Archbishop candidates need ‘heads reading’

[Pelican Press 0]

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Archbishop candidates need ‘heads reading’

The Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek said any bishop thinking about becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury needs “their head reading”.

Justin Welby

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associated with the ******* of England.

Bishop Rachel told

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she did not want the “very, very difficult job” and any Bishop thinking about it should “look long and hard into the mirror and take some reality checks”.

She said Mr Welby’s decision was “absolutely the right thing to do” but that it “probably could have happened quicker”.

The report found that Mr Welby “could and should” have reported Smyth’s ****** of boys and young men to police in 2013.

It was not immediately clear when the archbishop would leave his post but the process of finding a replacement is likely to take at least six months.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the ******* of England and leads 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries around the world.

“Anyone who wants to be the Archbishop of Canterbury absolutely needs their head reading,” Bishop Rachel said.

“You know, this is a very, very difficult job – stepping into the structures that do need to change.

“Any bishop who wants to be the archbishop, well, I think they might need to look long and hard into the mirror and take some reality checks.”

Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at ********** camps, in the *** in the 1970s and 1980s.

The

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published last week found inaction from the ******* was a “missed opportunity” to bring Smyth to justice before his ****** in 2018.

The Bishop called it an “absolutely sickening report”, adding the focus needs to be on the victims and survivors who had had to wait years for the ****** to be fully exposed.

“I want to instil trust and ****** and say to victims and survivors that if you have been silenced, if you are carrying that weight today, then please do contact your diocesan safeguarding team,” she said.

She said safeguarding processes and training within the ******* had changed in recent years but independent oversight was needed.

“One of the things that this report and subsequent events has thrown up again is the very clunky governance we have within the ******* of England,” she added.

“We do not have quick decision making, there are too many different levels, groups, involved.

“We need to be able to move much more swiftly.”

Bishop Rachel was consecrated as the 41st Bishop of Gloucester in 2015.

She made history by becoming the first female diocesan bishop and the first female bishop in the House of Lords.

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