I refer, of course, to the Archbishop of Canterbury who has just been exposed not only as an A1 dimwit but as a thoroughly nasty dimwit, too. At long last an independent report into the C of E's cruel and stupid decision to blacken the name of one of its bravest and most intelligent bishops has been published. The real victim, Bishop Bell of Chichester, was condemned some years ago on the word of a woman who complained that decades ago as a child she was sexually abused by Bishop Bell. According to Charles Moore, former editor of The Spectator, and confirmed by Lord Carlisle's just published enquiry into how the accusation was treated, virtually no effort was made by the C of E 'investigating' committee to test the complaint. Thus, the holy 'Poobahs' just swallowed the whole story hook, line and sinker.
Lord Carlisle's more 'forensic' investigation makes clear that there is not a shred of evidence from anyone else to support the complainant's accusation and absolutely no corroborative evidence was ever found. Lord Carlisle's report is utterly damning of the church's non-legal procedures. The conclusion was clear, the C of E had colluded in trashing a noble man's reputation without a shred of evidence. At this point, enter our 'total tit', aka: the Archbishop of Canterbury. Asked to exonerate the reputation of the late Bishop Bell, he said this:
‘We realise that a significant cloud is left over his name … He is also accused of great wickedness. Good acts do not diminish evil ones, nor do evil ones make it right to forget the good. Whatever is thought about the accusations, the whole person and the whole life should be kept in mind.”
And he did not say sorry! I do hope the fires of hell are well and truly stoked when Archbishop Justin Welby faces his Maker!
Just as there is a "Deep State" within all democratic governments, there is also a "Deep Church" within all religions.
Posted by: Whitewall | Saturday, 16 December 2017 at 13:17
Excellent post, DD. The problem here is one of hasty over-reaction to a problem, made worse by political correctness of the worst sort. Chichester diocese has a long-standing reputation as the diocese where child abuse is more common. Probably bad luck, compounded by some poor decisions to "cover up", and this was all many years ago, before "safeguarding" was even a term in public discussion. As we have seen, sports clubs and other organisations were just as bad - where you have children, there you will find kiddy-fiddlers. Chichester's problem was to over-react and act as if they totally believed one accuser. They went the extra mile in showing how supportive and caring they were, and completely neglected the truth. The Church hierarchy are still playing this game: their statements are full of concern about the alleged "victim", with never a word of repentance for their own stupidity. Maybe they are trying to convince us there is no smoke without fire. Or maybe they are trying to deflect attention from their own failings.
Posted by: Whyaxye | Saturday, 16 December 2017 at 14:47