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| St Woolos Cathedral Source: Church in Wales |
From the South Wales Argus: Archbishop of Wales John Davies declares saga that has engulfed Diocese of Monmouth for months is 'now closed' but for whoever is feeding the Argus and for some commentators it is not closed.
In a postscript to my entry The Monmouth effect?, I published a link to the Archbishop's statement of 5th June 2019 regarding the Bishop of Monmouth's long absence. It was hoped that the Archbishop's statement would draw a line under this sad episode in the life of the diocese of Monmouth.
Ambrose and Jonathan who raised with me, as Archbishop, concerns about Bishop Richard’s well-being. This was entirely the right and proper thing for them to do, and I commend them for doing so. I then asked others to look into some of the issues which they raised with me and to report back confidentially" after emphasising that he was "not going to betray confidences or disclose confidential matters".
That seemed perfectly reasonable, especially in conjunction with the clarification:
"Keeping confidences can be a two-edged sword since, whenever matters are, for legal or
other reasons, required to be kept private and confidential, rumours and misinformation begin
to develop, grow and then circulate.
"I am aware that all manner of rumours and some salacious speculation have been circulating
in this Diocese, and this has been deeply critical of particular individuals, some of whom are
here, myself included. This leaves those of us in full possession of the facts with a temptation
to betray trust and breach confidentiality to set the record straight. So, I pay tribute to those,
who in the face of severe, ill-informed criticism, and sometimes to their own detriment, have
neither breached confidences nor disclosed confidential matters."
It is time to draw a line and move on.
I can fully understand why it would be good for the Diocese of Monmouth to 'move on.' However, this situation has created conflict and hurt, whatever the facts of the matter; and the Archbishop's statement can only be the first step in a long process of healing the divisions that have opened up in the Diocese. Trust needs to be restored - and that cannot happen by sweeping what had been said and (in some cases) done under the carpet of an Archiepiscopal pronouncement.
ReplyDeleteWhoever the next Bishop of Monmouth is, it cannot be a case of 'carry on as you were' without there continuing to be an undercurrent of (at best) guarded caution and (at worst) downright suspicion. The new Bishop needs to be a focus of unity, and needs to be trusted as someone who is perceived - and known with confidence - to be above whatever went on and continues to fuel speculation. A new Bishop needs to be able to lead, to inspire confidence, and to achieve cohesion. Otherwise, there is every possibility a deep malaise will take hold, and the mission of the Church will stagnate. Bangor is just one example of how a Diocese cannot cohere around its Bishop, as it limps towards defeat and extinction.
I appreciate the sentiments of this thread, AB - and who wouldn't want to 'move on'? But you cannot move on when many of the troops are walking wounded, and others are confused about where their loyalties belong. The question is, does the Archbishop realise this?
AR, the deep malaise set into the Church in Wales years ago. It began when the hierarchical elite decided that they would manipulate every situation to their will. They allowed for consultation, but then ignored what the laity and even the clergy said.
DeleteThe Harries Report consultation was a case in point. Nothing that was said at any of the joint lay/clergy sessions ever found its way into that report. It was sheer manipulation by the hierarchy. I personally sent three sheets of A4 to Lord Harries, with thoughts from those of us down here on the ground, and he wrote back to thank me for the ideas and then ignored everything that was sent to him. I know of a few others who did likewise in other dioceses and they were similarly ignored.
When people can see quite plainly that their thoughts and visions are being ignored, they simply stop trying to engage with matters. Therein, lies the deathly malaise. It doesn't matter who the next Bishop of Monmouth is, s/he will have to fit into the same mould as the rest of the Bench. St Paul held that a bishop needed to have certain admirable qualities to shepherd the flock of God.
Currently, the qualities for a bishop in the Church in Wales are: manipulative, scheming, backstabbing and the ability to speak with a forked-tongue. Long gone are the days when bishops were shepherds, today, as Archbishop Barry Morgan once chided one of his clergy, bishops are called to be managers. As a result, the flock of God go unfed and un-watered.. and die. Society is allowed to wallow in its ignorance of the things of God, while the charlatans on the Bench tell them to keep calm and carry on. The Church in Wales is indeed limping towards extinction, but at least the Bishop of Bangor has got £10 million for the wake, and a shop in St Asaph diocese, should anyone wish to undertake a little retail therapy.
Seymour
More, “Take it or leave it” salesmanship then.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately there are still some unanswered questions.
ReplyDeleteI sympathise with the Archbishop in having to deal with the Dean and Archdeacons of Monmouth.
Before he made his statement at the Cathedral he asked several lay people to leave. This appeared to be discourteous but he had only invited clerics and did not realise that the Dean had invited selected parishioners to make the session uncomfortable for the Archbishop.
Tonge and Williams are bullying the Archbishop in the same way that they have bullied others.
The Archbishop has relented in modifying his previous position. However if you compare his recent statements with previous ones they are incongruent. He is now suggesting that the Dean and Archdeacons were only concerned with Bishop Richard’s welfare. So why was it necessary to conduct a disciplinary investigation? Why was it necessary to involve a mediator? Why did the Area Deans feel it necessary to express their support for Bishop Richard in a campaign to get him reinstated? Why will the Archbishop not field any further questions?
I am afraid that this is not the end of the matter. It will only end if a new Bishop has the courage to clear the decks and start afresh.
It will be interesting to see if Williams, Mason and Tonge attend Bishop Richard’s farewell service.
DeleteIf they are genuinely interested in his welfare they will be there and interact with him.
If they do not attend we will draw a different conclusion.
Sounds like only someone desperate for purple would take on this poison chalice. So sad.
ReplyDeleteAB, there are different ways of drawing lines and moving on.
ReplyDeleteFor my part I have stopped my giving and I no longer attend St. Woolos'.
I shall not be returning until Sister Lister has moved on.
PP. Perhaps +Dominic should return for a short period to sort the situation out. Or are the 3 musketeers too strong now. There is always the 3rd AD.
ReplyDeleteIt was Bishop Dominic who appointed the Dean. Old boys'network.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that Bishop Richard has requested that the three musketeers not attend his farewell service. The fact that it is in Abergavenny and not the cathedral tells you all you need to know, anyway.
Martin
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ReplyDelete