Former shepherd to be pilgrim officer in Canterbury
A DEDICATED pilgrim officer has been appointed for Cathedral Cathedral, as the Chapter seek to re-establish it as “England’s ultimate pilgrimage destination”, it was announced this week. The officer, Torin Brown, worked part-time as a shepherd while studying theology at Christ Church University in the city. This brought him into contact with pilgrims, and he began to greet them and arrange a blessing for them.
Safe Spaces chair steps down after one year
PAUL LANGHAM, the independent chair of the Safe Spaces helpline for survivors of church-related abuse, is to step down next month after one year in post. A statement published on the Church of England website on Wednesday said: “This will not affect the running of the service.” On behalf of the board of directors, Craig Russo said: “We are confident that the service will continue to positively impact the lives of victims and survivors as it develops. This is in no small part due to the representation and participation of survivors on our Advisory Committee and the valuable professional experience they bring to the table. . . The Directors and the Advisory Committee are committed to ensuring the service’s continued success and positive impact on survivors’ lives.”
Coventry priest jailed for 23 years
A PRIEST who served in Coventry diocese, the Revd Philip Aspinall, 73, was imprisoned for 23 years by Warwick Crown Court on 31 January for multiple counts of indecent assault on a male and indecency with a child. The BBC reported that he had sexually abused two boys during the 1990s. A statement from the diocese of Coventry said that he had held the Bishop’s licence as a minister in secular employment and in the Coventry East team, specifically at St Peter’s, Hillfields, where he served from 1989 to 1999. In 1997, after a police investigation which did not result in the bringing of any criminal charges, the Bishop of Coventry at the time revoked his licence. The Bishop gave him permission to minister as an ordained process engineer and safety adviser through his involvement in organisations relating to ministry in secular employment, but forbade him to officiate in any acts of worship. In 2013, on the advice of the diocesan safeguarding adviser and after recommendations arising from the publication of the final Chichester report, the then Bishop withdrew Aspinall’s permission in its entirety. Aspinall remained involved in the Chrism (Christians in Secular Ministry) network, listed as a committee member in a 2023 edition of its journal.
Treasurer defrauded Armagh church of almost £750,000
A FORMER treasurer of Shankill Parish Church in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Godfrey Ellis, of Clanconnel Gardens, Waringstown, was jailed for 40 months last week after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position, Armagh I reports. He defrauded almost £750,000 from parish funds to “prop up a lifestyle he wanted for his family, but could not afford”, Judge Patrick McGurgan told the court. The Archdeacon of Dromore and Rector of Shankill, the Ven. Mark Harvey, said that the loss of funds had affected maintenance work on the church, leading to the “huge level of investment which they currently face to repair and renew the parish church, which is the largest such building in the Church of Ireland”.
