Lee Furney

Justin Welby, a 🧵 Q. Are you going to resign? A. It would only be a matter of resignation if I knew or had grounds for suspicion about Smyth before 2013. 1/11

"There was an avalanche of evidence against Jonathan Fletcher. As with John Smyth, victims’ complaints were suppressed by a self-congratulating subculture that has never repented, and so has never changed." Totally true & totally unacceptable in both cases share.google/RXiM742ww3sOzP…

@ChrisHowles Thx

@leefurney Data from shared.ontariotechu.ca/shared/faculty… - there are different projections, and some put Blantyre lower down, but the first seems favoured.

Size/location of the world's biggest cities today, compared to the end of this century. What surprises you?

@reachjulieroys @OfficeofABC Strikingly, she has been strongly objected to by both liberals and conservatives as regards her safeguarding record.

Many African Anglican women bishops celebrate the historic selection of Rev. Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury (@OfficeofABC), while traditionalists reject it, highlighting divisions within the Anglican communion. julieroys.com/africa-new-can…

@reachjulieroys He sorts the minimum mess (defending self, dismissing others), apologises for the least fault (zero, when he could have owned his irresponsible use of pics, despite being a graphic designer) & recasts enduring & well substantiated concerns as merely subjective. All too familiar.

This reply from someone who lionized John MacArthur kills me. Ravi Zacharias was a blessing to many. Do we also overlook the women he harmed? How a believer cld hear Eileen Gray's & Wendy Guay's story & not be moved w/ compassion is beyond me. Is Holy Spirit living in these men?

Six months ago today, the Makin Review was published. But still no one held to account, implementation of recommendations: nada. Yet another 6 months goes by without truth, justice and real change @cathynewman @JanetEastham @AndrewGraystone @BirkenheadBish churchofengland.org/media/press-re…

J Welby now on BBC1 to @bbclaurak “I have said sorry to the ones who wanted to meet me.” Justin, you and I spent 90 mins talking about my abuse by Smyth in December. Not once did you say sorry. You didn’t ask me how I was. You implied you were the victim. This is v all sad 😢

@Graham1munro @bbclaurak @cathynewman @BishopNewcastle Justin Welby claims he "certainly" said sorry to Smyth victims when he recently made himself available to meet with them in person for the first time. Mark Stibbe says at no point did he say apologise to him during his meeting.

“Are the survivors sufficiently loved by the church and cared for, and liberated the rebuild their lives ?”. No, NO, NO. I am not sure Welby has the slightest idea how appalling our treatment has been, how neglected, betrayed, abandoned @bbclaurak @cathynewman @BishopNewcastle

@Graham1munro @bbclaurak @AleemMaqbool Admitting to failing at an initial in-tray exercise is merely further minimisation, obfuscation and non-apology. Treasurers for oil companies know all about clearing up messes if and when they want to. Playing the victim of harsh criticism is yet another disaster.

@Graham1munro @bbclaurak @AleemMaqbool It was soon obvious that Smyth was the longest, biggest & most significant scandal in Church of England history. Yet, the response has been characterised by enduring inaction, disingenuous statements, report underfunding & the lingering absence of sanctions & reparations.

He cannot resist dissembling: “a few overwhelming weeks”. No Justin, you got to Lambeth in March 2013, and were told in August, so this was not crowding your desk when you arrived. You try to mislead. And was this disclosure not a priority ? @bbclaurak @AleemMaqbool

We need an effective #MandatoryReporting law- not a watered down version as the government now proposes. My Thunderer column today (actually co written with ⁦⁦@mandatenow⁩ & ⁦@SeenandheardUK⁩ , but only one author name permitted)

Every church network should be *ahead* of the secular courts in forbidding its members from binding peoples' consciences with an NDA in *any* circumstances. Please share, challenge and support your leaders to make this change in Christian culture. julieroys.com/robert-morris-…

@cathynewman Well done Cathy and @Channel4News team! Repeated thanks to @AndrewGraystone for disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed.

😊

@reachjulieroys @churchofengland For clarity, the Church of England's Makin report was in 2024, whilst the subsequent investigation in Zimbabwe has stalled. The report that was not publicised (Ruston Report) was in 1982, which led to decades of continued abuse in two african countries.

Months after @ChurchOfEngland report on layman John Smyth caused 2 Archbishops to resign, investigation seems to have stalled. Smyth's abuses against boys were stopped in UK, but report was not publicized & he revived his practices 2 yrs later in Zimbabwe julieroys.com/john-symth-vic…

@reachjulieroys @churchofengland Here is a response on behalf of some of the victims and survivors. x.com/HseofSurvivors…

The @ChurchofEngland is preparing charges against 10 clergyman who failed to act on years of reported abuses. A 3rd-party report finds former Archbishop George Carey & retired Bishop Paul Butler, among others, knew of abuses by John Smyth but did nothing. julieroys.com/ten-church-eng…

Media statement via Andrew Graystone from some of the victims & survivors of John Smyth. 25 February 2025

Twelve years after Smyth's abuse was reported to the Diocese of Ely, there is the prospect of repercussions through the Church of England's faulty CDM. Note the absences as well as the inclusions.

At today’s date, the “Statement about David Fletcher” (updated 7 Feb. 2025) on @StEbbesChurch website includes this: “Since 2017…St Ebbes received reports from 2 women about him [DF] having been inappropriately tactile with them.” 1/

@smcalpine6 Explanatory power 1000

Why The Temple Is The Best Place To Hide An Idol stephenmcalpine.com/why-the-temple… Forsaking ministry to go and play out your ungodliness in obvious ways? Ain’t nobody got time for that!  Besides, when the pay is okay and there’s a house to go with it, and a bunch of people to utilise to your own ends? I mean, where else in the world would you get liberty to do that with the fairly narrow skills set you have been given?

@NormanLeedsPhD Or last one out turn the lights off

@leefurney True to form the Establishment has kicked the can down the road once again. This must surely be the signal for Parliament to intervene?

The Church of England's safeguarding is as safe as houses. Unfortunately, as safe as a house of bishops. bbc.com/news/articles/…