position can be observed from this clash between Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. On the one hand the Government claims to be desperate to save money by penalising the elderly while on the other they claim to be doing all they can to pay out money to thousands of pensioners who are eligible for pension credit but have not claimed because of their inability to do so through personal circumstances such as dementia or the complexity of doing so.

The £22 billion black hole has been disputed by the Tories but even if true, the government with an economy of £2.27 trillion does not need to penalise vulnerable pensioners. There is money available.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, is to spend £22 billion on a Carbon capture and storage project when, according to Recharge, "Capturing CO2 emissions using direct-air-capture (DAC) technology requires almost as much energy as that contained in the fossil fuels that produced the carbon dioxide in the first place, according to new analysis."

The United Kingdom does not exist in a bubble. Other countries produce much more CO2 which is released into the atmosphere.

Better to plant more oxygen producing trees to capture CO2 for a fraction of the cost than to put pensioners at risk.

Postscripts 

[10.10.2024] From Age UK: 

Yesterday, Age UK’s own Equality Impact Assessment was released. It presents the true harm of the Winter Fuel Payment cut. 82% of pensioners in poverty or just above the poverty line will lose up to £300 in energy support this winter.

The assessment looks at age, sex, disability, living arrangements and region – it’s the most important moment for the campaign so far. It shows that the vast majority of older people on low incomes won’t get the Winter Fuel Payment, so the Government must change course.

Will you help by sharing these findings with your MP?

  

 Yes, I'll email my MP    

[11.10.2024] 
1, The Prime Minister describing the plight of pensioners when in Opposition.
2. Financial Times report: "UK Treasury refuses to disclose key details of £22bn fiscal ‘black hole’. 

The government has also refused to publish an assessment of the impact of means-testing winter fuel payments on pensioners.

EFCW statement in response to the recent statement by the Bishop of St Asaph at Governing Body

 

The bishop of St Asaph addressing Governing Body         Source: CT/CinW

Statement from the Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales:

At the recent Governing Body meeting the Bishop of St Asaph made reference to EFCW and previous communications with the Bench of Bishop’s in his answer to a question on Conversion Therapy. His answer can be found here or in the Church Times here. Our response is printed below.

The original 2021 letter to the Bench of Bishops (with their original statement appended) and subsequent correspondence which were referenced are linked underneath.

We regret the interpretation put upon the EFCW letter of June 2021 to the Bench of Bishops in the Bishop of St Asaph’s response to Question 1 at the recent September meeting of the Church in Wales Governing Body. This letter was written to the Bench in good faith, as part of an ongoing dialogue, and we are saddened that reference was made to it in a situation that did not allow a right of reply or clarification before the Governing Body, and in its subsequent publication and distribution. We wish to rebut the implication that EFCW (wittingly or unwittingly) endorses conversion therapy.

EFCW does not, and never has, promoted coercive or abusive practices. Nor do we promote or encourage “practices in which pressure is brought upon vulnerable LGBTQIA persons to submit to efforts aimed at the conversion of their sexuality including attempted exorcisms and worse”, which we also agree are abhorrent.

As evangelical Anglicans we uphold the authority of Scripture over every aspect of our lives, as detailed in Articles 6, 7, 19 and 20.  We are concerned that reducing the role of the Church to one simply of “welcome, acceptance and friendship” as the Bishop of St Asaph indicates, without the freedom to discuss the whole Canon of Scripture, or its application to daily life, would undermine the holistic pastoral care and discipleship journeys of those in our congregations. 

We would also wish to have protections allowing prayer to take place with people, at their request, in the way the Bishop of St. Asaph suggests, namely “that God’s grace can be operative in the situation, and that a person would know God’s guidance and blessing, without a defined outcome”.

Full details here.

GB question and Bishop Gregory's answer in 'Highlights' (Session Two).

The Great Church in Wales Giveaway

Original source: X (formerly Twitter)

The Church in Wales has announced that it is to invest almost £10m in four projects designed to promote growth in church attendance in Wales. 

The Church explained that "The grants are being made from the Church Growth Fund, in which the Church is investing £100m to support projects in a once-in-a generation opportunity to resource confident and consistent evangelism throughout Wales."

The diocese of Monmouth is dedicating £1 million to 'help grow new worshipping communities' by targeting local schools.

This news has not been universaly welcomed.

The South Wales Argus described it as a 'Cynical move' to use schools to ease 'plummeting' church membership. 

Their community content editor writes: 

"Campaigners have urged local authorities to ensure schools 'will not be used as mission fields', after the Church in Wales announced plans to 'build stronger links' with schools in South Wales.

"The diocese plans to install a 'Schools Engagement Pioneer' in areas including North Monmouthshire, Islwyn and Abergavenny to focus on 'relationship-building with primary and secondary school-age pupils in a manner which goes beyond school assemblies'."

A spokesperson for he Diocese of Monmouth explained that it has secured funding of more than £1m to help grow new worshipping communities by building stronger relationships with schools.

What is a Church in Wales 'worshipping community' today and what sort of relationships?

Recently a pride service was held at Newport Cathedral. Their same sex partnered bishop preached. The Celebrant was transgender.

For building 'inclusive' relationships in the Church in Wales see this entry published six years ago. The then preacher now occupies an influential post at Newport Cathedral while the concelebrant has been appointed bishop of Bardsey.

For the love of Christ?

Caption Corner 20 September 2024

 

Source: X (formerly Twitter)

As usual publishable captions will appear as comments.

Conned

The Labour winter 2024 - 2025.               Source: X (Twitter)

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Government secured a majority of 120 in the winter fuel allowance vote to cut the payment for all but the country’s poorest pensioners. A few Labour MPs rebelled with a Labour Government, yes, a Labour government, to paraphrase Neil Kinnock's 1985 conference speech, winning by 348 to 228. 

As Leader of the  Opposition Starmer criticised the Tory Government for even considering moves to cut back the winter fuel allowance. Now in government his excuse for changing his mind was blamed on an 'inherited black hole', much of which results from paying off the Unions which allows engine drivers to manage on £70,000 a year - until they demand their next cost of living increase.

Ah! says Starmer, but pensioners will receive £460 a year extra next April when the triple lock increase is due to be paid, ignoring the fact that April 2025 is after Winter 2024 when pensioners need the money to heat their homes and conveniently forgetting that the pension increase in April is to help pensioners keep up with the cost of living.

Agreed, there are State pensioners with private pensions but many will need to have saved their well earned pension to ease their pain because of long NHS waiting lists. That could mean £20,000 for hip surgery (£13,500) - double for some - and £6,000 for cataracts followed by the prospect of having to pay for one's end of life care.

These are often pensioners who have 'done their bit', serving their country in the armed force on National Service before working hard all their lives to make better lives for their children and grandchildren, only to see their inheritance being squandered. 

They will deservedly feel conned as well as feeling the cold as they shiver this winter.

Source: X (Twitter)

Governing Body Highlight

 

There was one highlight at this month's meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales. That was the presentation at agendum 16 Open Doors – supporting the persecuted Church.

My readers will have been here before. There have been various entries highlighting Christian persecution around the world, for example,  What it means for others to be a Christian.

How Christians suffer for their faith can be seen in an earlier 2022 video from Open Doors.

Many Christians are prepared to die for their faith while others call on the love of Jesus to justify Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DIE) which dilutes their faith. The contrast could not be more stark.

Postscripts [07.09.2024]

1. From The Christian Post - Five companies that are scaling back DEI, LGBT advocacy

2. From Anglican Futures - Will the Church in Wales be extinct in 15 years? "...it appears the Bishops of the Church in Wales seem determined to drive the church over the precipice."