A statement from the Bishop of Bristol

First published 21st April 2021

The Bishop of Bristol's statement regarding the BBC Panorama programme Is the Church Racist? aired on 19 April 2021:

"Monday evening’s Panorama looked at racism in the Church of England and included details about Revd Alwyn Pereira’s shocking and upsetting experiences in this diocese when he was a curate here.

Earlier this year, the Rt Revd Mike Hill, former Bishop of Bristol, was rebuked under the Clergy Disciplinary Measure for using unacceptable racial stereotyping in a letter he wrote in 2016. This followed a complaint by Alwyn that was adjudicated by the Archbishop of York.

As you know, I have outlined my commitments to fighting institutional racism and we have been working hard to implement them. Although the featured story happened some time ago, it underlines how important it is that we remain focused on this work. We simply cannot accept racism of any kind in the Church.

We are looking forward to the Church of England’s Anti Racism Taskforce’s report being published on Thursday which will bring essential actions, energy and urgency to this issue."

Tuesday 20 April 2021. 

Powered by Church Edit