Welby and his ilk

Welby should never have been allowed to speak. The victims of Smyth and their loved ones must be horrified.
When will these institutes stop covering up for sex offenders. Everyone who knew should be sacked. Who would have imagined we would be so far into the 21st century and this kind of abhorrence is still happening.
Not just in the Anglican and Catholic Church but the BBC, the Met police force, etc.
Who can we trust!?

Truly stomach turning.

I watched the itv news clip linked on one of the other threads. I’ve also read his speech. It’s almost impossible to believe he spoke as he did. The images of the male bishops laughing at his ‘joke’ about a previous ArchB of C being decapitated and ‘the revolting peasants’ using the head as a football was nauseating. The man clearly has no understanding about the harm he caused.
No shame

I am a christian, my prayers are said in private.

My opinion of the Church is unpopular, it doesn’t appear to be all embracing.

I grew up with the Church of England as an important happy and reassuring place. Faith has remained but I rarely talk about it
Grannygravy - do you mean your opinion or the church is unpopular
I have three close friends who are CofEclergy These are imo kind liberal compassionate people. They’re ashamed of everything around the safeguarding failures in the c of e. I’ve many friends who describe themselves as lapsed catholics but all prayed and lit candles when my husband was diagnosed
We are an increasingly secular society and the Archbishop and his supporters in the Church, especially the laughing bishops in the House of Lords make a mockery of the Christianity some of us still hold dear

I only saw a clip of this on tv but didn’t like what I saw. Nothing about the subject is remotely amusing and he misjudged it badly.

I think I am glad their arrogance has come to light.

I am not surprised about it all, sadly.

I know more than I need to know I think, about another national organisation and its top leadership. Well, from a few years ago. But from what little I know, nothing much will have changed in some ways.
Nothing sexual that I know about.
But the arrogance there too, and the manipulation and deviousness, should not have been as it was.

Iam64, I am one of those lapsed Catholics. Would really consider returning to the Church but people like this make me feel ill and disgusted such that I will stay away and do my own thing. I used to think that Catholic priests had the problem of not being allowed to marry and felt sorry for them if they fell in love with a woman (indeed the brother of a Catholic schoolfriend became a priest, 10 years later fell in love and left the priesthood) but sexual abuse is vile from every angle. These abusers do a grave disservice to the Church (quite apart from the victims who are affected for life) and the idea of being elevated to the Lords is utterly unacceptable to me.

Sickening indeed! The speech was insensitive and arrogant. All those men of God sitting behind him in their robes sniggering in response to Welby's revolting ' joke' I despair!

Yes Shelflife, the robes and the sniggering. By coincidence I was at an event at my local C of E Church when this story broke.
Some of the clergy appeared broken. That's the only word I can use. A more appropriate response.

Iam64 sorry I didn’t explain very well.

My opinion of the church is unpopular to some. I think some of the high profile leaders have lost their way and act as if they are all important more so than the faith and word of God they should be sharing.

A letter in todays DT sums it up well
Now is a good time to reflect on Justin Welby’s legacy
He showed pity in his speech for his diary-keeper, but little sympathy for the survivors of abuse in his church.
He managed to find plenty of money for reparations, but little for parish priests and their church buildings.
He presided over an increase in diocesan inclusion and diversity officers, and a decline in parish congregations.
He loved national ceremony and flummery, and showed disdain for day-to-day parish work.
He offered few words of scriptural faith, but plenty of comment on woke nonsense

IMO he should have been gone long before now- actually never Archbishop of Canterbury.
Or as Henry II said “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest”

Thanks GG13, that’s what I took from your post. I wanted clarity because what’s happening in the church that’s always been a quiet part of my life is beyond words. Two friends progressed about 20 years ago from top lawyer posts into the clergy. They’re people of integrity, compassion and honesty, with wide life experience before becoming ordained. We can only imagine the despair decent clergy are feeling.

It’s difficult to believe the archbishop didn’t have his farewell speech looked over by a trusted confidant. It was disgraceful and will have alienated many, like MadMeg has been by her church

I do not understand why a disgraced anyone let alone an archbishop is permitted to speak anywhere let alone the House of Lords. Who controls these parasites. Reform of the HoL is long overdue and every Lord Spiritual by current position or retirement should be dismissed, it would be a start. No other religious leaders have this dubious right of mass representation.

Lots of parastites all propping each other up.

I don't think the word parasite is particularly helpful, name calling never is. Having said that, listening to Archbishop Welby, I truly do despair of both him and those lordly Bishops. I was brought up in the Anglican faith, and have watched with sadness at the loss of gravitas, humility and actual goodness that the Church has now embraced. It would seem that the clergy like politicians, is now regarded as just a career, a slippery slope to be climbed, a goal to be achieved, a pension to be secured. Very very sad.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and therefore should accept criticism, however l gave thought to the word parasite and stand by my use of it. Those who covered up the abuse did so to protect themselves, and further their own ends, to the absolute detrimental of others.

A shocking display of unrepentant arrogance and it does nothing to enhance the reputation of the Church of England .

I agree with RosiesMaw; he should never have been made Archbishop of Canterbury. I was hoping for John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York - a man of principle and moral courage, greatly loved not only by the people of York.

I believe the reason Welby was appointed to the post of Archbishop was because senior clergy were opposed to John Sentamu, accusing him of being a self-publicist.

OldFrill

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and therefore should accept criticism, however l gave thought to the word parasite and stand by my use of it. Those who covered up the abuse did so to protect themselves, and further their own ends, to the absolute detrimental of others.

Vile, how do they sleep at night?

John Sentanu has stepped back after an investigation found he failed to act after allegations of repeated rape of a teenage boy by a vicar were not properly investigated

Iam64

John Sentanu has stepped back after an investigation found he failed to act after allegations of repeated rape of a teenage boy by a vicar were not properly investigated

Is there a link for this please. I can't find anything recent, only over a year ago.