“In spite of a crisis at HQ, it seems to have been a bumper Christmas in parish churches…”

Revd Richard Coles

Yet another clergy employment case

Fr Stavros Bozos, priest of the Greek Orthodox parish of the Three Hierarchs in Leeds, refused to work from the church after the COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted. He insisted on working from home, arguing that he should not be obliged to commute to the church because the community’s computer was located at his home, making the commute a waste of time. The diocese raised concerns about his lack of availability, particularly his failure to provide regular catechism classes at the Greek school, and he was also accused of being uncooperative and defensive during meetings where concerns were raised about his performance – and he was ultimately sacked.

Before an employment tribunal, he argued that he had been unfairly dismissed.  The tribunal held that, though his dismissal had been justified, the diocese had failed to follow proper dismissal procedures due to the unusual employment arrangement between the Greek Church and the British-based charity that employed him; it awarded him £2,232.67 in compensation but dismissed his other claims.

We’ll publish a note on the two judgments later in the week. [With thanks to John Duddington.]

Conversion therapy and human rights

In reply to a written question from Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Con) asking HMG “what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of their proposed Conversion Practices Bill”, Lord Collins of Highbury, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa and a Government Whip, replied as follows:

“Officials have a good understanding of legislation on conversion practices across a number of overseas nations and territories, including in the Australian state of Victoria. A jurisdiction’s decision on whether and how to legislate in this area will depend on their specific legal framework and context. This Government has been clear that the draft Bill we publish will respect the important role that religious leaders have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Government has and will continue to meet with numerous stakeholders representing a wide range of views as we develop this work. This includes an array of organisations both in favour of, or concerned by, the prospect of this legislation …

I can also confirm that the Government is considering all possible impacts and relevant rights in relation to this work, in line with the requirement to consider the compatibility of legislation with Convention rights as an integral part of the policy-making process.”

And an obscure legal corner that we missed

The Faculty Office posted the following on 17 December:

“Resignation of The Most Revd Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury

Following the announcement of the resignation of The Most Revd Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, the functions of the Archbishop which are administered through the Faculty Office (namely the appointment of Notaries, the issue of Special Marriage Licences and the conferral of Lambeth Degrees) will continue to be administered by the Faculty Office with all necessary documents being issued in the name of the Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral (in its capacity as Guardian of the Spiritualities) from 7^th January 2025, being the date upon which the Archbishop’s resignation takes effect, until such [time] as a new Archbishop is appointed.” [With thanks to Jacob Gifford Head.]

(It’s different in Scotland: on admission, solicitors automatically become notaries as well unless they formally opt out.)

Quick links

• David Allen Green: How the lore of New Year defeated the law of New Year – how the English state gave up on insisting the new year started on 25 March: on the enactment of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

And finally…I

A row has broken out over a proposal to install new stained-glass windows depicting Pentecostal scenes in the chapels on the south side of Notre Dame – even though the existing windows were not damaged in the 2019 fire. According to the report in The Guardian, the 1964 Venice Charter, which codifies guidelines for preserving French buildings, states that “Items of sculpture, painting or decoration which form an integral part of a monument may only be removed if this is the sole means of ensuring their preservation” and that “the valid contributions of all periods to the building of a monument must be respected”. Nevertheless, the proposal has the approval of President Macron, the Archbishop of Paris and the church authorities.

Presumably there’s no French equivalent of the faculty jurisdiction…

And finally…II

In its roundup of the year, the Catholic Herald notes that during 2024 a criminal charge was filed in a Peruvian court against one Jordi Bertomeu by two individuals who had been witnesses in a Vatican investigation concerning the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, an inquiry which Monsignor Bertomeu had been in Peru to help lead. They have also filed a canonical complaint against him in a Vatican court. The Herald comments that “it’s … astonishing that private citizens in Peru can file criminal charges at all, but that’s a topic for a different day”.

Not astonishing at all, guv: private prosecutions are regularly brought in England and Wales by organisations such as the RSPCA and the Post Office (see the recent scandals passim)  and, very occasionally, by private individuals – though whether or not we should move to a much more restrictive regime for private prosecutions, as in Scotland, is a separate issue.

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AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL