Fowey Church sexism row over female vicar rumbles on

A heated meeting of Fowey Parochial Church Council (PCC) on Sunday heard from one angry resident that she was “offended on behalf of Fowey” over the “totally sexist” decision not to have a female priest earlier this year.

Fowey (Image: LDR)

Andy Virr – who is also Conservative councillor for Fowey, Par, Tywardreath and Golant, and Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for adult social care and health – stood down as chairman of the town’s PCC and church warden as did fellow church warden Carol Carruthers and her husband, treasurer Graham.

Fowey PCC issued this statement: “Carol Carruthers and Andy Virr decided before the APCM not to stand for re-election. We are grateful for the thanks and gifts we received at the meeting. It has been our pleasure to serve God, the church family and the wider community over the past few years. We will pray that the new PCC continue to faithfully hold out the good news of Jesus Christ to the residents of Fowey.”

Fowey Parish Church, St Fimbarrus, hit local and national headlines when the PCC passed a resolution under the House of Bishops Declaration to advertise for a male priest-in-charge in March.

A minority of the congregation are alleged to have said they could not remain within the church on theological grounds unless the priest was a man.

The church has been without a vicar for almost four years after the previous incumbent, the Reverend Phillip de Grey-Warter, controversially set up a rival Anglican church, Anchor, in the town after leaving the Church of England.

Earlier this year, the neighbouring parishes of Tywardreath and Golant welcomed a female vicar, the Reverend Shona Hoad, as priest-in-charge. At one stage it was thought she would also lead the flock in neighbouring Fowey.

However, Fowey PCC had previously made its decision not to have a woman vicar, and was still without a priest, when it passed the resolution to advertise for a male-only vicar.

Fowey Parish Church, St Fimbarrus (Image: Google Maps)

The reaction caused consternation in the town which, ironically, was previously home to Dawn French who, of course, starred as female priest Geraldine Granger in The Vicar of Dibley.

A resident told me at the time: “The congregation dwindles further as less misogynistic worshippers have started go to Golant or Tywardreath for the services there.

"So Fowey hasn’t a comic lady vicar, nor a functioning vicar of either gender, and even the vicarage stands empty. It doesn’t bode well for the long-term future of a classic church in the centre of the town.”

Two months later, the argument doesn’t look like abating if Sunday afternoon’s heated meeting is anything to go by.

The annual PCC meeting was chaired by St Austell vicar the Rev Howard Flint who admitted that Fowey “is in a difficult place” and ended the meeting by asking those present to “please pray for a way forward”. A new church council was elected during proceedings.

After 40 minutes of discussion about parish matters, including the possible sale of the town’s vicarage – which is worth £2.5m – a Fowey woman declared that it was time to talk about “the elephant in the room”. Her voice rising in anger, she said: “It appears we are avoiding a discussion about a vicar. We are not talking about what we are all here for.

“When are we going to get a vicar – male, female, homosexual, lesbian or green?” Her comment was met with loud applause.

A man, who gave his name as James and spoke for a number of the congregation, said the choice for a male-only vicar was “profoundly wrong”, which again received applause.

He added: “We strongly believe this was wrong and unrepresentative of the parish and the town. We recommend that the PCC urgently revisit the resolution.

“This church has had an opportunity to differentiate itself from Anchor Anglican Church but has failed to do so. We would wish Fowey Church to become mainstream rather than, in our words, extreme evangelical. There is now unfortunately no choice for mainstream Christians in Fowey.”

James said: “We believe that Fowey Parochial Parish Council should be inclusive not exclusive. I would ask that the new PCC takes into account some of the feelings which are different to the minority [who passed the resolution].”

A question was asked if the resolution to advertise for a male-only vicar could be rescinded. The meeting was told it could if the majority of the PCC agreed to it.

Members of the public heard that only one person responded to a previous advert for the job and he was not qualified for the post. The PCC was asked if it could be re-advertised to include women. Through legal process, the previous resolution could be rewritten, which members were told could take a number of weeks.

Another member of the public stated: “One of the reasons people wouldn’t have applied to be a priest in this church is because we hit the press because we were the last church, probably in the world, to be totally sexist. I am really offended on behalf of Fowey. It’s not the town’s fault – it was the sexism of only having a male priest.”

The Diocese of Truro says it is unable to comment on the annual PCC meeting in Fowey as it was an internal parish meeting and representatives from the diocese were not present.

A spokesperson for the diocese said: “In terms of the recruitment for a new vicar in Fowey, the role will be going out to advertisement in the next couple of weeks. It is hoped this second round of advertising will be successful and there has already been expressions of interest.

“Fowey Parochial Church Council passed a resolution under the House of Bishops Declaration. Nothing has changed in relation to this. Any change would require the PCC to revoke it and that is a decision for them. The diocese has no authority in that regard.”

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Fowey PCC told us in March: “Fowey Parish Church is excited about the opportunity of a new vicar in Fowey after a gap of four years. We have funding for a part-time priest living and working in Fowey, allowing time for Sunday services and midweek outreach activity in our community. As an evangelical church we look to the bible for all matters of faith. The bible is very clear on equality – all are equal. The bible, much written 2000 years ago, was ahead of its time in its progressive attitude to women.

“There is, however, debate over the roles women play within the church. The church council has agreed a compromise position where we will both welcome women priests to teach the bible faithfully each Sunday and lead communion, but seek an overall male priest in charge.

"We appreciate this can be difficult to understand looking from the outside into the church, but would robustly defend that this position is not sexist, is widely established in the worldwide church, and accommodates all views in the membership of our church without exclusion.”