Church of England investigating vicar for calling a transvestite deacon a 'bloke'



The Church of England is investigating a vicar who dared to criticize LGBT activism among the clergy and point out that a transvestite archdeacon is in fact a man.

Rev. Brett Murphy, 38, released a 32-minute YouTube video on June 16, wherein he touched on various concerns pertaining to LGBT activism among Christians. While his criticism in the video of the Roman Catholic pontiff was likely palatable to the Anglican leadership, his criticism of Rev. R. Mann, a male transvestite who has called himself in past years a "lesbian," apparently crossed the line.

Mann characterized himself on his personal website as a "feminist and queer writer" who produces "liturgy that seeks to be critical of patriarchy and liberative for both men and women." He also told the Telegraph in 2020, "I'm self-evidently a woman – but I'm glad I was once a man."

Mann has made waves stating, "I was only able to find God after I had transitioned."

The bishop of Manchester, David Walker, announced Mann's promotion to archdeacon of Bolton and Salford, England, in June, stating, "Her personal gifts, including as a writer, poet, liturgist and broadcaster, will combine with her new responsibilities, to help the people of this generation know and love Jesus Christ."

"Now you might wonder, 'Is that really newsworthy, Brett?' If you're a complementarian, you might roll your eyes at yet another feminist getting a high-ranking position in the C of E, but this is worse than that," Murphy noted in his video. "The Reverend Rachel Mann is in fact biologically a bloke who identifies and lives as a woman."

Murphy underscored that the appointment is significant because "it points towards the continued snowballing of the C of E, backsliding down ... from heterodoxy and apostasy into outright heresy."

Murphy speculated that Mann's promotion might amount to the church leadership "positioning for him to become a bishop in the Church of England — the first transsexual bishop in the C of E."

"So what you are seeing here is someone who is a radical rainbow activist being put in a position of high authority in a diocese," added Murphy.

Extra to expressing contempt over the ostensible effort to fast-track the transvestite to a bishropic, Murphy suggested remaining orthodox Anglicans in the Manchester diocese may be justified in expecting discrimination.

According to the evangelical advocacy group Christian Concern, Murphy was hit with multiple complaints, some of which were anonymous, while he was still running St. David's Church in Coalville, Leicestershire. The complaints concerned his "misgendering" of Mann; his criticism of Mann's referral in prayer to Christ as "our sister"; his tradition-affirming sermons; and his alleged failure to visit a stranger outside his parish.

Murphy faced four corresponding clergy disciplinary measures that if upheld by the presiding bishop would likely mean he would be barred from ever again ministering or working with the Church of England. The Christian Legal Center helped him battle the four clergy disciplinary measures.

The Bishop of Loughborough, Rev. Saju Muthalay, ultimately determined no disciplinary action was necessary since Murphy had announced in July he was leaving the Church of England and instead joining the Free Church of England.

Though gone, Murphy was apparently not forgotten by LGBT activists in the Anglican church.

The complaint against the vicar was resurrected by the tribunal arm of the Church of England this year at the urging of Canon Carolyn Lewis. Muthalay's decision will now be reviewed and his case likely re-litigated.

Muthalay told Murphy in a recent letter that his language was "intentionally derogatory and disrespectful" and "not appropriate as a Clerk in Holy Orders, irrespective of the right you have to hold and express views," reported the Telegraph.

Murphy said in a statement, "As a Christian minister it is my duty to proclaim the gospel whenever I can. I make no apology for that."

"The decisions by the CofE to investigate and pursue me for stating biological truth has reinforced and vindicated all the concerns that I raised in the original vlog," he continued. "The re-opening of the complaint especially exposes the drive within the CofE to censor and banish any dissenting voice that does not agree or celebrate extreme LGBT ideology."

Murphy noted that punitive measures appear to be effective and used only against orthodox Christians in the church.

"Many other Orthodox priests in the CofE are telling me that they are being pushed out and bullied if they do not go along with the same-sex marriage agenda. They are being harassed, pushed to the margins, are having false complaints made about them, and, shall we say, are encouraged to be silent or leave," added Murphy.

The Telegraph indicated Mann did not respond for comment.

The investigation and Rev. Brett Murphy's forthcoming formal censure come amidst schism and turmoil in the Anglican church over Canterbury's various capitulations to LGBT activists.

Blaze News reported earlier this year that the heads of numerous Anglican member churches announced they would no longer recognize the archbishop of Canterbury as the "first among equals."

The relatively more orthodox Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches confirmed in a statement that the Church of England's decision to "legitimise and incorporate into the Church's liturgy the blessing of same sex unions" marked a departure "from the historic faith passed down from the Apostles by this innovation in the liturgies of the Church and her pastoral practice."

They further indicated that the church's apparent appeasement to LGBT activists had disqualified it from "leading the Communion as the historic 'Mother' Church."

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Leading Church of England archbishop draws ire after concern-mongering about the 'oppressively patriarchal' terms used in the Lord's Prayer



A top official in the Church of England has raised concerns about the wording of the prayer gifted to Christians by Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. In both accounts, he began the prescribed prayer with "Our Father."

Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York and the Anglican church's second-highest ranking prelate, suggested in his address to the CE's general synod Friday that references to God as "Father" can be "problematic," particularly for those who've had less-than-stellar parents during their tenure here on earth, reported the Times.

Cottrell, who previously underscored the need to "celebrate and affirm same-sex relationships," emphasized the fraternity of man, noting that all "sisters and brothers" are ultimately part of the same family with God as its head.

The archbishop then turned to the matter of the Lord's Prayer, saying, "If this God to whom we pray is 'father' — and yes, I know the word 'father' is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive and for all of us who have labored rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life."

Cottrell proceeded to suggest that divisions between Christians were hazardous, adding, "At our peril do we underestimate the terrible damage our visible disunity does to our proclamation of the Gospel."

Cottrell's progressive critique of the Lord's Prayer was not well received by some fellow Anglicans who reckon Christ got it right the first time, reported the Guardian.

Canon Dr. Chris Sugden, a CE minister and chair of the conservative Anglican Mainstream group, said, "Is the archbishop of York saying Jesus was wrong, or that Jesus was not pastorally aware? It seems to be emblematic of the approach of some church leaders to take their cues from culture rather than scripture."

"If people have had a difficult relationship with their human fathers then the option open to them is to say you can rediscover the true nature of fatherhood through Christ," added Sugden.

Cottrell managed to strike a chord with revolutionaries inside the Anglican church.

Christina Rees, a minister and former synod member who advocated for female bishops, sided with Cottrell, noting that calling God "father" was "hugely problematic."

"There are multiple layers why the term 'father' is really difficult for people in the church. It's the way it's been set for so long and so we're stuck," said Rees. "Because Jesus called God 'daddy', we think we have to call God 'daddy'. And the big question is, do we really believe God believes that male human beings bear the image of God more fully and accurately than women? The answer is absolutely not."

Reuters reported earlier this year that the CE has been looking into whether to use gender-neutral terms to refer to God in prayers such as the "Our Father," ostensibly presuming an oversight on the part of Christ.

Fox News Digital indicated that Joanna Stobart, a CE vicar in Surrey, was among those who had pushed for "an update on the steps being taken to develop more inclusive language in our authorized liturgy and to provide more options for those who wish to use authorized liturgy and speak of God in a non-gendered way, particularly in authorized absolutions where many of the prayers offered for use refer to God using male pronouns?"

The Edina Community Lutheran Church in Minneapolis recently demonstrated how far the CE could go in terms of conforming Christian faith to modern designs with its "Sparkle Creed," wherein parishioners stake their belief "in the non-binary God whose pronouns are plural."

Concerning the CE's contemplation of more gender-neutral phrasings, a spokesman for the church said, "Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female. ... Yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship."

Conservative Anglicans stressed that "male and female imagery is not interchangeable," reported the Telegraph.

While the archbishop of York did not explicitly recommend a change to the Lord's Prayer in his remarks Friday, his provocative critique nevertheless comes at a time of great instability for the Anglican church.

In February, the conservative heads of numerous Anglican member churches renounced the primacy of the archbishop of Canterbury, citing the "recent decision of the Church of England's General Synod to legitimise and incorporate into the Church's liturgy the blessing of same sex unions" as cause.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches said in a statement that the "Church of England has departed from the historic faith passed down from the Apostles by this innovation in the liturgies of the Church and her pastoral practice (contravening her own Canon A5), she has disqualified herself from leading the Communion as the historic 'Mother' Church,'" and "has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican formularies."

Despite the GSFA's renunciation earlier this year, Cottrell said in his remarks that the Anglican church was "not splitting" but does "face enormous challenges."

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Anglican church facing schism over Church of England's capitulations to LGBT activists — conservative archbishops have rejected primacy of Canterbury en masse



The Church of England renounced papal authority in 1534. Now, amid internal strife over whether to hold true to long-standing church teaching about the sacrament of marriage or to capitulate to LGBT activists, a host of conservative Anglican archbishops, including the head of the Anglican Church in North America, have renounced the primacy of the archbishop of Canterbury.

The Monday announcement by the heads of numerous Anglican member churches to cease recognition of the archbishop of Canterbury as the "first among equals" heralds a schism in the Anglican Communion, which the Wall Street Journal indicated could "threaten the very survival" of one of the world's biggest Christian denominations.

Marriage at the center of another schism

The Anglican Communion comprises tens of millions of believers in 42 autonomous provinces, each of which makes its own decisions. However, these decisions are informed by recommendations from the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates' Meeting, and the archbishop of Canterbury.

According to the Anglican Communion, the archbishop of Canterbury "is the Focus for Unity for the three other Instruments of Communion" for the coalition "and is therefore a unique focus for Anglican unity. He calls the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference, chairs the meeting of Primates, and is President of the Anglican Consultative Council."

Extra to these responsibilities, Justin Welby, the 105th archbishop of Canterbury — who has been in the role since March 2013 — was long regarded by the Anglican Communion as the "primus inter pares" or "first among equals."

The relatively more orthodox Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches confirmed in a statement Monday that it has rejected Welby as the first among equals.

"With great sorrow at the recent decision of the Church of England’s General Synod to legitimise and incorporate into the Church’s liturgy the blessing of same sex unions, ten Primates of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) met virtually on 13 Feb 2023 under the chairmanship of Archbishop Justin Badi (Chairman of GSFA & Primate of South Sudan) to discuss our response," said the statement.

The GSFA primates claimed that the "Church of England has departed from the historic faith passed down from the Apostles by this innovation in the liturgies of the Church and her pastoral practice (contravening her own Canon A5), she has disqualified herself from leading the Communion as the historic 'Mother' Church" and added that "the Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican formularies ... and applied to the matter of marriage and sexuality in Lambeth Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference."

Marriage is evidently a divisive issue near and dear to Anglicans. After all, it was the very issue that first parted the CE from the Roman Catholic Church, which has maintained the orthodox view on marriage that the breakaway Anglicans have recognized on their own to be critical.

The GSFA primates, who indicated they spoke for 75% of the Anglicans around the world, noted they cannot recognize Welby as he "has sadly led his House of Bishops to make the recommendations that undergirded the General Synod Motion on 'Living in Love & Faith,' knowing that they run contrary to the faith & order of the orthodox provinces in the Communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock recommendations."

The GFSA primates noted that this turn of events "breaks our hearts and we pray for the revisionist provinces to return to 'the faith once delivered' (Jude 3) and to us."

The statement was endorsed by 12 GFSA primates, hailing from various countries including the United States, Chile, Congo, and Brazil.

Following this seismic shift in the Anglican Communion, the GFSA plans to convene "other orthodox Primates in the Anglican Church across nations to re-set the Communion on its biblical foundation."

The Telegraph reported that this announcement came just weeks after the CE voted to allow blessings for gay and lesbian couples who have already been "married" or bound in secular civil partnerships.

TheBlaze previously reported that the blessings were something of a half-measure after CE bishops decided not to recommend that gays partake in the sacrament of marriage, "a solemn, public and life-long covenant between a man and a woman, declared and celebrated in the presence of God and before witnesses."

Despite recommending against performing gay "marriages," the bishops resolved to offer gays "the fullest possible pastoral provision": "prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God’s blessing on the couple in church following a civil marriage or partnership."

Additionally, the CE resolved to produce a new pastoral guidance in relation to the discernment of vocation to which all clergy would have to assent, replacing the December 1991 "Issues in Human Sexuality" statement from the CE general synod, which claims, among other things: "There is ... in Scripture an evolving convergence on the ideal of lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual union as the setting intended by God for the proper development of men and women as sexual beings. Sexual activity of any kind outside marriage comes to be seen as sinful, and homosexual practice as especially dishonourable."

The Wall Street Journal reported that conservatives in the Anglican Communion who prioritized tradition over fashion have grown increasingly critical of the infiltration of Western churches by leftist thinking, particularly in Africa, which accounts for nearly half of the world's 100 million or so Anglicans.

It is presently unclear how many of the 42 national Anglican churches will ultimately follow suit in rejecting Canterbury and the "innovation" it has embraced. The greater the number, the more significant this rebuke of the CE's apparent capitulation to LGBT activists.

Rev. Lee Gatiss, director of the pro-tradition Church Society, told the Journal, "It would very difficult for Archbishop Welby to restore his position — and that of the Church of England — after this, unless, perhaps, he were to get the English bishops to row back from their recent proposals to bless same-sex sexual relationships."

Leftists in England may find cause for celebration, however, granted this may enable them to more brazenly pursue heterodox ends in the CE.

Rev. Andrew Foreshew-Cain, a chaplain at the University of Oxford, indicated that CE bishops would do well to conform to the zeitgeist and "move toward full affirmation and welcome for LGBTI people."

A spokesman for Welby stated, "The deep disagreements that exist across the Anglican Communion on sexuality and marriage are not new. ... It is a fundamental principle of the Anglican Communion that no province can bind another province."

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Church of England won't support gay 'marriage' in its churches



Church of England bishops will not recommend that gays partake in the sacrament of marriage, "a solemn, public and life-long covenant between a man and a woman, declared and celebrated in the presence of God and before witnesses."

The BBC reported that Anglican bishops finalized their recommendations after several years of debate on the CE's stance on sexuality. These recommendations will be factored in at the CE's general synod in February, where the decision will be formalized.

What are the details?

After a "six-year period of listening, learning and discernment known as Living in Love and Faith," CE bishops noted in a statement Wednesday that they are resolved to preserve the "Church's doctrine of Holy Matrimony."

Rhys Laverty, managing editor at the Davenant Institute, noted that "an organisation concluding that Holy Matrimony is between one man and one woman should not, in fact, be surprising," granted "'matrimony' literally means 'state of motherhood' (from Latin mater).

Notwithstanding the church's stance on this issue — the very issue that first distinguished the CE — the bishops nevertheless resolved to offer gays "the fullest possible pastoral provision": "prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God’s blessing on the couple in church following a civil marriage or partnership."

Extra to making these concessions, new pastoral guidance in relation to the discernment of vocation will eventually be produced, "to which all clergy currently are asked to assent."

This prospective document would replace the December 1991 "Issues in Human Sexuality" statement from the CE general synod, which claims, among other things: "There is ... in Scripture an evolving convergence on the ideal of lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual union as the setting intended by God for the proper development of men and women as sexual beings. Sexual activity of any kind outside marriage comes to be seen as sinful, and homosexual practice as especially dishonourable."

The document also states that there is a "mismatch between [gays'] sexuality and their physical and often also their emotional capacity for parenthood. There may be for some a mismatch between their bodies and the ways in which they wish to express their mutual self-giving. Their sexuality can be a barrier rather than a help toward full man-woman complementarity."

The CE's "Issues in Human Sexuality," which declares clergy cannot enter into active gay relationships, further condemns as "bogus" the "philosophies of erotic freedom which have ... marked twentieth century European culture, and which have sought to justify every excess or deviation," for having advanced "chaos and misery, disease and death."

It is clear from the CE bishops' latest statement that much of the language and argumentation in this church document will be abrogated – no doubt favorable news for the church's "non-binary" Anglican priest and those clergymen driven to LGBT activism.

Apologies and 'breadcrumbs'

The church will reportedly be issuing an apology later this week to "LGBTQI+ people for the 'rejection, exclusion and hostility' they have faced in churches and the impact this has had on their lives."

Furthermore, the church will call on all congregations to welcome gay couples "unreservedly and joyfully" as they reaffirm their commitment to a "radical new Christian inclusion founded in scripture, in reason, in tradition, in theology and the Christian faith as the Church of England has received it — based on good, healthy, flourishing relationships, and in a proper 21st Century understanding of being human and of being sexual."

Various CE bishops commented on the proposals and the apparent balancing act between a prohibition on gay "marriages" and gay blessings.

Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London, said, "I know that this has been costly and painful for many on all sides of the debate and has touched on deeply personal matters and strongly held beliefs."

Stephen Cottrell of York said, "This is not the end of that journey but we have reached a milestone and I hope that these prayers of love and faith can provide a way for us all to celebrate and affirm same-sex relationship."

Justin Welby, the bishop of Canterbury, stated, "I am under no illusions that what we are proposing today will appear to go too far for some and not nearly far enough for others, but it is my hope that what we have agreed will be received in a spirit of generosity, seeking the common good."

Peter Tatchell, an LGBT activist, did not appear to receive the news in a "spirit of generosity."

Tatchell tweeted that the CE's decision is "like the southern US churches that refused inter-racial marriages 60+ years ago. Anglican leaders are the ENEMY of human rights & LGBT+ equality!"

The Times noted that Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT activist on the synod, similarly denounced the bishops for not accommodating the zeitgeist, saying the proposals were "breadcrumbs from bishops."

"Therefore we are still second class and discriminated against, even with this really small concession," Ozanne added.

Penny Mordaunt, a senior Tory minister who failed in her recent bid to become prime minister, wrote to the bishop of Portsmouth, suggesting that the CE's refusal to marry gays has left many "feeling that they are treated as second-class citizens within our society."

NBC News noted that the CE is at the heart of the Anglican communion, accounting for over 85 million people in over 165 countries.

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'Non-binary' Anglican priest, 'making a huge difference in normalising it for children,' accused of 'grooming'



The Church of England's first so-called non-binary priest has gone beyond accepting his newly manufactured identity by "going into schools, doing assemblies and making a huge difference in normalising it for children."

A black conservative who was reportedly barred from the priesthood has suggested that this LGBT evangelization is tantamount to "grooming."

What are the details?

Bingo Allison is a 36-year-old father of three and a priest ordained in the Church of England.

Allison told the Liverpool Echo that God guided him away from the two sexes delineated in the Book of Genesis, resulting in a schism between the "strongly religious" and conservative tradition he was raised in — which, he suggested, "Some might call ... bigoted" — and a new "gender-queer" lifestyle.

Allison suggested that after encountering the term "gender-queer" seven years ago while completing his vicar training, "Everything suddenly clicked."

"I didn't know any trans people, and I think I probably met two gay people in my life," said Allison. "So it was like another planet almost to me. There were a few times when I really questioned things. But because I didn't really have the vocabulary to describe my experience, it just kind of didn't go anywhere."

With a newfound handle on the latest LGBT activist terminology, Allison claims to have revisited Genesis 1:27, in which the King James Bible and the English Standard Version both state, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Allison said the language of "male and female" contra "men and women" struck a chord.

"It was a deepening spiritual experience, I properly felt God was guiding me into this new truth about myself," he said.

Since mentally severing gender from sex, Allison has become an activist in his own right.

The Telegraph reported that Allison uses social media to spread the word of the LGBT movement.

In February 2020, Allison posted an image to Instagram in which he was wearing a purple hairband, eyeshadow, and make-up. The caption read, "Going to church because Jesus loves sparkly eyeshadow. #girlslikeus #transisbeautiful #nonbinary #eyeshadow."

The Anglican priest's LGBT evangelization is not limited to online engagements.

"When I'm wearing my collar it lets children know that is okay and that there is a place in church and the outside world for people like me," he said.

Allison claims he has been involved with local secular LGBT youth groups, in which he seeks to "normalise" his identity.

Calvin Robinson, an Anglican trainee vicar who was reportedly barred from becoming a Church of England priest on account of his traditional views, has publicly taken issue with Allison's LGBT ministry.

In response to the Liverpool Echo article about Allison, Robinson tweeted, "'Gender-queer' seems counter-Scriptural. 'the first openly non-binary priest to be ordained in the CofE' seems like vainglory. 'The 36-year-old attends schools and assemblies ... in the hope they can inspire others who find themselves in a similar situation' seems like grooming."

\u201c@LivEchoLive \u201cgender-queer\u201d seems counter-Scriptural.\n\n\u201cthe first openly non-binary priest to be ordained in the CofE\u201d seems like vainglory.\n\n\u201cThe 36-year-old attend schools and assemblies \u2026 in the hope they can inspire others who find themselves in a similar situation\u201d seems like grooming.\u201d
— Liverpool Live (@Liverpool Live) 1672575499

Robinson's intimation that the promotion of highly-sexual concepts to school children might amount to grooming is not his only reservation about Allison's approach.

Robinson, a black conservative who has expressed antipathy for identitarian leftist groups like BLM and suggested that women should not be ordained, appears to have voiced traditional and conservative Anglicans' reservation about the ostensible co-option of the faith by LGBT activists.

According to the Telegraph, Robinson trained to be a priest for years at the University of Oxford. He was set to begin a curacy at a parish in Holborn, London. However, Bishop Jonathan Baker of Fulham turned him down for the role in February 2022.

Beside Robinson's fidelity to tradition, an email exchange between Church of England bosses indicated that his claims that Britain was not a racist country disqualified him.

Sarah Mullally, the white, female bishop of London, reportedly told Robinson, a black man, to "listen to the lived experiences of ethnic minorities."

Bishop Baker cautioned in another message: "He is very active on Twitter and has a huge following (100,000 followers!). His political agenda is I guess what you would call libertarian anti-woke, anti-identity politics, Covid-skeptical etc."

Were racial politics not a pressing matter in the church, Robinson's rejection of LGBT activist conventions and beliefs would likely have been.

Extra to internalizing critical race theory precepts, senior members of the Anglican church have similarly embraced LGBT activism, terminology, and agendas.

Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford and senior Anglican cleric, backed same-sex "marriage" and instructed clergy that they were not only to conduct gay "marriages" for their congregation, but were also themselves able to wed a same-sex partner.

This decision runs contrary to Anglican canon law, which prohibits the blessing or marrying of gay couples.

The Church of England has also issued pastoral guidance, adopted at General Synod in 2018, delineating how to approach and accommodate transsexuals.

For Anglicans already baptized who have become transsexuals, "the House of Bishops commends the rite of Affirmation of Baptismal Faith as the central feature of any service to recognize liturgically a person's gender transition."

The guide further recommends identifying "the preference of a transgender person in respect of their name and gendered (or other) pronouns."

Extra to baptism, at least one Anglican church has transmogrified its hymns to keep up with LGBT activists' preferences.

TheBlaze reported that All Saints with Holy Trinity in Loughborough updated the words to "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Instead of referencing Satan as well as Christ the Savior, the church substituted in "queer and questioning" "women, who by men have been erased."

It's not only transsexual parishioners for whom the Church of England has made accommodations.

In Wales resides the church's first transsexual priest, Reverend Canon "Sarah" Jones, who suggested to ITV that God is "non-binary."

Jones said, "Look, there are different sorts of churches with different sorts of views on all sorts of things. But there are a lot more inclusive churches than you might think."

For Robinson, inclusivity in the Church of England meant his exclusion. He recently left the church to join the breakaway group Global Anglican Future Conference.

\u201cThis is Reverend Bingo Allison a trans "priest"\n\nI guess he missed the part in the Bible where God created Man & Woman.\u201d
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@Sebastian Gorka DrG) 1672689093

Archbishop of Canterbury says 'to love one another as Jesus said, get vaccinated, get boosted'



Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby of the Church of England said during an interview that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a moral issue, though when pressed about the matter, he declined to go as far as saying that vaccine refusal is immoral or a sin.

"Is being vaccinated a moral issue?" Julie Etchingham of ITV asked Welby.

Welby said that he does believe it is a moral matter.

He said, "It's not about me and my rights. Now obviously there are some people who for health reasons can't be vaccinated, different question. But it's not about me and my rights to choose. It's about how I love my neighbor."

Welby said that getting vaccinated lowers the odds of getting sick, which lowers the potential of infecting other people.

"So I would say yes, to love one another as Jesus said, get vaccinated, get boosted," he said.

"Is it a sin not to get it if you are in good health and there is no clear health reason not to have it?" Etchingham asked.

"I practice sin well but I'm not very good at judging it. Sin or not, I would say, let's be positive, go and do it," Welby replied.

Etchingham then asked whether it is immoral to forego vaccination.

Welby urged people to "go and get boosted, get vaccinated. It's how we love our neighbor. Loving our neighbor is what Jesus told us to do. It's Christmas, do what he said."

"So you’re not loving them if you don't do it?" Etchingham pressed.

Welby responded that there are many ways to love your neighbors, "but one really practical way is getting vaccinated.

Archbishop of Canterbury talks of disappointment and sadness at Downing St garden image | ITV News www.youtube.com