 |
| Archbishop of Canterbury Source: MailOnline Ex PO CEO Paula Vennells |
In 2021 Religion Media Centre reported "The Rev Paula Vennells, former chief executive of the Post Office, is “stepping back” from her role as a parish priest, after the scandal of postal workers wrongly convicted for financial crimes, caused by a faulty IT system."
From MailOnline yesterday: "Revealed: How disgraced ex-Post Office chief Paula Vennells nearly became the Bishop of London after being 'supported' in her application by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby."
Vennells was ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 2006 and served as a non-stipendiary minister in the Diocese of St Albans. Her lack of experience in the ordained ministry, particularly at a senior level did not deter her from applying for the post of Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Church of England, for which she was shortlisted.
Apparently believing that administrative skills are more important than pastoral care, her application for the post was reportedly supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Whilst the Post Office scandal is at last receiving the attention it deserves, the conduct of the Church of England deviating from the faith to act like a political organisation must not be overlooked.
@ Ancient Briton
ReplyDeleteMy thanks, AB, for taking note of my suggestion in previous 'Christmas Greetings' blog and headlining this disgrace as a stand-alone issue for others to comment on. I was loathed to try and influence your good editorial decision-taking, but the issue certainly needed some examination. Vennells catapulting to the shortlist for the C-of-E's third most senior post is perhaps extreme in the 'shock-horror' league, but it does throw some light into just how ridiculous the system of appointments within the entire Anglican Communion is; something that perhaps HMG Church Commissioners in England might look at although goodness knows who might examine the process in Wales. None of those in positions of authority or seniority in Wales ought to be there in the first place.
Welby can of course be ridiculed for his support of the 'corrupted' woman, but the Bishop of St Albans is equally faulted for not having done some suitability vetting before ordaining the woman and worse, being slow to suggest she stands aside ... and only then, swayed by the fact that his mother was a Post Office sub-postmistress.
And for how long would the Church have hushed up the debacle before matter was forced into the limelight.
Ad Clerum
I'd tend to agree with all that. The situation with Paula does seem to call into question the whole system of appointing CofE bishops. Without even touching on Ms Vennell's work at the Post Office, it seems bizarre to me that a person who has only ever served as an NSM in a parish should even be considered for such a senior role. As far as I can see she was never an Archdeacon, Area Dean or even Parish Team Leader - please correct me if I'm wrong. One does indeed wonder if she was appointed because of her "contacts" and/or because of her management experience - which latter then makes one ask what the CofE thinks the role of bishops actually is.
DeleteTeilo: Has Welby never understood that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a multimillionairess to be suitable as a bishop?
DeleteWelby is an Ass, what would he know about camels?
DeleteCommentators are reminded that 'Anonymous' comments submitted for publication require a pseudonym.
ReplyDeleteAssuming Justin Welby is correctly reported to have favoured Paula Vennells as Bishop of London in 2018 - with the debacle alredy unfolding even in the courts - would he really have gone so far as to embarrass the then Prime Minister (and Church faithful) Theresa May into taking his recommendation to the late Queen Elizabeth for her assent (which Her Majesty would be compelled to give). The title Bishop of London carries with it appointment as Dean of the Chapel Royal so even more reason why this appointment could have been a ticking time-bomb for the Queen; and Welby would have known it.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, as part of this process, Welby would have already sought of the Bishop of St. Albans his recommendation and endorsement given that the Rev Vennells was of his diocese. As Baptist Trainfan notes, she was hardly qualified to even become a Rural Dean on strength of her period as Deacon and NSP that alone England's third mjost senior cleric. And it would also be interesting to know how many fellow Privy Counsellors Welby had mustered from the House of Lords to petition for her enthronement as Bishop of London and thus Peerage; again Welby being prepared to embroil the Queen in what would have later become an explosive roar of public outcry.
I think Welby has some explaining to do and not hide behind the CofE Press Office fixed position of: 'We never comment on such matters'.
Paula Vennells did not apply to be Bishop of London. She was placed on the preferment list held by the archbishops appoint secretary because she deemed as a suitable candidate for preferment during her IME training. She was near the top of the preferment list at the time of the vacancy and was naturally placed in the first long-list for the job. She was then selected from the long-list via Justin Welby's personal intervention in this "discernment process."
ReplyDelete@ Jon
ReplyDeleteOK, so she didn't personally apply for the post (no one suggested she did). So what?!
I think we recall that Car-Crash Kathy Jones didn't apply for Dean of Bangor either but preferred by +Bangor Andy and that, too, ended in tears. I also seem to remember that having been sacked by the same +Andrew, her predecessor Susan Jones headed off to Derby where the local bishop's wife was also the Archbishop's Appointment Secretary (a powerful position) so it came as no surprise that with such a cosy relationship (and a letter of reference from +Bangor who had just sacked her) that she became Dean of Liverpool. The deeper you dig, the wider the lid of the 'can of worms' seems to open. Your doesn't answer Old Bill's comment regarding the carefree attitude of the 'system' in exposing the Monarch to absolute ridicule had Vennells proceeded to snr. rank.
It seems to be all about salaries, pensions, preferments and pay-offs, while children are slaughtered in Gaza and others are dying for want of a crust of bread. Do these people qualify as Christian leaders - nothing to say of the gospel and zero inspiration for the pew-sitters?
DeleteLW
@Cerri
DeleteI don't think the 'system' necessarily is set up to give the monarchy protection or an easy ride. Let us remember that Jeffrey Archer was a strong candidate for Mayor of London before certain things came to light.
Just because Paula Vennels did not hold the office of archdeacon or rural dean during her church career would not disallow her from becoming a senior Bishop. The duties of a Bishop are considerably different from such minor clergy roles. David Jenkins and Chris Cocksworth became Bishops straight from academia, Tim Dakin was head of CMS. There is no set route or path from which bishops are chosen, they are chosen on their ability to be able to manage large numbers of staff, big budgets and run committees - this is exactly the experience that Paula Vennels had on her CV at the time and hence her candidature.
ReplyDeleteJon - I take your point. But that seems to make bishops into little more than "senior managers". Is that really what their role should be? What about "pastor to the pastors", for instance?
DeleteHow fascinating and revelatory that your knowledge of the workings of the Holy Ghost is so profound.
DeleteNo wonder the Church of England is thriving and growing at such an enormous pace!
Of course the Holy Ghost is not involved in the selection of Bishops for the Church of England. The Church of England is involved in well-managed, environmentally conscious, ethically sustainable, decline.
ReplyDeleteWell managed?
Delete🤣
The caption competition has mysteriously disappeared from this week’s Church Times (it was going to be about the notorious photograph of Bangor cathedral clergy). Also there is no criticism of Archbishop Welby’s role in the near appointment of Paula Vennels as Bishop of London. One wonders how well Bishop Paula would have treated her clergy.
ReplyDeletePerhaps all the best entries weren't suitable for print? 🤔
DeleteJon: your assertions are bizarre. (1) that the Church of England need not kow-pow to the Sovereign is nonsense. The Monarch is head of the CofE and thus an integral part of it.
ReplyDeleteThen the question of senior bishops plucked from business or commerce?? Imagine the outcry if a Brigade of hard-nosed, professional, go-to, soldiers were told their new Brigade Commander was to be a Lance Corporal from the TA ... but he works in the stockroom ASDA so knows all about procurement, how numbers are crunched etc. Or a new director of clinical care appointed to a major hospital on basis that she worked for Great Western Rail and once managed to get five trains run on time (thus no waiting lists on the platform), has good public relations skills (again: some experience of using the tannoy on Platform Five) etc. Snr Consultants and surgeons would walk out! Its hard enough for the CofE (and CinW) recruiting decent clergy and retaining their better priests. Goodness only knows how many would quit - rightfully - if they were being led by a bishop with no understanding of divinity, theology, pastoral care or even human kindness. What tosh you utter Jon.
I suspect Laughing Gas that the removal of the Church Times caption photo suffered the same termination as that of the Bishop of Bangor and family in their ridiculous face pulling antics at Bangor cathedral. The photo was 'pulled' when the CinW Press Office said that they had not granted the photographer's copyright for publication authority. What cowardism. Many national newspaper backbench lawyers simply ignore these bleatings. So well done AB for getting in quickly before the PR lot get their feet under the table.
ReplyDeleteTry Private Eye instead, I doubt they'll have any qualms publishing it.
DeleteI have little doubt Dick, that Ian Hislop is already art-working the photo of the 'Rev' and once prospective Bishop of London Paula Vennells in her clerical collar and vestock for some suitably satirical caption. Oh that his predecessor as Editor, the loyal church-goer and accomplished church organist Richard Ingham were still alive ... he'd be throwing back the beers in the Private Eye ale-tavern in Greek Street, Soho. Met him once ... lovely, lovely chap.
DeleteIt seems that the 'Reverend' Paula Vennells appalling lack of humility and care for the plight of her Post Office employees is endemic within the church especially among those with presumed clergy training in the caring and sensitivity towards subordinate staff.
ReplyDeleteCongregants at Bangor Cathedral read with sadness this weekend how the much loved, hard working, dedicated cathedral curator Simon Taylor would be leaving St Deniol's and accolades for his splendid service over two years cited in the newsletters.
What wasn't mentioned was how news of his 'sacking' or 'redundancy' was delivered by the Sub-Dean, Sion ap Rhys Evans ... by TEXT. Three texts sent from the comfort of his Deanery 20 yards away from the Cathedral where Mr. Taylor was busy working rather than to walk (or mince) over and talk to him personally. Apparently, funding for his salary has been stopped by the accountants in Cardiff. This is appalling behaviour. A sub-dean who doesn't have the manly bollox or basic Christian caring to break the news gently to a dedicated and devoted employee (and congregant).
And the lack of funding prompting termination of employment? Gosh. Amazing how the same sub-dean is able to find thousands of pounds to pay umpteen hangers-ons chums of his for non-essential work, even more to robe himself and cathedral clergy with expensive and flamboyant vestments, £20,000+ for unnecessarily modernised pew furnishings, crates upon crates of wine and his own lavish six-bedroomed 'bachelor pad' deanery. But that he chose the coward's option of informing a key-person employee that he was now unemployed - and doing so by text from across the road - is inexplicable and unexcusable. Coward.
Hopefully long suffering members of St Deiniol's might soon get wind of the background to this and shun their sub-dean as he shuns common decency.
The pew sitters should just stop their giving, every last penny of it.
Deletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-67967919
ReplyDeleteGreater Manchester Plod failure to protect vulnerable young white girls from Pakistani muslims again.
Community relations and local council elections were far too important for plod and social workers to do their jobs.
Ancient Briton, if the Post Office Horizon scandal is deemed worthy of its own thread, then surely this is a hundred times more deserving.
Many thanks for the new thread.
DeleteVennells was "dim", "over promoted" and "like a mosquito".
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12962755/ex-post-office-boss-Paula-Vennells-insider-verdict.html
Little wonder that other dope Welby was so interested in making her Bishop of London.
Like so many dimwits in the Church, he can't work with anyone even remotely competent for fear of being exposed as utterly inept himself, just like His --Darkness bully boy Barry and the chocolate teapot Randy Pandy in Wales.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThe Bangor caption competition finally appeared in today’s Church Times. Alas, none of the entries were up to ‘all fur and no vicars’.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, Osbourne's parting gift to the diocese ( and it was correctly predicted on this blog) is coming to fruition. Read Martin Shipton's article on the current woes of The Dean of Llandaff. Thanks, minus June.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link.
DeleteSenior Church in Wales cleric faces allegation of serious misconduct https://nation.cymru/news/senior-church-in-wales-cleric-faces-allegation-of-serious-misconduct/
Precisely as predicted on this blog.
Slippery Dick the sherry will be no loss to Llandaff.
One thinks this is yet another development worthy of a new thread on this blog.
DeleteWatch this space Episkopos.
DeleteThe Dean is still on sick leave and not expected back before March (if, at all). Llandaff deserves so much better.
ReplyDeleteJust as well Canon Preece has only relocated as far as Canton, he might well be needed back at the Cathedral by Easter.
DeleteLlandaff is a sucking fhambles.
Bewildered
Well, well Merthyr. If Dean Peers' illness is such that resignation on 'health grounds' becomes inevitable, then I am in little doubt there is another sub-Dean (as Peers was in Oxford) ready to step into his purple velvet slippers: the equally anti-social Sion, Pontiff of Bangor. If he listens to his parish-priest clergy of the diocese he'll know that there will be gnashing of teeth (and perhaps even more resignations) if ++Andrew up-grades him to full Dean. But what a dream team to address all Llandaff's problems that would provide. Sion ap Rhys (Dean) and half-pint Mary Stallard as Bishop.
ReplyDeleteOh and 'Maverick' and that hilarious photo? Apparently ap Rhys is spitting fire that the lampooning photo hit the AB and Church Times sites demanding to know who 'leaked it'. Look no further than the Twitter feed of his own cathedral canon, David Morris.
Very timely mention of cathedral canon David Morris as there's been a big announcement about him today. Even a mention of 'his fiancé, Marc Penny'
Deletehttps://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/history-is-made-as-church-appoints-its-youngest-ever-bishop/
Cymraes yn Lloegr
The shirt lifters are trying to outdo each other in the race to the bottom.
Delete@Cymraes yn Lloegr
ReplyDeleteDavid Morris to add more purple to his Vatican attire. Odd that his elevation was announced first by Llandaff diocese blog site : the good folk of Bangor not having been told. Perhaps this is to counter the inevitable wailing and teddy-bear throwing tantrums of sub-Dean ap Rhys who will be spitting fire at the prospect of now having a subordinate to kiss-the-ring of !!! Setting aside the general view that the Diocese of Bangor (being so reduced in terms of churches still open, clergy who have quit, congregants departed and finances shrunk to less than the weekly takings of a corner shop) David Morris is a decent although unnecessary choice. Unlike his Bishop and cathedral Sub-Dean he does have some social skills like saying 'hullo' to folk. Good start I suppose.
Agreed. Appointments of assistant bishops, sub-deans and general sinking-ship hangers on is irrelevant. But what is far more irrelevant is the posturing of the Archbishop of Wales, Bishop of Bangor and less than worldly-wise 'Andy' in his espousing about the benefits of Wales becoming an Independent nation. Fine that Rowan Williams was a member of the Commission as he is widely regarded as an academic capable of thought; but Andy? He's been totally unable to hold his own diocese together and is now P-in-C of the almost guaranteed collapse of the entire CinW; a demise which probably began with Disestablishment from the CofE and growth of mould and mildew within the Bench of Bishops ever since.
ReplyDeleteAndy is excused from marching with the Yes-Cymru lot - that's his personal right - but to drag the name 'The Church in Wales' into politics under pretence that he understands economics or geo-politics or the re-drawing of Wales's demography is to ignore the era of Barry Morgan's bizarre reign in meddling with politics. Perhaps Andy is drawn to the Scripture suggesting that the weak will inherit the earth. By any measurement of public opinion testing, both he and Mark Drakeford are not only deemed absolute weaklings, but also totally irrelevant. Pompous gits, but irrelevant.
The chocolate teapot thinks it's "the weak minded will inherit the earth" .
DeleteApparently, they can't decide in which pub / restaurant to hold the consecration service .
ReplyDeleteSir Omicron Pi
What about 'The Dog and Collar'?
ReplyDeleteInstead of the Organist and choir perhaps Jonathan Ross would loan out his Four Poofs and a Piano for the occasion.
DeleteOr The Alb and rSoul.
Delete