The Archbishop, the second most senior figure in the Church of England, warned that even he has no power to demand to see the files of banned cleric from other dioceses who retire to his area and apply for a new permission to serve as a priest again.
He told the Synod that unless the loophole is closed, abusers could return to serve as priests in a different part of England and potentially reoffend.
Read moreRestoration of the most severe penalty for clergy guilty of sex abuse or other crimes was revealed after the Most Reverend Justin Welby told a survivors group that the Church is ready to launch its own examination of the extent of child sex abuse by priests.
Getting tough: Restoration of the most severe penalty for clergy guilty of sex abuse or other crimes was revealed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (above)
Read moreIn rejecting this definition of marriage, the bishops of the US Episcopal Church have rejected Jesus' own teaching. As such, they have denied the faith they profess to teach, forfeiting any right to be regarded as true bishops of the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus warned us to "watch out for false prophets" who come in his name (Matthew 7.15, 22)
Read moreNo apology was forthcoming; nor, apparently, any invitation to write an extended piece on the miraculous nature of Jesus Christ. The irruption of God into the world just isn't news, you see. So Justin Welby did what Jesus tended to do: he went to Times Towers and spoke to some of his critics face-to-face. It's so much more Christian than carping behind people's backs and spreading manifest untruths about the Church.
Read moreWhile recognising the prerogative of The Episcopal Church to address issues appropriate to its own context, Archbishop Justin Welby said that its decision will cause distress for some and have ramifications for the Anglican Communion as a whole, as well as for its ecumenical and interfaith relationships.
Read moreSome are calling on Bishop of Buckingham Alan Wilson to resign after he defended the gay marriage of Rev Jeremy Pemberton. They are also threatening to switch allegiance from the Church of England to the new conservative Gafcon fellowship.
The escalating war of words is a sign that the "conversations" currently taking place over human sexuality in the Church of England come amid a time of intensifying crisis.
Read moreThe bishop replied: "To paraphrase the TV programme [House of Cards], you may say that, but I couldn't possibly comment." Inwood was speaking at an employment tribunal for Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who has made a claim for discrimination against the bishop.
In April 2014, Rev Pemberton became the first clergyman to marry his same-sex partner, in defiance of guidance issued by the C of E's bishops the month before.
Read moreOur cathedral buildings will survive, but they won't be true cathedrals because they will have no bishops. The Church of England is declining faster than other denominations; if it carries on shrinking at the rate suggested by the latest British Social Attitudes survey, Anglicanism will disappear from Britain in 2033. One day the last native-born Christian will die and that will be that.
Read more"Confirmation suggests an ownership of a specific denominational identity, which is simply not part of the deal for most people. I would suggest that even most people of my generation, and certainly those of my children's, find denominational identity increasingly irrelevant."
His position was affirmed by Ali Campbell, a youth-and-children's-ministry consultant.
Read moreWhen Mullaly became the government's Chief Nursing Officer for England in 1999, she was the youngest person appointed to this post. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding service to healthcare.
Ordained in 2001, she served in non-stipendiary roles, then quit nursing to become a full-time rector in Surrey on the outskirts of London in 2006.
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