Please take the time to read this post in full and consider taking the action I suggest. You will all, no doubt, be aware from recent press and internet coverage that Jeremy Pemberton has had his Permission to Officiate (PTO) in Southwell & Nottingham Diocese removed by the acting Bishop, following consultation with the Archbishop of York. Distressing as this was, there has now been a further significant and much more serious development. Background Jeremy currently works as a Chaplain in an NHS Trust in Lincolnshire and retains his general licence from the Bishop of Lincoln. Jeremy received a written rebuke from this Bishop for contracting his marriage with me but this had no impact on his employment. However, he has recently been successful in his application for a promotion within the NHS to become the Head of Chaplaincy & Bereavement Services in a large hospital closer to home. This hospital is located within the geographical area covered by the Churchs Southwell & Nottingham Diocese. For those of you who are unaware, NHS chaplains are funded in full by the NHS and not by the Church of England. Present position The NHS has requested the acting Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham to issue Jeremy with a licence in order that he may take up his new job. This is standard procedure. The Bishop has refused to issue any form of licence to Jeremy as, by his marriage to me, and for no other reason, he does not, according to the Bishop model the Churchs teaching in his life. Leaving aside the insulting nature of this phrase, the effect of this refusal is that Jeremy will be denied the opportunity to take up his new position and develop his ministry further. There was no disciplinary process, no hearing and there is no right of appeal against this decision. I realise that, as Jeremys husband, I am far from impartial but those of you who know him well will recognise my description of him as a fine man of integrity and exceptional abilities and whose ministry in this Diocese would be a tremendous asset to those he serves. I am appalled, to put it mildly, that he is to be denied this opportunity solely because of his marital status. It is worth pointing out that Paul Butler (now Bishop of Durham) and the current Bishop of Lincoln issued Jeremy with his PTO and licence respectively in the past in the full knowledge that he is gay and living in a relationship with me. All that has changed is that we have got married. Nearly 100 of you were there on that day and will recall the commitment we made to each other with our vows. For this to result in the ruining of Jeremys employment prospects is outrageous and is, in my opinion, homophobic bullying. What I am asking Some of you may think what Jeremy has done is wrong and that he is paying the penalty for that. You are entitled to your opinion and I ask you to do nothing. Those of you who agree with me, I would ask that you consider doing one or more of the following in order to show support and perhaps result in the acting Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham changing his mind and issuing Jeremy with some form of a licence. When writing, it may carry more weight if you mention that you are a Christian/member of the Church of England if you are. You could write, expressing your views to: The Right Revd Richard Inwood Acting Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham Jubilee House Westgate Southwell NG25 0JH Email [email protected] I am not clear whether this latest decision was as a result of consultation with the Archbishop of York but, in any event, I would ask that you copy your correspondence to him at: The Most Revd & Right Hon Dr John Sentamu Archbishop of York Bishopthorpe Palace Bishopthorpe York YO23 2GE Email [email protected] The Acting Dean of Southwell Minster, Nigel Coates, is extremely supportive, for which Jeremy and I are most grateful. You may also wish to contact him to express your support at: The Revd Canon Nigel Coates Acting Dean of Southwell Minster Minster Centre Church Street Southwell NG25 0HD Email [email protected] The Archbishop of York and the acting Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham will be attending the grand re-opening of the Archbishops Palace and Great Hall complex at Southwell Minster on 7th October. You might wish to consider attending this event and taking the opportunity to bring your opinion of their treatment of Jeremy to their attention. I have tried to write this in as dispassionate language as possible. By doing this, I hope I havent failed to convey the strength of feeling I have about the Churchs unfair treatment of Jeremy. These are all my own words with no input from Jeremy, lawyers or anyone else. Many thanks, in advance, for your help. Laurence
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 05:19:55 +0000
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