The Catholic Group on General Synod has elected a new Chairman, following Fr Paul Benfield's decision to retire from the role after seven years as Chairman.

Fr Adam Gaunt, Rector of Loftus-in-Cleveland & Carlin How with Skinningrove in the Diocese of York, is the new Chairman. Fr Adam is local to that area, having been born in Middlesbrough and raised on Teesside. In 2015 he was elected to the House of Clergy of the General Synod and was re-elected in 2021. In 2017 Fr Adam was appointed as a board member of Together Middlesbrough & Cleveland, a joint venture between the Church Urban Fund and the Diocese of York, and in 2020 he was elected as a trustee of the Prayer Book Society.

Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, commented: "I warmly welcome Fr Adam to this important role. I know from his grounding in the life of his parish, and from the various trusteeships he has held, that he has the right blend of experience and skills to represent the Catholic Movement on General Synod effectively and with due consideration of the differing views held by fellow Anglicans, particularly at this testing time for Synod. I would also like to pay tribute to Fr Paul for undertaking the role with such aplomb over the last seven years. I am grateful that his legal expertise will remain available to our Movement."

The retirement of Fr David Houlding SSC has been announced with Fr David's last Sunday on duty being 23 July 2023 and a farewell celebration scheduled at All Hallows', Gospel Oak for Saturday 3 June 2023. Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, has responded to the news: "Fr David has served the Catholic Movement in the Church of England with great distinction. We particularly remember his tireless efforts as Chairman of the Catholic Group on General Synod during challenging times for our Movement. We wish Fr David well in his retirement and we pray that a worthy successor may be identified to succeed him in his role as a parish priest."

Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, has welcomed the appointment of Maggie Swinson as the Church of England's Independent Reviewer, following the untimely death of Sir William Fittall earlier this year. Maggie will follow in the illustrious footsteps of Sir Philip Mawer and Sir William in this role and we wish her well in playing a part in enabling mutual flourishing to remain both a priority and a reality for the Church of England.

Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of Forward in Faith, has welcomed the appointment of the Revd Dr Rob Munro as the successor to Bishop Rod Thomas in providing an episcopal ministry to conservative evangelical parishes across the Church of England. The appointment demonstrates the Church's continued commitment to mutual flourishing and a diversity of theological views among its bench of bishops.


Footnote: the Revd Dr Rob Munro will be the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, following changes to the Sees utilised to provide episcopal ministry under the House of Bishops' Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests. His predecessor, Rod Thomas, had been the Bishop of Maidstone. It has recently been announced that Fr Paul Thomas will be the Bishop of Oswestry. His predecessor, Jonathan Goodall, had been the Bishop of Ebbsfleet.

We welcome the priority the Church of England has accorded in recent years to improving its record on safeguarding. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has produced its final report and it is clear that more needs to be done. We know that all those involved in the life of the Church will strive to meet the challenges arising.

There is one particular strand of the report which we must respond to immediately given its serious – and negative – implications for Church life and that is the recommendation that there should be a duty of disclosure for serious safeguarding matters. The duty would be without exception, thus breaching the Seal of Confession.

We are unaware of any evidence to suggest that the Seal of Confession has hampered progress on safeguarding in any way. Equally, we are unaware of any evidence to suggest that applying the duty of disclosure to Confession will lead to improvements in safeguarding.

Moreover, we feel deeply uneasy at a secular body seeking to impinge on the administration of the Church’s sacraments – of which Confession is one – which are at the core of its mission to the world, and which have been provided by God to His people as channels of His grace. The sacraments are preserved and administered by the Church and do not belong to us; they are therefore not ours to amend.

We now need to spend time studying the report in detail and consulting with ecumenical partners before responding further.

The Trustees of Forward in Faith

20 October 2022

Footnote: Paragraph 109 on page 230 of the IICSA final report is of particular concern to us and, no doubt, many others seeking to uphold the Church's received understanding of the nature of the sacrament of Confession.