Clerical accountability must be \u201cvigorously tackled\u201d and is \u201cthe key issue for the Church to tackle and should not be a protracted debate\u201d, a report on trust in the Church of England concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report, Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England: Listening and responding to usual and unusual challenges<\/em>, was produced by Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, a former Dean of the Business School at the University of Bristol, drawing on 74 interviews with bishops, clergy, lay people, and members of the national church institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhilst no one wants to return to the feudal patriarchal structures of the past, if the institution is to restore trust with the society it is meant to serve, clerical accountability must be vigorously tackled,\u201d Professor Hope Hailey writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not simply about formal control but also the need to change the culture of individualism some clergy seem to think they deserve. That love of autonomy means that they can be inconsistent and unpredictable in their promises to implement policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> Clerical accountability must be \u201cvigorously tackled\u201d, a report on trust in the Church of England has concluded. It is \u201cthe key issue for the Church to tackle and should not be a protracted debate\u201d, it says ⚖️#Clergy<\/a> #churchnews<\/a> #report<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/oyP7wJBq8p<\/a><\/p>— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 1, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>