Tuesday, 15 January 2013

DURHAM DIOCESE EXCLUDES UNEMPLOYED PRIESTS FROM APPLYING FOR JOBS

Durham Diocese in the Church of England have long insisted that only priests already in the diocese will be considered for posts that become vacant in the diocese, unless the posts cannot be filled internally. Personally, I think this attitude is disgusting enough, especially as other dioceses don't operate such a system. However, being resident in the diocese I had thought that I would be regarded as a priest of the diocese. In fact, I unsuccessfully applied for a post recently.

However, a new vacancy posted on the Diocesan website shows that they have tightened the closed shop even further and I will no longer be able to apply for posts within my own diocese.

This is exactly the same cavalier attitude towards English employment law that the archdeacons and bishop of Newcastle displayed when they removed me from my post for having suffered in the past from depression (an act of brutality that is not allowed under English secular law). That the present Bishop of Durham will soon be running the whole shebang is extremely worrying. Will the Church of England as a whole now refuse to adhere to the basic moral principles that guide our society?


Perhaps the UK government would have more sympathy for the human rights of Christians if Christian leaders were more keen to uphold the human rights of those supposedly in their care.
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20 comments:

  1. So did Hagger contact Jagger for an informal conversation?

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    1. Erm? No. I can't. I'm not stipendary. That's the whole point of the post.

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    2. Come now, did you think I didn't see that? I could not resist the Hagger/Jagger thing. I'd probably contact Jagger anyway just to see what he'd say and annoy him a little.

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    3. Then you should have written "Hagger should contact Jagger for an informal interview anyway." Instead you decided to infuriate me when I was already laid low by the inequalities of life. Et tu Bruti?

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    4. I give up. I was joking, and I infuriated you. Sorry.

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    5. Too late for apologies. I am a broken man.

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    6. Were you truly infuriated by what I said? Or are you joking?

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    7. Not infuriated. But I will admit to a frown.

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    8. If Hagger decides to annoy Jagger, Hagger might suggest to Jagger that "Hagger need not apply" be appended to all notices of vacancies. Or would that be illegal?

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    9. As this extra condition appeared on the vacancy page after I had applied for a job, it probably, for all intents and purposes, already does.

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    10. Sad, but maybe true. Of course, officials in the diocese can say that they lack the funds to do anything but shuffle around already employed priests. Every way you look in the Church of England, you see Catch-22 policies in operation.

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    11. They could sell that castle for a start and give all employees the same wages and pension.

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    12. The church could sell all the castles and palaces and the bishops' thrones, too, and we could sell the bishops' thrones here. Bishops are elected/chosen to be servants of all, and thrones and castles don't fit in the picture.

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    13. Considering my bad start and even perhaps my bad follow-ups, I shall probably not soon trouble the waters at OCICBW... again. Still, despite our poor communication, our misunderstandings, our seeming ease at annoying and frustrating each other, I see you as a gifted and fascinating man, Jonathan.

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    14. I tell you what, you leave the jokes up to me and I'll leave the being nice to people up to you. That should stop any further misunderstanding. :-)

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  2. I don't understand why you can't sue the hell out them (on several fronts)...name names, what have you got to lose? It appears you're already persona non grata with or without the new rule...perhaps they just like to protect themselves (like a oil company might do).

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    1. The Church of England is exempt from employment law.

      The courts have decided that a priest is not employed by the church but is employed by God.

      Priests are office holders not employees.

      Etc. etc.

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    2. Can you sue God? I'm sure she'd be a good sport about it.

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  3. Jagger sounds like a jag off. [Any relation to You Know Who? 8-{O} ]

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  4. Cross the briny MP. I'm sure some parish in TEC would welcome you, and even if not, you'd be out of the medieval CofE.

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