Fresh Starts
At the end of 1992 we all remember the late Queen describing the year as an Annus Horribilis. Well, in a way 2024 has been an Annus Horribilis for the Church of England. The publication of the Makin Report into the horrific abuse of boys by a trusted lay leader which went unchecked for years and the subsequent resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury has caused a mirror to be held up to the church. The use and abuse of power, the nature of deference, the lack of transparency of processes, the need for truth and the ability or inability of the church to govern itself have all been called into question.
There is an urgent need for us to look honestly at ourselves afresh, to right the wrongs where we can, and when I say ‘we’ I mean all of us affiliated to the Church of England. To listen and learn from the victims and survivors of abuse and to support them in whatever way possible; to create greater transparency within our structures local, diocesan and national, and to consider where our own behaviour falls short as we follow the way of Christ.
A New Year creates the opportunity to resolve to change things. To be a church that is honest about its failings and determined to bring to the light things which have been hidden. To talk about hard topics honestly and safely where every voice counts, including safeguarding, human sexuality, our financial obligations, racial justice, and how we include or exclude. Too often as we look back, we can see it is fear that entraps us, and causes us to act in certain ways, to remain silent. So in response as we look ahead let’s declare 2025 as the year we begin to banish fear, and pay heed to the Psalmist ' The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1.
Bishop Karen
