LONDON (ENGLAND)
Christian Today
January 30, 2018
By Harry Farley
A priest barred from ministry after being accused of abusing colleagues and making malicious allegations against his superiors is to speak at the Church of England’s headquarters in London on Thursday.
Jules Gomes, formerly a priest at St Mary’s on the Harbour on the Isle of Man, is an outspoken defender of George Bell, a former Bishop of Chichester who has been accused of historical sex abuse. He will address a group of Bell’s supporters in Church House, Westminster, on February 1.
Church House is the building used as the CofE’s main London base. The National Church Institutions (NCIs) which govern the Church’s daily running, do not own the building nor control its bookings and the CofE appeared to distance itself from the event.
A Church of England spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an event due to take place at Church House Conference Centre Limited, in Westminster, on Feb 1 at which we understand Jules Gomes, a former Church of England parish priest prohibited from ministry for 10 years by a Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal, has been invited to speak.
‘The National Church Institutions are tenants at Church House. Church House Conference Centre Limited, who manage bookings from clients and operate the conference spaces, is an independent conference centre located at Church House.’
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