THE Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, has been called on to resign by his former communications officer who has been awarded over £14,500 at an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal by the diocese.The Rev David Johnston exposed the Bishop as a liar and revealed his chagrin at not being appointed Archbishop of York and his subsequent dislike for Liverpool.
Mr Johnston was initially suspended after the Sunday People wrote in November 2006 that he was having an affair with his assistant Diane Pendleton despite still being married to his wife Margaret.
The lawyers for the diocese admitted that it “may or may not have been written by the Bishop”.
In fact, the Johnstons’ marriage had irretrievably broken down sometime before the relationship with Ms Pendleton began, and Mr Johnston had kept his employers informed.
The Sunday People withdrew the story and apologized for it, but by then Mr Johnston was being threatened by the Bishop, who maintained a façade of support in the media.
Mr Johnston said: “The Bishop lied when he said in his statement to the Church Times that he was aware of the vulnerabilities of a number of people in all of this, and has tried to offer appropriate guidance to the different parties.”
Mr Johnston became seriously ill due to the stress caused by the Bishop.
He was also concerned about the Bishop’s ability to do his own job properly, following his anguish at the appointment of Dr John Sentamu to become Archbishop of York, a post Bishop Jones fancied for himself.
Mr Johnston said: “I was concerned about the implications for the diocese of a Bishop who did not like Liverpool.”
It was his accusation that the Bishop lied and the subsequent difficulty for the two working together, that diocesan lawyers claimed led to his dismissal.
But Mr Johnston said he believed that with Christian forgiveness the two should have been able to work together.
He said: “It is the subsequent actions of [Bishop Jones] that has destroyed the relationship and it is grossly unfair that I am the person that should have to suffer the consequences. Quite simply, they have destroyed my life and the professional status it has taken me many years to develop.”
“I feel the bishop should now resign. Liverpool deserves better.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Liverpool said: "While we are disappointed we accept the tribunal’s decision. It appears that our processes were in some way deficient and we are looking into this as a matter of urgency.
"Allegations made against the Bishop of Liverpool at the employment tribunal have been made by a former employee of the Diocesan Board of Finance. They did not form the basis on which the judgement was awarded. In any case the Diocese rejects these allegations completely.”
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