Church Abuse

Highlight continuing safeguarding failures by the Church of England and its Archbishops’ Council
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Hot Topics
  • 1 March 2026 | 40 years on from the Ealing vicarage attack, Jill Saward’s ‘Rape My Story’ republished with new foreword and afterword
  • 17 February 2026 | Why does the Church of England describe child abuse as an “intimate sexual relationship”?
  • 11 February 2026 | The real Clergy Conduct Measure is still behind the curtain
  • 10 February 2026 | Even after Parliament called it out, Synod members are still being misled about secret hearings
  • 9 February 2026 | When scrutiny gets silenced: what are they trying to hide?

Blog 1 March 2026

40 years on from the Ealing vicarage attack, Jill Saward’s ‘Rape My Story’ republished with new foreword and afterword

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the attack on Ealing vicarage that shocked Britain and changed the national conversation about rape. To coincide with…

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A Cartoon-style illustration of a church disciplinary tribunal panel of five seated figures (a central male judge, with a male and female clergy member on one side and a male and female lay member on the other) deliberating at a bench, while a separate senior judge figure looks down from above. A large magnifying glass and torch shine over them, symbolising scrutiny of the system.

Archbishops' Council, Blog, Clergy Discipline, Parliament

Why does the Church of England describe child abuse as an “intimate sexual relationship”?

A satirical editorial cartoon shows a bishop in purple robes standing at a podium in front of the Houses of Parliament. In front of him is a small stack of papers labelled “Clergy Conduct Measure.” Behind him, partly concealed by a drawn golden curtain, is a tall stack of documents labelled “Clergy Conduct Rules,” suggesting they are being hidden. Opposite him, members of the Ecclesiastical Committee — including a woman with curly white hair wearing a cross — sit at a table with a nameplate reading “Ecclesiastical Committee.” One member speaks in a speech bubble: “Where are the Rules?” A judge’s gavel rests in the foreground.

Clergy Discipline, General Synod, Parliament

The real Clergy Conduct Measure is still behind the curtain

Satirical cartoon showing Church of England figures on the left insisting that secret tribunal hearings are “normal everywhere”, while on the right MPs and peers demand “Open justice” and “No more cover-ups”. A giant gavel labelled “Parliament” smashes a pedestal marked “Secret Tribunal”, with Westminster in the background.

Archbishops' Council, Blog, Clergy Discipline, General Synod, Parliament

Even after Parliament called it out, Synod members are still being misled about secret hearings

Caricature-style cartoon in landscape format showing a formal meeting scene. At centre, a suited chair with glasses leans toward a microphone, gesturing firmly as he declares a ruling. To his right, a wigged legal adviser sits hunched, covering part of his face with one hand in an embarrassed or evasive pose, with a small thought bubble showing ellipses. A bell, papers and glasses of water sit on the desk in front of them, against a wood-panelled background suggesting a formal chamber.

Archbishops' Council, Blog, Charity Commission, General Synod

When scrutiny gets silenced: what are they trying to hide?

Cartoon illustration of the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, crouching behind a large shield labelled “Standing Orders” as members of the General Synod approach with raised hands, papers, and question marks, symbolising attempts to question or hold him to account.

Bishops, Blog, General Synod

Preaching accountability while closing the shutters

Cartoon illustration of the Church of England’s General Synod chamber, shown in a wide, circular hall with tiered seating and a domed ceiling. At the top table sit two blindfolded archbishops, one male and one female, wearing red episcopal robes. Around the scene, six large magnifying glasses peer in from the edges, labelled Charity Commission, Parliament, Coroner, Police, Victims & Survivors, and Campaigners & Advocates, symbolising external scrutiny of the Synod proceedings.

Archbishops' Council, Bishops, Blog, Charity Commission, General Synod, Parliament

When the regulator comes knocking, the Archbishops’ Council puts on the blinkers

Archbishops' Council, Bishops, Blog, Briefings, Charity Commission, General Synod, Parliament

Delay and control: the problems with the Archbishops’ Council’s safeguarding plans

Cartoon-style illustration of a bald Anglican bishop in a purple cassock leaning on one side of unbalanced scales of justice, pressing down a large gavel while the opposite scale holding light files and silhouetted figures is raised, symbolising an imbalance between legal authority and safeguarding evidence.

Archbishops' Council, Bishops, Blog, Clergy Discipline

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell says he has been cleared — but the Tudor case is still under review

Cartoon-style illustration of a bald Anglican archbishop in purple standing between two contrasting courtrooms: one open and brightly lit with visible documents and observers, and the other dark and closed, symbolising the difference between open appellate justice and opaque internal disciplinary processes.

Archbishops' Council, Bishops, Blog, Clergy Discipline 30 January 2026

Authority invoked, lessons avoided: what the Archbishop of York’s statement still fails to confront

Invoking a judge’s Court of Appeal title doesn’t make a closed, opaque process equivalent to open justice. Authority comes from safeguards, transparency and accountability — not from who signs the decision.

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© 2025 Gavin Drake. All rights reserved

Recent Posts

  • 40 years on from the Ealing vicarage attack, Jill Saward’s ‘Rape My Story’ republished with new foreword and afterword
  • Why does the Church of England describe child abuse as an “intimate sexual relationship”?
  • The real Clergy Conduct Measure is still behind the curtain
  • Even after Parliament called it out, Synod members are still being misled about secret hearings
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© 2025 Gavin Drake. All rights reserved