An 82-year-old retired priest has reacted to losing her right to conduct religious ceremonies because of her participation in Just Stop Oil protests.
According to reports, the Rev Sue Parfitt was arrested in May after allegedly causing damage to the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library in London as part of a protest with the climate action group. She is still awaiting trial. This is one of dozens of protests the retired priest has taken part in during the last few years for Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain.
After her arrest in May, she was told by the diocese of Bristol and the city’s bishop, Vivienne Faull, that she would be denied permission to officiate (PTO) because of the charges she is facing.
PTO is a licence granted by the Church of England, typically to retired priests or deacons, that allows them to conduct religious ceremonies. It has to be renewed every three years and renewal is usually only refused for severe wrongdoing.
Parfitt, who lives in Bristol, said she has been negotiating with the diocese for her PTO renewal since the start of 2023. She was subject to a safeguarding check that recommended she should be granted the permission.
Read also: Analysis: Coalition’s nuclear plan will lead to ‘massive’ electricity shortages
“It’s painful – I would be foolish to deny it,” she said. “And the irony is it’s the 30th anniversary year of women being ordained as priests.”
Parfitt and Faull were among the first women to join the priesthood.
“I am very shocked, surprised and disappointed in [Faull’s] attitude. I, and everybody else, find it inexplicable, considering her strong lead on the climate.”
Faull has been a progressive voice on climate action in the church in recent years, with the diocese of Bristol declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and being the first diocese in the UK to commit to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.
At the time, Faull said that “care for God’s creation is key to our Christian faith” and that the move would “send a strong message” that “we must all act now” to combat the climate crisis.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
