Professor Martyn Percy Dean of Christ Church has been under suspension since November 2018. He is accused of “conduct of an immoral, scandalous or disgraceful nature incompatible with the duties of the office or employment”. There has been no explanation or reasons for this action taken by a cabal of potentially only 7 out of 64 governors. Nor can the dean talk about the suspension even though he has not been given any details of the accusations.
The dean may be being punished for trying to ‘throw some light on the “poor governance” of the self-serving body which sets the salaries of College fellows. They objected to his interference, and determined to rid themselves of this meddlesome priest’. further details of bullying on archbishopcranmer.com blog
Fact or Fiction
- Christ Church is both a cathedral, an Oxford college and a registered charity.
- It has enormous funds and reserves of over half a billion pounds and large land and property assets conservatively valued in the accounts on a historic cost basis.
- In the past, Percy has been a thorn in parts of the hierarchy of the Church of England. He criticised its reform programme saying it was “driven by mission-minded middle managers” who were alienating clergy, congregations and the general public.
- Revd John Witheridge, Honorary Chaplain at Christ Church, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen recently said about ethics that they are “an integral ingredient in Christian theology”. “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”
Comment
Martyn Percy is not allowed to perform his duties in the cathedral or the college and potentially has lost his permission to officiate within the Church of England. There is no known appeals or grievance procedure until a tribunal reports. Shame on someone!
We often hear about the tip of the iceberg. When things are bad they are often far worse. Public bodies such as churches, charities and universities should be open frank and forthright. We are left to wait and see in this case but don’t hold your breath.