Bishop of Llandaff – further statement

The Church in Wales has issued the following statement on the election and appointment process of the Bishop of Llandaff.  The Church’s Legal Subcommittee has advised that three complaints received are without merit and that the Bishops should proceed to fill the vacancy.


Further statement – March 31

The Church’s Legal Subcommittee has advised that three complaints received about the election and appointment process of the Bishop of Llandaff are without merit and that the Bishops should proceed to fill the vacancy.

In a 16-page document, the members of the subcommittee, chaired by His Honour Judge Andrew Keyser QC, concluded:

“All three Complaints are without merit.  The proper course is for the Bishops to proceed to fill the vacancy in accordance with Regulation 23 and the exercise of their own judgment.”

Responding to the advice, the Provincial Secretary of the Church in Wales, Simon Lloyd, said, “I am very grateful to the legal subcommittee for their thorough and prompt examination of the complaints received about the election and appointment process of the Bishop of Llandaff. I can now confirm that proper procedure has been followed and there are no grounds for the complaints submitted. This means the Bench of Bishops can continue its task of appointing the new bishop without further delay.”


Comment

The findings of the Legal Subcommittee were restricted by the narrow focus of its remit, viz.

“[2].  This Advice is concerned only with the appropriate legal response to the Complaints. It does not constitute an adjudication consequent upon an investigation of fact concerning what transpired at the meeting of the Electoral College mentioned below. Nor does it constitute advice as to the merits or demerits of particular persons for appointment as Bishop of Llandaff.

In the interests of clarity and understanding, this Advice sets out significant parts of the legal background and factual narrative; however it does not explore matters falling outside the terms of the Complaints.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Legal Subcommittee is not privy to any information concerning the proceedings of the meeting of the Electoral College that has not already been placed in the public domain”.

The 16-page document concludes:

“[40]. All three Complaints are without merit.  The proper course is for the Bishops to proceed to fill the vacancy in accordance with Regulation 23 and the exercise of their own judgment”.

With thanks to the Church Times Twitter for the link

Cite this article as: David Pocklington, "Bishop of Llandaff – further statement" in Law & Religion UK, 31 March 2017, https://lawandreligionuk.com/2017/03/31/bishop-of-llandaff-further-statement/

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