FR JULIAN'S WEEKLY BLOG
12/10/25
The recent announcement of the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally caused more interest than previous such appointments, as she will be first woman Primate of All England. Some will rejoice at the news, others may be uncertain, others worried. All these reactions will be present to some extent in us all. It is a very significant step, and the reaction of the rest of the Anglican Communion is not yet really known. However, we prayer for in her new role, and faces the immense and increasingly fraught task of leading the Church of England. The Church is beginning to reflect secular society: one error and a head has to roll. I don’t think this necessarily healthy or Christian. Yes, responsibility lies with the leader, but there is a collective responsibility as well.
For those who are perturbed by the news, let me offer some thoughts. For most of my priesthood, the ordination of women as priests and bishops has dominated. What is very different now, unlike 37 years ago, is that there is less aggression, more sensitivity on both sides, and also an understanding of how different opinions can be honoured. Also there is the solid reassurance of legislation, practised and understood, to underpin goodwill.
Pro or con, we are all members of the body of Christ and bidden to live together in love in peace.​
05/10/25
I write this on Yom Kippur when a Manchester synagogue was attacked and two people, and also the probable attacker, died. Yom Kippur is a Jewish Holy Day, the ‘day of atonement’. At this time also we are shocked to hear of the alleged behaviour of some members of the Met. Police; racist, misogynist and religious bigotry. These two news headlines are very shocking and will properly disgust all right-minded people.
Manchester, London – they’re a long way away; it couldn’t happen in Taunton. Did you know that 24 different nationalities are represented at Holy Trinity School? And all those children and their families could be potential targets as they are ‘minorities’, different from us, and more vulnerable as they are less in number. Whereas those perpetrating those heinous acts I’ve cited are contravening the civil law, we must be on our guard that we do not contravene the moral or religious laws that underpin our society, and the way that we regard, and behave towards those who differ from us.
I am not for one moment suggesting that any of us would dream of doing so deliberately, but we need always to remember how each of us, even in a tiny way, are ‘minorities’ and would at the least be hurt and offended if our differences were used against us.​