Dean of Exeter to retire
THE Dean of Exeter, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener (above), is to retire in July, it was announced last Friday. Dean Greener took up the post in November 2017, having been Dean of Wakefield for ten years. A statement from the cathedral said: “He has led the cathedral community through a period of healing and consolidation in the early years, and more recently through a major development project, which has seen the building of a new cloister and Treasures Exhibition, and the renewal of the cathedral quire and East End.” Dean Greener said last Friday: “Earlier this week, I reached the venerable age of 65, so, after 18 years as a dean, I think it is time for me to retire and make way for a younger model. I have greatly enjoyed most of those 18 years, and the privilege to serve the Church in this way both in Wakefield and here in Exeter has been enormous.” He said that he and his wife, Pamela, planned to move to Torquay. The Bishop of Exeter, Dr Mike Harrison, said that Dean Greener had “taken the ministry of the cathedral forward by leaps and bounds. . . He will leave with our profound gratitude and affection for all that he is and has done among us.” A former Dean of Chichester, the Very Revd Stephen Waine, has been appointed Interim Dean from August. Gazette
Police appeal after theft of historic church silver
ST MARGARET OF ANTIOCH, BARLEYST MARGARET OF ANTIOCH, BARLEY
POLICE have appealed for information regarding the theft of some £25,000 worth of silver items, dating from 1612 and 1619, from St Margaret of Antioch, Barley, in Hertfordshire. Two chalices, a silver communion flagon, a silver communion plate (right), and a box of other silver pieces were taken on the afternoon of 7 March. The Rector, the Revd Mark Bridgen, described the theft as “a sacrilege”. It was discovered by the 94-year-old verger, “who was left shocked, considering his age and devotion”. The chalice is valued at £15,000, and the James I silver paten at about £8000. Because they belong to the village it was “much more of a corporate sense of loss — that is why it is significant,” Mr Bridgen said. “We are worried it is an irreplaceable loss and we may not get them back.”
Master of the Temple to retire this summer
THE Revd Robin Griffith-Jones, Master of the Temple since 1999, is to retire on 31 July. Mr Griffith-Jones trained at Westcott House, Cambridge, was the Chaplain of Lincoln College, Oxford, and contributed as a Sunday’s Readings commentator and book reviewer to the Church Times.
Death of former CEN editor
ANDREW CAREY, the last editor of The Church of England Newspaper, died on Wednesday of last week, aged 60. He had cancer. One of the two sons of Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, he was a trustee of Barnabas Aid UK. After many years as a contributor to the CEN’s columns, he was editor from October 2020 to July 2025, when the paper ceased publication after the death of its owner (News, 25 July 2025). Mr Carey is survived by his wife, Helen, and his three children. His funeral will take place later this month.
Archbishop of Dublin: homelessness an ‘affront to humanity’
THE Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson, called homelessness an “affront to humanity”. He said: “Homelessness has become mangled with refugeeism, asylum-seeking, racism, nationalism, personal inadequacy, and local territorialism — and most iconically tangled with flags,” Dr Jackson said. He was preaching as part of a Lent sermon series at Christ Church Cathedral, which is exploring Christian responses to homelessness. The series is organised by the cathedral’s Priest Scholar, Canon Anne Lodge, a professor at Dublin City University.
New film addresses troubling side of Eric Gill
A NEW documentary, Sans Gill: Surviving an artist, records a three-year project led by survivors of abuse to exhibit an artwork (Arts, 14 November 2025) by the late Eric Gill, which is viewed as problematic in light of his history of abusing his daughters. The Annunciation is owned by the Methodist Church. The film “follows the Methodist Survivors’ Advisory Group as they worked to confront the legacy of . . . Gill and bring his watercolour Annunciation back into public view with truth, context, and the voices of survivors at the centre. . . Through honesty, collaboration and deep reflection.”
Oxford diocese celebrates neurodiversity
THE diocese of Oxford is launching a new “neurodiversity forum” to support church leaders who identify as neurodivergent, to coincide with Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which ends on Sunday. “We will share a series of stories highlighting how churches are becoming more welcoming and supportive environments for people with neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia,” the diocese said. The Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Revd Dave Bull, who is lead bishop for equality, diversity, and inclusion in Oxford diocese, said: “Every person we ever meet is precious to God, and they have the potential to make a one-of-a-kind contribution to the life of the Church. Our prejudice stops us from seeing this potential, and our EDI work is about helping us learn to see all people as Jesus sees them.”
Man jailed for making threats in church
A MAN has been jailed for one year and ten months after threatening to kill a man at St Mary’s, Hardwick, in Cambridgeshire, and performing an indecent act in front of a woman at a bus stop, Cambridgeshire Constabulary says. Mohammed El-Deihi, 34, of no known address, was sentenced last month at Peterborough Crown Court after admitting to “making threats to kill, two counts of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour to cause alarm or distress, outraging public decency, and failing to surrender to bail”. Last year, he had been going to St Mary’s, Hardwick, lingering in doorways and blocking the exits. Churchgoers had asked him to stop coming to the church, but he ignored them. PC Cairn Ivers, who investigated that matter, said: “El-Deihi’s behaviour was blatant and absolutely disgusting. He was trying to intimidate and frighten his victims using aggression, which is totally unacceptable; so I am pleased justice has been done and he’s behind bars.”
Church figures on new Civil Society Council
LEADING voices from the voluntary, community, and social-enterprise sectors have been appointed to the new Civil Society Council, established by the Prime Minister, it was announced on Tuesday of last week. A statement from the Government said that the new council hoped “to bring civil society into the heart of government decision-making”/ The Council will be chaired by the chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Kate Lee, and also includes the CEO of the Church Urban Fund, the Rt Revd Rob Wickham, and the CEO of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell.
Correction: The restoration of the murals at St-Jude-on-the-Hill (News, 13 March) is being undertaken in partnership with several groups. The work in the Lady Chapel is being managed by the Courtauld Institute of Art, with support from the C of E Conservation Grants Programme (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund). The work in the nave is being managed by Cliveden Conservation, supported by a £300,000 grant from the Commonwealth Heritage Fund.
