Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Anglican bishop: 'We are all as guilty as Josef Fritzl'

The Bishop of Stafford, Gordon Mursell, has in his latest newsletter claimed that we are all as guilty as Josef Fritzl, the Austrian child torturer. This is because of our for failure to act on climate change. We are in effect locking up our children and grandchildren and throwing away the key, because we are imprisoning them in a world with no future, he says. Incredible, isn't it! I'm at one here with Libby Purves, who has also blogged it. And I am also in accord with the excellent Frank Furedi, who explains why the Bishop is the Church's new witchfinder-general and any stepping out of line on global warming the new heresy in an article on Spiked. (Update: the bishop has clarified his remarks and, in a typically Anglican shoot-the-messenger litany that I can only conclude is taught to all clergy at theological college, he says he meant what he said, but people are only getting upset because the media have had the presumption to report him. Goodness the arrogance of the laity. How dare we take advantage of being a free press. Stop digging bishop! The hole is getting bigger. Truly this is a disaster of environmental proportions.)

Teenage female suicide bomber kills Iraqi captain

Reports coming out of Iraq this afternoon suggest that a teenage suicide bomber has killed an Iraqi captain and injured four soldiers south of Baghdad. Apparently the attack happened today as the teenager, a young woman or girl, approached the Iraqi commander in Youssifiyah, one of the areas in Iraq being targeted by Al Qaeda as the US 'surge' in Baghdad proves increasingly successful. The bomb was detonated by remote control, killing Captain Wassem al-Maamouri and injuring four soldiers. American troops are searching for those responsible.

Of course female suicide bombers are not unprecedented.

McCann's Praia priest 'a nervous wreck'

A friend has translated this story for me from a German language news site in Spain. My own view is that there is no 'guilty secret' but that the Portugese are embarrassed by their total failure to solve this terrible case. And they are also upset that so many British tourists are understandably reluctant there. Poor McCanns. I certainly won't be visiting Portugal in the near future, never mind Praia.

'Jose Manuel Pacheco, the Catholic chaplain in Praia da Luz, who comforted the parents after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, seems now to turnaway from Kate and Gerry.Among other things, he ordered that posters and fliers publicising the search for Maddie should be removed from the notice board of the church.

Archbishop announces sex abuse review

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today admitted that the Church of England's handling of sex abuse cases had been incompetent and announced that there is to be a review of all historic allegations. Dr Williams admitted mistakes had been made in the past and said he was consulting on how best to conduct the review. However, although he said he would be seeking independent advice, he is resisting demands from survivors for an independent enquiry.

See below for the full transcript of his interview with John Humphrys on the BBC's Today programme this morning.

Child abuse: CofE and RC churches in dock again

Two in two weeks seems a bit unfortunate. The Church of England will find itself in the dock again after one of its parish priests was jailed this afternoon for five-and-a-half years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a string of boys over nearly 30 years. As we, the Press Association and others are reporting this evening, the Rev David Smith, 52, took advantage of his trusted position to groom and molest six vulnerable youngsters. This follows hard on the heels of last week's case of choirmaster Peter Halliday, 61, jailed for two and half years after admitting 10 counts of indecent assault on three boys. (Pic from a story on BBC website.)

Deep sorrow for child abuse 'not enough'

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, expressed his 'deep sorrow' for the child abuse perpetrated by choirmaster Peter Halliday. But in general, the consensus seems to be the Church of England has made a hash of this one by not issuing a full-blown 'mea culpa' at the start and by trying to pretend that 'things were different' back in 1990 when the abuse first became known.

Church 'failed to act' against abuser

I'm more used to writing about the Roman Catholic Church in this context, but today it is the Church of England that has been condemned condemned for failing to act against a child abuser. As we report in Times Online, a choirmaster who was this morning jailed at Winchester Crown Court for two-and-a-half years for sexually abusing three boys in his care. Peter Halliday, 61, from Farnborough, Hampshire, abused the choirboys between 1985 and 1990. He had  pleaded guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault. Judge Ian Pearson said that Halliday had systematically sexually abused the boys and said the offences were  so serious only a custodial sentence was appropriate. He also banned married Halliday from working with children for life. Halliday, who was ordered to pay £2,000 to each of his victims, is also to be put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.