Independent: What did the aide say about Bishop Nazir Ali?

His outspoken views on gay rights and the integration of Muslim communities have attracted vitriolic criticism and even earned him death threats from outside the Church of England.

Now the controversial Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, 59, has found himself the target of a scatological attack by an aide in the offices of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

A confidential document sent from Lambeth Palace to No 10 Downing Street and the Church of England’s 43 diocesan bishops included the unclerical word “arsehole” appended to the name of Dr Nazir-Ali, Britain’s most senior Asian Anglican.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, Anglican Provinces, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops

10 comments on “Independent: What did the aide say about Bishop Nazir Ali?

  1. Dan Crawford says:

    Given the A of C’s previous behavior with his staff, this incident adds even more to his reputation as one so far above the fray that he hasn’t a clue. And prefers it that way.

  2. perpetuaofcarthage says:

    Further down in the article is this paragraph:

    Church speculation about the incident has been rife for weeks as Anglican insiders argue over which of Dr Nazir-Ali’s recent remarks might have provoked such hateful abuse from a Lambeth Palace official. The bishop’s principled stand against gay bishops is thought by church insiders to have prompted the attack.

  3. Irenaeus says:

    The Lambeth Palace bureaucracy, unmasked.

  4. Pageantmaster Ù† says:

    Well, call a bishop a rude name and you get the sack, just as well he had not held a gay wedding or made threatening racist remarks or who knows what might have happened?

  5. perpetuaofcarthage says:

    Hi Pageantmaster,
    I recognize the allusion to holding a gay wedding, but what case are you alluding to when someone made “threatening racist remarks”?

  6. rugbyplayingpriest says:

    +Michael preached here just over a week ago. He is a warm, gentle, articulate and well thought out man. His sermon was first rate, he was very comfortable with our very trad. liturgy and he was well recieved by all. Quite simply he deserves better- but then this article sheds no light whatsoever on +Michael – but it does shed a lot of light on the type of people working to promote the ‘new religion’ and in particular it shows us just what they actually think about faithful, bible believing Christians

  7. Pageantmaster Ù† says:

    #5 Something I read on StandFirm a while back, it may still be up, but I don’t know all the details of the individual case so it may not be fair to speculate further.

  8. drummie says:

    The biggest problem I see here is that this aid gets deservedly sacked, but TEC and the ACofC aggresively promote heresay, and Canterbury can’t seem to finde the guts to “sack” them. Just another example of some are more equal than others.

  9. perpetuaofcarthage says:

    drummie,
    I agree.

    [i] Edited by elf. [/i]

  10. Irenaeus says:

    Drummie [#8]: Canterbury evidently finds heresy less troubling than getting caught crudely dissing a Church of England bishop.