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BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Seven Church of England clergy to face disciplinary action
Seven Church of England clergy face being disciplined after a damning abuse report which prompted Justin Welby's resignation as the Archbishop of former Bishop of Durham the Right Reverend Paul Butler is among those who could be banned from ministry following a review of evidence in the report into the prolific abuser John Smyth a barrister who died in South Africa in 2018 at the age of 77, attacked more than 100 boys and young men at his Winchester home in the 1970s and 1980s, the Makin Review report, published last year, concluded the abuse was covered up within the Church for decades. While the review led to the eventual resignation of Mr Welby, the Church's national safeguarding team (NST) undertook to look at all clergy criticised within the an update on Thursday, the Church said Bishop Butler and six others would face disciplinary proceedings under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM).CDM outcomes can range from a conditional discharge where no penalty is imposed, to removal from office, resignation by consent and a lifetime ban from a new process, replacing the CDM, was approved by the Church's parliament earlier this month to include defrocking, it is not thought this will be in place in time for these cases. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, will not face any Carey, who was named in the Makin Review, had been one of 10 clergy revealed in February as facing possible the NST has confirmed 89-year-old Lord Carey, the Reverend Paul Perkin and the Reverend Hugh Palmer will face no further there is a 12-month time limit on cases being brought, the NST had to ask for permission of the President of the Tribunals to bring a CDM "out of time".Permission was granted in only seven of the 10 cases and the NST said it "entirely respects" the decision from the "independent judicial process".Others named as facing CDMs include the Reverend Sue Colman - the wife of the Colman's mustard heir Sir Jamie Makin report concluded Mrs Colman, associate minister at St Leonard's Church in Oakley, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was aware of Smyth's abuse before being ordained and noted that she and her husband visited Smyth in Africa in the 1990s and funded the Smyths through a personal a week after the Makin Review was published, the Diocese of Winchester said Mrs Colman had been asked to "step back from all ministerial duties".The rest facing possible disciplinary action are the Reverend Roger Combes, the Reverend Andrew Cornes, the Reverend Tim Hastie-Smith, the Reverend Nick Stott and the Reverend John NST said it would make no further comment on the cases while CDM proceedings were under way and no timeline had been given for when they might conclude. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Bishop who served King in Coronation faces ban over child abuse scandal
A bishop who served the King during the Coronation is among seven Church of England clergy facing disciplinary action after a damning abuse report which prompted Justin Welby's resignation. Paul Butler, the retired former bishop of Durham, who acted as bishop assistant to His Majesty during the ceremony, is among those who could be banned from ministry as a result of investigations following the Makin review. However, George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, will not face any action. The report published last year ruled that abuse carried out for decades by Christian camp leader John Smyth was known about and not acted upon by various people within the Church. While the review led to the eventual resignation of Mr Welby as the most recent archbishop of Canterbury, the Church's national safeguarding team (NST) undertook to look at all clergy criticised within the report. In an update on Thursday, the Church said Mr Butler and six others would face disciplinary proceedings under the clergy discipline measure (CDM). CDM outcomes can range from a conditional discharge where no penalty is imposed, to removal from office, resignation by consent and a lifetime ban from ministry. While a new process, replacing the CDM, was approved by the Church's parliament earlier this month to include defrocking, it is not thought this will be in place in time for these cases. Lord Carey, who was named in the Makin report, had been one of 10 clergy revealed in February as facing possible action. But the NST has confirmed 89-year-old Lord Carey, the Reverend Paul Perkin and the Reverend Hugh Palmer will face no further action. As there is a 12-month time limit on cases being brought, the NST had to ask for permission of the president of the tribunals to bring a CDM 'out of time'. Permission was granted in only seven of the 10 cases and the NST said it 'entirely respects' the decision from the 'independent judicial process'. Others named as facing CDMs include the Reverend Sue Colman, the wife of Sir Jamie Colman, the Colman's mustard heir. The Makin report concluded Mrs Colman, associate minister at St Leonard's Church in Oakley, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was aware of Smyth's abuse before being ordained and noted that she and her husband visited Smyth in Africa in the 1990s and funded the Smyths through a personal trust. Around a week after the Makin report was published, the Diocese of Winchester said Mrs Colman had been asked to 'step back from all ministerial duties'. The others facing possible disciplinary action are Reverend Roger Combes, Reverend Andrew Cornes, Reverend Tim Hastie-Smith, Reverend Nick Stott and Reverend John Woolmer.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Seven Church of England priests face disciplinary process over abuse scandal
LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - Seven Church of England priests, including a former senior bishop, will face disciplinary proceedings over safeguarding failures in the first such move since Archbishop Justin Welby was forced to stand down last year over a child abuse scandal. Former Archbishop George Carey, who was in February named in a list of 10 historic cases that would be considered by an independent judicial process, would not face any further action, the Church also said in an update published on Thursday. The Church of England - central to 85 million Anglicans worldwide - has been in crisis over safeguarding the vulnerable since a November report said ex-leader Welby had taken insufficient action to stop a prolific abuser. In February it identified 10 cases that should be independently re-examined because they had happened too long ago to be considered by the Church's usual processes. Former Bishop of Durham Paul Butler - who held one of the most senior bishoprics in the Church from 2014 to 2024 - is among those facing disciplinary proceedings. That process could result in penalties such as a permanent ban from ministry. Butler was responsible for safeguarding oversight in 16,000 Anglican churches in the country from 2010-2016. The proceedings against him and others form the next stage of the Church's efforts to restore trust following November's review. Welby, who stepped down within a month of the review's publication, is not facing disciplinary procedures. While the Church has repeated its commitment to taking seriously its response to the review, its governing body stopped short of backing a fully independent safeguarding model to handle complaints in February.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Seven clergy could be banned from ministry over CofE sex abuse scandal
Seven Church of England clergy, including a bishop, face disciplinary action after the damning abuse report which prompted Justin Welby 's resignation. Paul Butler, the retired former Bishop of Durham, is among those who could be banned from ministry as a result of investigations following the Makin review. However, former archbishop of Canterbury George Carey will not face any action. The report, published in 2024, concluded that various people within the Church knew about abuse carried out for decades by John Smyth, a Christian camp leader – but did not act. The review led to the eventual resignation of Mr Welby as the most recent Archbishop of Canterbury. However, the Church's national safeguarding team (NST) undertook to look at all clergy criticised within the report. In an update on Thursday, the Church said Bishop Paul and six others are to face disciplinary proceedings under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM). CDM outcomes can range from a conditional discharge where no penalty is imposed, to removal from office, resignation by consent and a lifetime ban from ministry. While a new process, replacing the CDM, was approved by the Church's parliament earlier in June to include defrocking, it is not thought this will be in place in time for these cases. Lord Carey, who was named in the Makin report, was one of 10 clergy revealed in February as facing possible action. But the NST has confirmed 89-year-old Lord Carey, Reverend Paul Perkin and Reverend Hugh Palmer will face no further action. As there is a 12-month time limit on cases being brought, the NST had to ask for permission of the President of the Tribunals to bring a CDM 'out of time'. Permission was granted in only seven of the 10 cases and the NST said it 'entirely respects' the decision from the 'independent judicial process'. Others named as facing CDMs include Reverend Sue Colman, the wife of the Colman's mustard heir Sir Jamie Colman. The Makin report concluded that Mrs Colman, associate minister at St Leonard's Church in Hampshire's Oakley, was aware of Smyth's abuse before being ordained. It noted that she and her husband visited Smyth in Africa in the 1990s and funded the Smyths through a personal trust. Around a week after the Makin report was published, the Diocese of Winchester said Mrs Colman had been asked to 'step back from all ministerial duties'. The rest of the clergy facing possible disciplinary action are Reverend Roger Combes, Reverend Andrew Cornes, Reverend Tim Hastie-Smith, Reverend Nick Stott and Reverend John Woolmer. The NST said it will make no further comment on the cases while CDM proceedings are under way and no timeline has been given for when they might conclude.
Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Seven priests face tribunal over church sex abuse scandal
A bishop who served as an assistant to the King during the coronation is one of seven priests facing charges in front of a church tribunal over the scandal that led to the downfall of Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. The Right Rev Paul Butler, who retired last year as Bishop of Durham, the church's fourth most senior role, will face a disciplinary tribunal alongside six other members of the clergy. Lord Carey of Clifton, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, will not face legal action. Carey, who served as archbishop from 1991 to 2002, had been named in February among ten priests who could face disciplinary charges under the clergy discipline measure (CDM). They all faced some degree of criticism within a damning report by the social worker Keith Makin into the Church of England's failure to stop John Smyth, a Christian barrister, from abusing boys over several decades. The criticisms made of Welby in the report, including that he should have been more active in checking that the police were investigating the allegations, led to him announcing his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury last November, and stepping down in January this year. • Justin Welby: I forgive John Smyth but it is not me he abused The Church of England has now confirmed that seven of the ten priests will face a disciplinary tribunal. These include the Rev Andrew Cornes, a General Synod member who had previously been a candidate to sit on the committee that will choose the next archbishop of Canterbury. The complaints against them were technically 'out of time', but an independent panel has assessed each and said that seven can go ahead. Carey, however, is among three priests who will face no further action. The Makin report alleged that Carey was sent a memo about Smyth's abuses while he was principal of Trinity Theological College in the early 1980s, but said that Carey 'denies seeing it'. He has maintained his denial of ever seeing such a memo. Carey has already relinquished his permission to serve as a priest during his retirement. He cited his age, but has faced multiple criticisms over his handling of abuse allegations in the past. He said on Thursday morning: 'After what has been a gruelling and punishing process, brought upon me by the CofE for myself and my family, after 63 years of ministry, I welcome the decision of the president of tribunals in standing up for principles of integrity rather than expediency. I am absolutely certain that I received no information in 1983-4 which could have alerted me to John Smyth's terrible crimes against young men and boys. The president's verdict is a welcome piece of news after the flawed Makin report.' In 2015 Butler was president of the Scripture Union, and the Rev Tim Hastie-Smith, who is also facing a disciplinary charge, was director. The union had employed some staff at the camps where Smyth worked in the 1970s and 1980s. Butler, who was also the church's lead bishop for safeguarding, and Hastie-Smith discussed Smyth in 2015 after allegations had come to light. However, Butler said that he was 'not provided with any detailed information about the abuse'. The report said they could have shared correspondence they received about Smyth more widely. The other priests who will now face a tribunal include the Rev Roger Combes, the retired Archdeacon of Horsham, who was one of a small group who was given an explosive report about Smyth's abuse in 1982 but said that he did not know the seriousness of the allegations until much later. The Rev Sue Colman is alleged to have been aware of allegations against Smyth before she was ordained, but has said she 'did not know the full details'. The Rev Sue Colman MAYOR OF BASINGSTOKE AND DEANE/FACEBOOK The Rev Nick Stott was allegedly advised not to join Smyth in Zimbabwe but still went, allegedly witnessing 'surprising' behaviour at his camps. He was reportedly told of 'an issue' with Smyth but said he 'was not told any details'. The Rev John Woolmer led the Christian Forum at Winchester College, where he was a teacher. He was allegedly told by a student in 1981 or 1982 that they were worried about something 'very serious which involved abuse'. The report found that he 'did not pursue this and has reported that he has regretted that since'. Carey, the Rev Paul Perkin and the Rev Hugh Palmer will face no further action. If the tribunals rule against them, those facing charges could face punishments ranging from a rebuke to a life prohibition from ministry. The church is reintroducing the power to 'defrock' a priest, but this change will not be in force in time to apply to them. A church spokeswoman said: 'Victims and survivors and all those criticised in the Makin review have been informed and support offered. The national safeguarding team will make no further comment on these cases whilst the CDM proceedings are under way.'
