St Peter's Church Folkestone

It was obvious in 1992 that the Church of England had changed substantially for the worse. In the years that followed we have lived together with a real Gospel sense of purpose and they have been good years for us and our parishes. This week’s vote at General Synod came as a real shock to me, not because I expected to win but because I had not realised the depth of uncharitable and unchristian attitudes held by the majority. It became absolutely obvious that in spite of appeals from both Archbishops that the majority of so called liberals were determined to see us out. I have been quite impressed today that a liberal bishop and an archdeacon have both phoned me saying they shared our sense of shock. The Bishop of Dover who is a supporter of women bishops said in Synod “for the first time in my life I feel ashamed”.

So what has changed apart from clarity about the nature of our opponents? I suspect not very much. As a priest and bishop, and Chairman of Forward in Faith, I have always believed that the changing ecclesiology in the Church of England made collective demands on us. My conviction has always been that we have to seek a common ecclesial way forward. Our hope was that this would be established by the General Synod and though this now seems unlikely, it is still not an impossibility. I remain determined to find a way forward.

There has been quite a lot of journalistic gossip about contact with Rome. I am strongly committed to Christian unity and as many of you know was involved in the talks with the Roman Hierarchy in 1992 and spent a considerable time with Cardinal Ratzinger in 1996. My problem then was that though there was great generosity there was no offer of an ecclesial reconciliation. In other words, our common Eucharistic and spiritual life was not recognised. That remains a problem for me. I am fascinated by the conversations with the Traditional Anglican Communion and Rome as well as those between some of our Bishops and the Holy See. Do these now offer a way forward?

A lot of priests have phoned me in the last twenty four hours angry or distressed. Several have suggested that we should declare war on those who seek to destroy us. Particularly, the suggestion has been made that we stop paying Diocesan Quota. I am open on this matter but do not believe that now is the time for such drastic gestures. Whatever we do has to be agreed by the whole constituency so that we can act together.

The one thing that really shocks me about the present situation is that many so called liberals seek to dispossess us and eject us. This ejection would make that of the non- jurors seem trivial. If the Church of England were not established we would have a strong legal case for a share of the property and our own parishes and institutions. The so called liberals hide behind the presumed implications of the establishment of the Church of England which effectively robs us of our life and heritage. I do wonder if this would stand in the European Court.

To finish, I had delayed the Lay Assembly until after the Synod and will now arrange for one and obviously, we priests need to meet and digest the full implications of the present situation. Be assured of my determination to keep us together on our common pilgrimage. You may share this letter with your laity if you think it appropriate.

Every Blessing,

Yours as ever,

Pastoral Letter

The vote in General Synod on the proposal for Women Bishops will have been a real shock to many in our parishes. This is not the time for rapid decision but rather to take counsel together. I will be calling a Lay Assembly in the Autumn so that together we can look at this matter as well as the implications of the Lambeth Conference. Be assured of my determination to continue to seek a common way forward for all of us and my commitment to our common life. I know many were shocked by the intolerance demonstrated by the majority towards our parishes. I was encouraged by the support of both Archbishops. As we take counsel together we need to pray for the Church.

Every Blessing,

+John Fulham

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