Word of the Lord
Sir: I refer to an article by Damian Thomp- son (Not so divine intervention', 23 Octo- ber). A similar article by him in the Daily Telegraph was soundly rebuffed in a short letter from the Chaplain and Dean of Clare College, Cambridge. They described his piece on the suspension of patronage as 'nonsense'.
I would also take issue with the sugges- tion in the subtitle that some 'bishops
are closing down large parts of their church'. This is not the case in Ely, which is quoted extensively. Our current plan actu- ally allows a modest extension of the min- istry of the church. A chaplain to the new university in East Anglia and ministry to the new Peterborough township are includ- ed within the budget for 1994. In the 'Sheffield formula' which determines how clergy should be distributed across the dio- ceses, we are planning to retain our quota of priests.
Yes, the cost has been considerable. Parishes in the diocese of Ely will pay twice as much for their clergy in 1994 as in 1990. This illustrates the magnitude of the loss of inherited income. But church people in Ely have responded to the challenge and we are not closing down.
Our present strategy acknowledges that it is church members today, not patrons, who pay most of the cost of maintaining the clergy. It is therefore right that church peo- ple should be consulted about where clergy are placed, particularly in this largely rural diocese where many parishes must share a priest. The temporary suspension of patronage allows space for this consultation to take place whilst maintaining ministry throughout the diocese. The Bishop of Ely absolutely refutes the suggestion that this policy will be used 'to eliminate opposition to women priests'.
Tom Ambrose
Director of Communications, The Diocese of Ely, The Vicarage, Witchford, Ely, Cambridgeshire
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