A priest accused of child sexual abuse, who had paid a settlement to one of his alleged victims, was reappointed twice as an area dean in the diocese of Chelmsford, the BBC reported on Sunday, leading to renewed pressure on the Archbishop of York, who was the diocesan Bishop at the time.

On Monday of last week, a BBC investigation was published about actions taken against David Tudor, a priest accused of child sexual abuse, who was Team Rector of Canvey Island, in Chelmsford diocese, when Archbishop Cottrell was the diocesan bishop (News, 16 December).

In his response to the initial investigation, Archbishop Cottrell said that until new allegations about non-recent abuse were made in 2019, “there were no legal grounds to take alternative action,” but in 2019 he “acted immediately” to suspend Mr Tudor.

A police investigation did not lead to any charges (News, 19 August 2022), but Mr Tudor was subsequently prohibited from ministry for life under the Clergy Discipline Measure (News, 15 November).

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A priest accused of child sexual abuse, who had paid a settlement to one of his alleged victims, was reappointed twice as an area dean in the diocese of Chelmsford, the BBC reported on Sunday, leading to renewed pressure on the Archbishop of York, who w… https://t.co/YUsJpOfGvB

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) December 23, 2024

Why? A believer myself, I’ve spent weeks talking to my fellow faithful and to clergy at all levels, trying to find the answer. St Paul distilled Christianity down to three things: faith, hope and love. In my many discussions, I found plenty of the first, although little agreement about what it was placed in; not much of the second; and the third, well, it was in short supply.

I came away thinking that, for the CofE, this really might be the end of days. The first horseman of this coming apocalypse is the ugliest: the church’s hideous record of abuse.

We’re talking about the case of John Smyth, an evangelical Christian whose sadistic sexual beatings brutalised more than 100 young men over four decades. It was the Makin report into the case that forced Welby to resign when it revealed that he had known Smyth for decades and had failed to report the case to police when he was made aware of allegations in 2013.

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Scandals, schism and decay: is the Church of England doomed?

Justin Welby and others have left in disgrace and the gaps between factions are widening. Stephen Bleach meets vicars across the country to see if the institution can be saved https://t.co/jjTE0Fuk5s

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) December 22, 2024

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“The Annunciation” (1652) by Eustache Le Sueur at the Louvre pic.twitter.com/WNlYXKvrcp

— Ryan (@alwaysonoffense) March 25, 2021

As countries around the world continue to pump planet-warming pollution into the skies, driving global temperatures to record levels, the financial world is racing to fund the emerging field of carbon dioxide removal, seeking both an environmental miracle and a financial windfall.

The technology, which did not exist until a few years ago, is still unproven at scale. Yet, it has a uniquely alluring appeal. Stripping away some of the carbon dioxide that is heating up the world makes intuitive sense. And with a small but growing number of companies willing to pay for it, investors are jockeying to be first movers in what they believe will inevitably be a big industry that is necessary to help fight global warming.

Companies working on ways to pull carbon dioxide from the air have raised more than $5 billion since 2018, according to the investment bank Jefferies. Before that, there were almost no such investments.

“It’s the single greatest opportunity I’ve seen in 20 years of doing venture capital,” said Damien Steel, the chief executive of Canada-based Deep Sky, which has raised more than $50 million to develop carbon dioxide removal projects. “The tailwinds behind the industry are greater than most industries I’ve ever looked at.”

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It's a strategy that should be pursued but, it can't have any major impact anytime soon. “We need to obey the first law of holes,” …“When you’re in one, stop digging.”The New Climate Gold Rush: Scrubbing Carbon From the Sky https://t.co/Lwlh8Zfeir

— Prof. Peter Doherty (@ProfPCDoherty) December 23, 2024

Lord God Almighty, King of glory and love eternal, worthy art thou at all times to receive adoration, praise, and blessing; but especially at this time do we praise thee for the sending of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, for whom our hearts do wait, and to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, be honour and dominion, now and for ever.

—Prayers for the Christian Year (SCM, 1964)

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to thee, when my heart is faint. Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; for thou art my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in thy tent for ever! Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings!

–Psalm 61:1-4

Sunset, Feistein lighthouse, Norway. #ThePhotoHour #ThePhotoOfTheDay #photooftheday #sunset #photographylovers #photo#StormHour pic.twitter.com/YUh7gdU7Uk

— Joachim (@joachimbakken) December 23, 2024