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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘The bell tower door was barricaded': The 14th-century church at war over its priest
Not much happens in Malpas, a small Cheshire market town set in lush countryside near the border of Wales. With a stately medieval church at its centre, a population of roughly 1,600, and an overactive Facebook group, the biggest news is usually distributed by the parish newsletter and is no more scandalous than the cancellation of the number 41 bus. Recently, however, Malpas has been set alight by an explosive row between its rector and her parishioners – one that has made national headlines and torn the church and the town in two. On an early summer's afternoon in the centre of town, the church is locked and the surrounding roads are quiet. With my notebook and a photographer in tow, a dog walker eyes me warily. The people of Malpas are not used to the media attention. Parochial disputes like this also do not usually make it out of the pages of the Church Times, but the heated battle for St Oswald's, a 14th-century church set atop a hill in the centre of Malpas, has unfolded in a spectacularly dramatic fashion. Once you get people started on the subject, the floodgates open. A vocal group of parishioners and former lay people claim that the Rev Dr Janine Arnott, the rector in question, has taken what was a thriving rural parish – an increasing rarity in the Church of England – and put its flock asunder. She is variously accused of banning individuals from the choir (it has since been disbanded entirely), removing the chief bellringer, barring access to the bell tower with 'broomsticks', and has reportedly overseen the dwindling of the congregation of around 60 to fewer than 10 people. The recent village-wide celebrations of VE Day in May this year were seen by many to be the last straw, as Arnott reportedly declined to allow a village choir to sing a rendition of I Vow To Thee My Country in the churchyard (her detractors claim that this was because some members were her ex-congregants). 'The story here is of a complete lack of accountability of a newly trained minister who is clearly having difficulty running her first parish,' claims one parishioner, Dr Gregory Williams, 60. 'Within a short period of time, the director of music resigned and the choir left. A while later, the tower captain was locked out of the bell tower with no explanation given and the bell tower door was barricaded. The bells fell silent. The congregation numbers soon collapsed, and at the current time, very little money is coming into the church,' he says. In fact, the tower captain, Ben Kellett, had apparently found himself locked out of the tower after declining Arnott's request to sign a 'volunteer' agreement outlining his duties. Arnott had also asked Kellett for a list of churchgoers with keys to the tower and, it is claimed, took issue when he did not provide one. Several parishioners wrote to the Bishop of Cheshire, the Right Rev Mark Tanner, hoping to persuade him to intervene, and even filed an 'informal' complaint, which wasn't upheld. Now, an insurgent group of Malpas parishioners or allies – their identities remain unknown – have taken matters into their own hands, and Tanner has had to intervene after 'libellous' flyers signed from the 'Little Malpas People' were plastered around Chester Cathedral over Easter. One of the flyers, glued to the exterior of the cathedral with permanent adhesive, said: 'Dear Bishop Mark. Please do your moral duty and protect your flock. We shouldn't have to keep toeing the line only to get demonised by you. It's disgusting. You wasted our time and kept your hands clean for three years now at our expense. You know it, as do we.' Notes were also left on the windscreens of cars nearby in envelopes that appeared to bear the seal of the Diocese of Chester. It signified a nasty escalation of a dispute that has been raging since Arnott was appointed to take over the large rural parish in June 2022. In a letter sent to churchgoers, Tanner said the leaflets calling for her removal were 'anonymous, factually incorrect, libellous, and sought by forgery to impersonate a bishop.' A separate letter to the parochial church council (PCC) from the diocesan legal team, which was leaked to the local newspaper, the Whitchurch Herald, last month, said Arnott is a victim of 'unlawful and inexcusable harassment'. One churchgoer, meanwhile, told The Telegraph that she has been so upset by the rector's behaviour that she can't speak about the dispute without getting a nosebleed. The rift began with an unlikely argument over the Agnus Dei. In a meeting with the church choir in 2023 that has since become infamous locally, Arnott told them they could no longer sing this prayer (which often precedes Communion) in Latin as they had done for years, as this was against canon law. Diana Webber, a former safeguarding officer, resigned over this disagreement and Arnott's handling of relationships with parishioners. From the start, she was 'very concerned about [Arnott's] attitude,' Webber says, claiming that Arnott 'appeared to have taken a dislike to the choir.' A PCC meeting was called shortly afterwards – unfortunately, on Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week, despite protestations from members of the council. The meeting became heated when Liane Smith, 65, a former PCC member, stood up and called a vote of no confidence over the rector's 'authoritarian' leadership style. It turns out, perhaps unsurprisingly given the scale of the row, that confidence was in short supply. '[Arnott] counted the votes and it was, if I recall correctly, 23 had no confidence, three had confidence in her, and six abstained,' Smith says (this was before the alleged exodus of church members took place). Arnott said she had been 'trying to run the church calmly in the face of strong opposition', according to minutes of the meeting. In an apparent attempt to oust her, Smith then attempted to publish the minutes of the meeting (including the details of the vote against Arnott) in the parish newsletter, but says she was prevented from doing so by the rector. 'They were shortened minutes, but they had the salient facts in,' she says. 'Just to fit on an A5 page in the back of the parish news. And that was considered 'vexatious'.' Despite losing a vote of confidence, Arnott remained in post. Smith was subsequently asked by Arnott to step down from her roles, including as the parish newsletter's editor (Arnott made clear, though, that she was welcome to continue worshipping at the church). 'I thought that was quite excessive and had nothing to do with the fact that I had published, or attempted to publish the minutes,' she says. 'I left the church at that point [… ] My husband and I have been married for 45 years and have been churchgoers for that whole time. Now we no longer go to any church.' Most of the existing church laypersons eventually resigned or were asked to leave. They carry with them a range of grievances and accusations, some more reasonable than others. Among the complaints is the disbanding of a longstanding, talented church choir. One anonymous parishioner criticises Dr Arnott as 'one of those born-again Christians' who does not face the East (face the altar) for Communion. What is clear, however, is that deep ill-feeling runs on both sides. The situation escalated this year with leaflets distributed to Malpas residents and plastered on Chester Cathedral calling for Arnott's removal. It is not known who is responsible. While some locals say this smear campaign has undermined their genuine concerns about the running of the Church – one said they were 'furious' as it 'gives them a bad name' – others are unrepentant. Williams describes the flyers as 'not an act of crime but actually a courageous act, a heartfelt cry for help from yet one more individual or group of people who feel that they are being let down by the Church of England.' A spokesperson for the diocese of Chester says that parishes 'operate with a large degree of autonomy, provided they act within legal boundaries', adding: 'The Bishop and other diocesan figures have limited scope to intervene directly in parish matters. However, we have consistently offered support, guidance, and assistance throughout this situation as we would elsewhere. 'Whilst it would not be right to comment publicly on personal pastoral matters, wherever the diocese is aware of matters which require response, appropriate action is taken involving other authorities where necessary. 'The Bishop is aware of the concerns raised locally in and around St Oswald's and has been engaging through proper channels. Whilst we are not commenting further at this time in order to care for those involved, all are encouraged to remain in conversation, and support is available for anyone who wishes to access it.' Arnott declined to comment. Parish disputes – even those as bitter as this – are, sadly, increasingly common. In a curiously similar case in Wiltshire, for instance, a church choir refused to continue singing over a dispute with their vicar, Father Oliver Learmont, and his handling of relationships in the parish. A number of lay people resigned. Last year, Church of England clergy warned that some vicars were being bullied out of their posts by parishioners, who were taking over PCC meetings and launching malicious email campaigns against them. Some in Malpas feel the discord in parish churches – which have, for generations, been the backbone of the Church of England – points to a lack of direction in the organisation as a whole. That appears unlikely to be rectified any time soon, with the Church awaiting the appointment of a new archbishop of Canterbury, seven months after Justin Welby announced that he planned to stand down over failures in the handling of an abuse scandal. 'The state of the Church of England at the moment is very sad,' says one churchgoer. 'They can choose a Pope in a fortnight. How much longer do we have to wait for directions from the top?' In the meantime, it's clear there will be no winners in Malpas' unholy civil war. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Church safeguarding review after abuse allegations
A report into the safeguarding culture and policies at a church has been commissioned after accusations of sexual abuse against its former rector. St Ebbe's Church in Oxford has ordered the report after allegations of sexually abusive, coercive and controlling behaviour towards women and girls were made against David Fletcher earlier this year. Mr Fletcher was rector of St Ebbe's Church between 1986 and 1998 and remained a member of its congregation until his death in January 2022, aged 89. The Church of England previously said information about him was brought to its attention after a review into the actions of serial abuser John Smyth was published in November. The Makin Review found the Church had covered up Smyth's "abhorrent" abuse, and ultimately led to the resignation of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Mr Fletcher led the Iwerne camps in Dorset between 1967 and 1986 where Smyth met some of those he would go on to abuse. Smyth, who died in 2018, is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men to traumatic attacks across five decades in the UK and Africa. Announcing its own review into its safeguarding practices, St Ebbe's said it would "examine past and present safeguarding culture and practice", including allegations against Mr Fletcher made "more recently within the church community". It said the review would exclusively focus on areas in which the church was "active or for which we have responsibility". "It is not a review of David Fletcher's activity in other spheres, neither is it restricted to concerns about him," the statement said. The review, which will be led by Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS), would be carried out with the "utmost care, sensitivity and confidentiality", St Ebbe's added. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Camp leader and rector reported as abuser Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over Church abuse scandal Church covered up 'abhorrent' abuse, report finds St Ebbe's Church
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Musical mum named as next Bishop of Doncaster
A "lifelong musician" and mother-of-four said it was "humbling and joyful" to be appointed as the next bishop of Doncaster. The Rev Leah Vasey-Saunders - currently vicar of Lancaster Priory - was confirmed in the role by Downing Street after the King approved her nomination. The 47-year-old will be the eighth bishop of Doncaster, and said: "I have a particular heart for the north - its grit and grace and for working-class, post-industrial communities where I've seen God's spirit move in powerful ways... I come ready to listen, to learn." Ms Vasey-Saunders succeeds the Rt Rev Sophie Jelley as the Suffragan to the Bishop of Sheffield, meaning she will assist the Sheffield diocesan bishop. As Suffragan Ms Vasey-Saunders will work across the Sheffield diocese, but with a primary focus on Doncaster. Bishop of Sheffield the Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox said he was "absolutely delighted by Leah's appointment". He said: "Leah is a born pastor, who forms partnerships easily and I know people across South Yorkshire and the East Riding (both within the Church of England and beyond it) will quickly warm to her and trust her." Archbishop of York the Most Rev & Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell added: "This is a really exciting appointment. "Leah has a heart for people, a passion for worship, and a vision of Church as a place of joy, connection, and hope." Ms Vasey-Saunders has been the vicar of Lancaster Priory since 2021, becoming the first woman to hold the role. She chaired the Facing the Past project, which examined Lancaster's historic links to the transatlantic slave trade. She is married to the Rev Dr Mark Vasey-Saunders and they have four children. The new bishop will be consecrated at York Minster on 16 September and installed at Sheffield Cathedral on 20 September. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Diocese of Sheffield
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Monday briefing: How racial justice is going backwards, five years on from the killing of George Floyd
Good morning. I'm Aamna Mohdin, the Guardian's community affairs correspondent, and I'll be bringing you First Edition alongside Archie over the next couple of months. It's been five years since George Floyd's agonising cry – 'I can't breathe' – sent shockwaves around the world. His killing by a white police officer sparked what may have been the largest social movement in US history, and protests in the UK were the most widespread since the abolition of slavery. Millions took to the streets, led by young people, to assert the power of three simple words: Black Lives Matter. More than 260 towns and cities across the UK held protests in June and July 2020, from Monmouth in south Wales to Shetland in Scotland. An unprecedented reckoning that featured statements of solidarity from institutions, including the Bank of England and Cambridge university, and pledges to pay reparations by the Church of England, was followed by an intense backlash. Anti-migrant rioters attacked mosques and set fire to asylum hotels. Donald Trump returned to the US presidency last year and Reform UK surged in this month's local elections, vowing to dismantle equality initiatives. How did we get here? To try to answer that, I worked with the Guardian's community affairs correspondent in Manchester, Chris Osuh, to analyse nearly 600 recommendations across 12 government-commissioned race reports dating back to 1981. What we found was a pattern of symbolic progress and systemic inaction. For today's newsletter, I spoke to Chris about how this moment fits into the UK's long and hostile history of responding to racial reckoning. That's after the headlines. Gaza | Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours have killed at least 38 people in Gaza, health officials in the Palestinian territory have said, bringing the death toll to more than 100 in less than three days. Meanwhile, reports emerged that a doctor caring for severely wounded babies, Alaa al-Najjar, lost nine of her 10 children in an Israeli strike. Ukraine | Donald Trump has warned that if Vladimir Putin attempts to conquer all of Ukraine, it will lead to the 'downfall' of Russia, while also criticising Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Sunday night post on Truth Social. Trump said he was considering new sanctions, saying of Putin: 'He's killing a lot of people. What the hell happened to him?' Banking | Fred 'the Shred' Goodwin, the disgraced ex-boss of Royal Bank of Scotland, is estimated to be receiving an annual pension worth nearly £600,000, as the government prepares to declare a £10bn loss after selling its final stake. The banking group, now known as NatWest, is expected to return to full private ownership within days. Europe | The bodies of five skiers have been found in the mountains near Switzerland's luxury resort of Zermatt, police said. A helicopter was sent to survey the area around the Rimpfischhorn after climbers alerted authorities to abandoned skis near the summit on Saturday. Media | Alan Yentob, the former BBC executive and TV presenter, has died at the age of 78, his family has announced. His wife, Philippa Walker, said: 'He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man.' At the height of the 2020 UK protests, then prime minister Boris Johnson announced a new inquiry into racial disparities. The response was met with widespread frustration, including from David Lammy, now the foreign secretary, who pointed out that the UK had already produced numerous inquiries on the subject (including his own) and whose recommendations remained unimplemented. This cycle is depressingly familiar. When there's a riot, an uprising, or a national tragedy, the government commissions an inquiry. These often produce profound conclusions, only to be quietly shelved. After the 1981 Brixton riots, there was the Scarman inquiry. After the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, the Macpherson report, which famously concluded the Met Police was 'institutionally racist'. After the 2001 northern riots, the Cantle report, and after the Windrush scandal, there was the 2018 Windrush review. Guardian analysis found fewer than a third of those reports' recommendations have been fully actioned, and that progress on a number of recommendations has been reversed or significantly eroded during years of government austerity policies. The data shows that around a third of recommendations were not implemented at all. The remainder were either partially enacted or deemed not measurable. Even where implementation was claimed, changes were often fragmented, underfunded, or lacked clear oversight and accountability. The findings led some of the commissioners involved to urge ministers to finally break this 'doom loop' of inaction. A waste of time? The analysis is stark and left me wondering about the intent of holding these types of inquiries. Aamna: Were you surprised by the findings? Chris: Not really. It fits the pattern: the process of holding an inquiry becomes more important than its conclusions. These reports often contain powerful findings, but they don't lead to action. Aamna: I can't help but wonder whether these inquiries are a waste of time? Chris: I wouldn't say that. They serve an important purpose in putting these issues on the public record. They make it impossible to deny that these disparities exist. But I agree that we need to move beyond documenting the problem and start delivering change. Aamna: What I found particularly interesting is that some of the recommendations focused on unconscious bias training, celebrating the UK's diverse communities, as well as attempts to increase representation of the workforce. These became cornerstones of corporate and public sector equality and inclusion strategies. The pendulum swings Five years ago, Keir Starmer, newly appointed leader of the Labour party, took the knee in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. But earlier this month, Starmer the prime minister was accused of echoing Enoch Powell after warning, during the launch of the government's immigration white paper, that Britain risked becoming an 'island of strangers'. His claim that 'uncontrolled' migration had caused 'incalculable' damage to British society marked a watershed moment in Labour's relationship with Black and Asian voters. The contrast between the two Starmers captures just how sharply the political pendulum has swung to the right, in both the UK and the US, on issues of racial justice. Institutions that once rushed to issue statements of solidarity with ethnic minority communities are now retreating. Industry experts describe a chilling effect on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The Bank of England's regulatory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority recently announced they would not impose new diversity rules on financial firms, opting instead to back voluntary industry-led initiatives. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, BT and Lloyds Banking Group have all announced cutbacks to diversity targets and inclusion programmes. Wider ramifications The picture appears to show the consequences of this rollback will likely affect many different groups. Aamna: What happens next, and how far back might the backlash go? Chris: I'm not sure people realise just how far-reaching the fallout from this backlash against DEI will be. There's a perception that, since George Floyd's murder, efforts to tackle inequality have somehow meant Black people are being favoured over white people. But what's often missed is that DEI has benefited a wide range of groups across society. Rolling back DEI doesn't just impact racial equality. It has serious consequences for all kinds of workers, from women's rights to disability inclusion. The conversation may have started with race, but the broader goal was always to make workplaces more inclusive across the board. Aamna: Even left wing critics of DEI, who argue it's often a shallow, corporate box-ticking exercise, are sounding the alarm. They see the backlash not just as opposition to diversity, but part of a deeper ideological project: an attempt to resegregate our economy and society. Chris: Exactly. The signs are there that dismantling DEI is part of a wider, more aggressively rightwing political agenda. Aamna: So lots to be cheerful about, then. Chris: It's easy to feel frightened by all this. But there are reasons for hope. In the UK, you might hear a particular narrative from government or politicians, but they can't control everything. There are businesses and institutions still determined to stay the course, despite the reactionary noise. And industry leaders I spoke to said that despite the backlash, DEI will likely survive in a 'rebranded' form in the UK. Aamna: I want to end on something I've been thinking about a lot: what does it mean to be a Black journalist covering this moment? So many people fought hard for our jobs, and for our specialisms to be taken seriously. I'm reminded of what Gary Younge once said that we've seen so many dogs biting people we've become numb to it, yet we're still trained to chase the more spectacular 'man bites dog' stories. The real scandal is being overlooked: dogs keep biting men, again and again. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Chris: In so much of the media, Black experiences are talked about rather than expressed by Black people themselves. There's a constant, low hum of discrimination, it is so normalised it often goes unremarked. Its important to be able to challenge that and to call out injustice. But there's also great deal of positivity about minority communities in Britain, particularly at this time, that is not covered, so to be able to also celebrate the tangible, joyful things our communities achieve is a real privilege. Read more: Only a third of recommendations to tackle endemic racism in UK implemented Five years on from Black Lives Matter, has the UK made progress on ethnic equalities? George Floyd's family fights for sacred ground where he took his last breath: 'That's my blood' One should know to never miss Nesrine Malik's column. But this morning's piece on the world's changing tone on Israel, and whether this 'moment' will really mean anything for the people of Gaza after months of violence, is a must-read. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters For Saturday magazine, I wrote about my son Max, who changed how I think about the world. It took absolutely ages, frankly, so I hope you'll read it. Hardcore Max enthusiasts may wish to listen to the episode of Today in Focus below. Archie Remember Elon Musk? At one point you couldn't go a day without reading about the richest man alive's latest plan to scythe away at the US government – so why has he recently gone so quiet? David Smith examines how Musk slipped out of Trump's inner circle. Charlie Heather Stewart has a perceptive column on Labour's winter fuel U-turn, and a looming decision about whether to scrap the two-child benefit cap. As much as the vacillation, she argues, the problem is: has Keir Starmer given voters any sense of what he is for? Archie Heterosexual artists who toy with sexuality, along with straight actors who play gay characters, are often accused of 'queerbaiting' – or using the supposed cache of queer identity. But does such a thing really matter, as long as LGBTQ+ stories get told? Ryan Gilbey explores in this fascinating extract from his new book. Charlie Football | On a frantic final day of the Premier League: after drawing with Crystal Palace, Liverpool finally lifted the Premier League trophy, weeks after mathematically securing the title; Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest to a secure top-five spot and end Forest's Champions League dream. Aston Villa's hopes for the Champions league spot ended in fury after a controversial loss to Manchester United; and relegation-bound Leicester saw their sorry season limp to a close with a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth. All the match reports are here. Formula One | Lando Norris won the Monaco Grand Prix for McLaren, closing the gap on teammate Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship race. His fellow driver claimed third spot on the podium. Football | After 26 years as the host of Match of the Day, an emotional Gary Lineker bade farewell to his career at the BBC on Sunday night. 'Rather like my football career, everyone else did the hard work and I got the plaudits,' he said. 'It's been utterly joyous.' 'Decades of failure to act on racism inquiries leaves UK in 'doom loop'' is the splash on the Guardian today. 'Scandal of fat cats on first ever NHS rich list,' says the Daily Mail, while the Mirror highlights fresh strikes in the Ukrainian capital, with: 'Trump's silence did this.' 'Ministers weigh delay to soften welfare cuts,' is the main focus at the Times, as the Express delves into 'Labour's fuel U-turn in total chaos.' Meanwhile the i has: 'HS2 plunged into fresh chaos as major tax fraud claims emerge.' 'Oil chiefs warn of end to shale boom as prices fall and Opec boosts output,' is the lead story over at the Financial Times, while the Telegraph looks across the pond with 'Trump pressures PM over Connolly.' My son Max, the boy who came back to life Archie Bland tells Helen Pidd the story of the day his seven-week-old son stopped breathing, and the life he has led in the two years since. A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Casey Johnston found empowerment in weightlifting after years of restrictive dieting and exhausting cardio. Strength training reshaped her relationship with food, eliminated cravings, and helped her challenge toxic fitness culture. Her new book, A Physical Education, encourages people to reconnect with their bodies beyond societal pressures. Johnston puts the emphasis on trusting your own experience and listening to your body. Even during pregnancy, Johnston defied outdated fitness advice, advocating for a sustainable, intuitive approach to health. Like many women she has found a new confidence by getting strong in the gym. And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Spectator
24-05-2025
- General
- Spectator
How to save the Church of England
The Church of England's various travails and dilemmas – on controversial issues, like sexuality and safeguarding – are on one level beside the point. Even if it managed to solve these problems, the Church's drift to the margins of our culture looks likely to continue. The really fundamental issue is how the CofE can reverse that drift, how it can renew itself. This is harder to talk about, as it has little connection with the news cycle. The renewal of the Church depends on the quality of its worship culture, and the traditional forms seem unable to generate new excitement. Its main historic attempts at renewal were rooted in worship culture. The Catholic revival of the mid-nineteenth century, known as the Oxford Movement, involved lots of ritual finery and theatrical pomp. It produced many good things, but the 'high' style could not really unite a Church rooted in Protestantism.
