A Vicar has stoutly defended his suggestion - which has angered his archdeacon and the police - that thou canst sometimes steal. The claim that stealing by the desperate is no sin "is long established Christian teaching," according to English priest the Rev Tim Jones.
The 42-year-old priest-in-charge of St Lawrence's, York, was speaking to the Church of England Newspaper as anger mounted over his stealing is not always wrong claim - which he delivered in a Nativity message at his local church primary school.
Fr Jones said in the message that stealing from large national chains was "sometimes" the best option open to vulnerable people. He also suggested that it was "far better" for people desperate during the recession to shoplift than turn to "prostitution, mugging or burglary."
He told the congregation at the school: "My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift.
"I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices."
He added: "I offer the advice with a heavy heart and wish society would recognise that bureaucratic ineptitude and systematic delay has created an invitation and incentive to crime for people struggling to cope."
Fr Jones told this paper: "What I said is nothing more than what is long established Christian teaching dating back to the desert fathers. I've said nothing more than St Ambrose, St John Chrysostom and St Thomas Aquinas said.
And he claimed: "What is more, everything I said in the school message is backed up by all the relevant papal encyclicals of the 20th century."
His spirited defence of his message in his comments to the Church of England Newspaper amount to an oblique reproach to his own archdeacon for his criticism of his remarks.
Richard Seed, Archdeacon of York, said: "The Church of England does not advise anyone to shoplift, or break the law. Fr Jones is raising important issues about the difficulties people face when benefits are not forthcoming, but shoplifting is not the way to overcome these difficulties."
The vicar's bishop, Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, is keeping quiet amid the controversy - at least in public. A spokeswoman for the diocese said: "All comment is coming from the archdeacon."
A North Yorkshire police spokesman said: "Shoplifting is a criminal offence and to justify this course of action is highly irresponsible. Turning or returning to crime will only make matters worse - that is a guarantee."
The "stealing-is-not-always-wrong" suggestion is not the first time the Rev Timothy Llewellyn Jones, ordained in 1994 and married with daughters aged eight and three, has been at the centre of controversy.
As reported by this newspaper in May 2008, he condemned the Stationery Box company as "cynical and wicked" for branding goods aimed at young children with the Playboy bunny logo.
The goods, which included pencil cases and pens, were displayed in a York shop but removed after Fr Jones protested in the shop and admitted to "tossing to the floor" one of the items which offended him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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: RI