It was supposed to be just MPs who could choose items from the so-called John Lewis list to furnish their homes at other people’s expense.But now a churchman has got in on the act.
To the astonishment of many in his flock, a senior Roman Catholic cleric has sent out an email asking them to buy gifts from a John Lewis website to furnish his rectory.
Among the items requested by Canon Stuart Wilson are a £35 toilet brush, a £70 chef’s knife with a £97 bamboo knife block and a ‘deep oval roaster’ for £127.
His email even includes a link to the website - normally used by couples getting married - with the reference number needed to access a gift list he has set up.
The list includes the quantity of each item required - including luxury crockery and kitchenware - and its cost.
The total value of the goods is £2,150.
Canon Wilson’s request was emailed not only to parishioners but to fellow priests, church workers, friends and Catholic organisations.
Many recipients have suggested he is cashing in on the fact that his parish of St Mary’s in Chelsea happens to be in one of Britain’s most affluent areas.
One of those who received the email said: ‘This is practically unheard of in the Catholic church. When parish priests move in they inherit some things from the previous occupant and bring a few of their own.
‘Sometimes a parishioner gives them a gift, like a mug or pewter tankard. And when they want a bit of a facelift then they get help from friends. Some of those on the list are fellow priests, including one who lives in tiny accommodation and is sleeping on the floor so a family of asylum-seekers can use his bedroom. How does he feel?’
In his email, Canon Wilson writes: ‘Our rectory is now complete. We have asked the parish to help refurnish the house.
'If you want to see what we are looking for go to www.johnlewisgiftlist.com.’
Last night the church defended the email and its contents and said it was part of a much larger fundraising effort for the parish that had been well received by its parishioners.
Canon Wilson’s living quarters are part of a refurbished presbytery which has been rebuilt using donations of more than £310,000 given by the community over the past year.
Stuart Wilson was formerly an Anglican vicar who converted to Catholicism when the Church of England started ordaining women. His parish falls within the Diocese of Westminster.
Diocese spokesman Eddie Tulasiewicz said the canon’s list had full approval from the authorities. Asked why it was necessary to choose expensive items from John Lewis, he said: ‘Sometimes cheap can be expensive in the long term. You end up having to replace them more often.’
It is the kind of reasoning that could well have come from an MP recently.
The infamous Commons John Lewis list was drawn up by officials in the Fees Office to decide whether an MP’s expenses claim was reasonable, based on prices at the department store.
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