Martyn Percy to Leave the Church of England
The former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, Dr Martyn Percy has announced he is to leave the Church of England. He made the announcement on 10 May. Dr Percy’s last four years in post have been marked with one controversy after another.
In February, it was reported that a mediated settlement of £1,175,000 was reached between Percy and the Governing Body of the College. Percy demitted office on 26 April.
Percy, a noted liberal theologian, vigorously defended himself against all charges.
In announcing his departure from the Church of England, Percy said “In the face of … partisanship, failure to neutrally manage conflicts of interest, double standards and incompetence in the C of E’s safeguarding, I finally took a decision: to leave the church.
“Though I have been ordained for more than 30 years, and continue with my faith in God, the Church of England has destroyed any trust I might have had in it. It is an unsafe place to work.”
Echoing other clergy who’d been on the receiving end of a Clergy Disciplinary Measures, Percy wrote, the Church “lacks transparency, accountability, external scrutiny and, as far as I’m concerned, integrity.”
All complaints against Percy were dismissed and he was ordered reinstated by a retired high court judge in 2019. The Telegraph reported that,“efforts by the governing body to remove the former Dean from his post continued.”
