“I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it”, Jesus told Peter, as reported in Matthew 16:18.
The Church Jesus was talking about was the universal Christian Church of God, which includes Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and many others. Together, Christians around the world, of all flavours, are part of the Body of Christ.
The Church of England is part of that body, but it isn’t the whole of that body. When Jesus said that the gates of hell will not overcome his Church, it was the full universal Church of Christian believers that Jesus was talking about, not the Church of England.
Is Jesus bothered about the Church of England?
He is certainly bothered about the people of the Church of England; but I doubt very much if he is interested in the institution. If he was, he would not be impressed with how the Church of England continues to act in a perverse way to protect children and vulnerable adults – or, simply, “people”.
Jesus had harsh words to say for those who cause the people of God to question their faith: “if anyone causes those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”, he said in Matthew 18:6.
Tonight’s Channel Four News broke another Church of England abuse scandal. This time, the allegations are that the Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath, sexually harassed a female bishop and sexually assaulted another woman. The bishop denies the allegations.
A complaint brought by the female bishop under the Clergy Discipline Measure was rejected because the Deputy President of Tribunals, Judge David Turner, refused to lift the one-year limitation period. Turner has been named in numerous other abuse allegations not being allowed to proceed to a tribunal.
Tonight’s report, by the redoubtable Cathy Newman, also reveals atrocious behaviour by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. At the meeting of the Crown Nominations Committee, where Perumbalath’s name was put forward for consideration for the Liverpool position, CNC members were concerned that he had failed a safeguarding competency test.
Cottrell is said to have put pressure on the CNC members to overturn the vote.
At the time, Cottrell was aware of one of the two allegations – he was Bishop of Chelmsford when the first accusation was made against Perumbalath when he was Bishop of Bradwell – a suffragan bishop’s post in the Chelmsford Diocese.
Ring any bells?
Tonight’s Channel Four News didn’t include a response from Cottrell. Perhaps he is now wary of making public statements as he knows that what he says will be scrutinised to see if there is any spec of truth in what he says.
In the past, Cottrell has claimed to do “all in his power to minimise risk” only for his actual actions subsequently coming to light, showing that he did nothing to minimise risk at all. What he actually does is brush concerns under the carpet.
Stephen Cottrell: In your epiphany letter, you promised greater accountability and transparency. You have shown neither. And the questions in my open letter to you remains unanswered. So we now know for sure that despite these latest “fine words”, no action will follow and your words at epiphany are as hollow as your words have been over the years.
I now have some words for you: For God’s sake, Stephen Cottrell: Go. And go Now!
The Church of England might have a wobble if it loses two archbishops for safeguarding scandals. But it will have a bigger wobble if you try to stay and continue to do harm.
When Jesus said that the gates of hell will not overcome his church, he was talking about the universal Christian Church, not the Church of England.
But, in reality, if the Church of England is being damaged, it won’t be for losing two archbishops. It will be because a person who is clearly unfit for the role of archbishop clings on, putting own ambition above the needs of the Church.
Well said! And the Revd. Charles Bell of Girton College Cambridge also calls for Cottrell to step down in an outspoken attack on the church.
Well said, Gavin. I had heard from several reliable sources that there was more to come about ++York, and I strongly suspect we have not yet heard everything. I’ve been calling for him to go for a while now. But I strongly doubt he will go anywhere unless absolutely forced to.
Catholicism in the 1990’s went through painful change where-‘abusers and excusers’-needed to be radically exorcised. Anglicanism is now in the same place. I am a retired NHS worker and work part-time in retirement as medical member on judicial panels. For several years I have asked senior clerics to address a New Wine bullying and harassment scandal which I witnessed. Two out of five students in my group were savagely ill-treated and unfairly accused of sexual misconduct. The approach of senior New Wine and Anglican Church leaders looked like the sleazy kangaroo court justice (DARVO-deny attack reverse victim and offender). A professor, an Archbishop-level cleric and a senior teacher were disgusted by the foul student abuse. Yet years later my persistent attempts to highlight this have been ignored. But latterly I have testified to the Pilavachi-New Wine review led by Fiona Scolding KC. I have shared concern how relevant witness evidence from me has not yet been incorporated into the final Pilivachi report. I am asking the lead Safeguarding Bishop, Joanne Grenfell, to share my concern with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Watch this space. God is not mocked, and victims are starting to see this divine principle (promise) in observation.