Bullying of the clergy is "rife" with priests and vicars routinely picked on by their bishops and parishioners, according to Unite who are calling for greater protection. The union claims that it deals with up to 150 cases a year and the problem has become so dire that a special hot line has been set up to deal with it.
It is alleged that the bullying largely stems from church superiors who are under financial pressure.
"Bishops have got a lot nastier", says the Reverend Gerry Barlow, chair of the faith workers branch of Unite.
"The most common experience is a priest gets called in for a pastoral chat, to 'see how things are going', within half an hour he's telling you he's going to fire you or take your licence away," he added.
Parishioners are also responsible for some of the victimisation, according to Unite, who cite the case of a priest in Worcestershire who claims he was driven out by a hate campaign.
The Reverend Mark Sharpe resigned as rector of Teme Valley South in October, saying he was picked on by members of his community after he tried to tackle financial problems within the parish.
"It started with the tyres getting slashed, ended up with a dog mysteriously dying, the car being smeared with excrement, and broken glass across driveway. There was intimidation people swearing at you. A month ago I had the lights pulled off the car," He Sharpe said.
The Bishop of Worcester, however, has refuted claims that his parish was "toxic" calling the allegations "dreadful". The Diocese declined to comment further, pending a hearing to consider the allegations later this year.
Unite says priests are vulnerable because they are classed as self-employed office holders, which means they are exempt from the protection offered by employment law and cannot claim unfair dismissal, or seek protection under health and safety laws.
The union is now lobbying for the government to change the law to give priests better protection.
Terry Young, a former minister who runs the Unite helpline for clergy, said: "They're picked on for everything they do wrong, so in the end the person runs around terrified.
"You see these people unsupported, driven into depression and a nervous breakdown."
When Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams was asked about the issue of bullying at a recent TUC conference, he admitted there was a problem.
"The question of bullying, I'm glad you raise it because I think that's unfinished business for us and I'm very glad that it's flagged up," he said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
SIC: TCUK