Retired vicar banned over 'virulently antisemitic' posts

A Church of England clergyman who shared "virulently antisemitic" worldly has been barred from ministry for 12 years.

The Reverend Dr Stephen Sizer, 69, was recovered by a religion tribunal to person engaged successful behaviour "unbecoming to the bureau and enactment of a clerk successful Holy Orders".

The Archbishop of Canterbury said Dr Sizer's behaviour had fixed "encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes".

Dr Sizer declined to comment.

He antecedently told the tribunal helium powerfully denied the allegation helium was antisemitic and said immoderate distress helium had caused was unintentional and helium had been misquoted.

The acting Bishop of Winchester said the punishment handed down connected Monday reflects "the seriousness of the misconduct".

Dr Sizer was vicar of Christ Church, Virginia Water, successful Surrey, for 20 years, until his status successful 2017.

The ban, which includes the clip helium has already served since the ailment was brought successful 2018, volition past until December 2030.

It means Dr Sizer cannot fulfil immoderate priestly roles, specified arsenic taking communion oregon matrimony services, until helium has served his sentence.

The Bishop's Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Winchester ruled successful December that helium had "provoked and offended the Jewish community" and "engaged successful antisemitic activity".

The lawsuit had been brought by the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, who cited 11 examples betwixt 2005 and 2018.

The tribunal upheld the ailment successful 4 instances, including 1 illustration from 2015 wherever Dr Sizer shared an nonfiction promoting the thought that Israel was down the violent attacks connected 11 September 2001.

On different juncture Dr Sizer posted a nexus connected his website successful September 2010 to an nonfiction titled "9/11 The Mother of All Coincidences".

Marie van der Zyl said she was "pleased" with the "unambiguous connection successful banning Stephen Sizer from being capable to enactment arsenic a Clerk successful Holy Orders for 12 years.

"Given that helium indulged successful 'antisemitic activity' and caused grievous offence to the Jewish assemblage implicit a fig of years, this is the close decision.

"I americium grateful to the Tribunal for proceeding our grounds and look guardant to a continued beardown and adjacent narration with the Church of England successful the coming years."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, said: "It's wide that the behaviour of Stephen Sizer has undermined Christian-Jewish relations, giving encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes that person nary spot successful nationalist Christian ministry and the church.

"I renew my telephone for the highest imaginable standards among ordained ministers of the Church of England successful combatting antisemitism of each kinds."

The acting Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Reverend Debbie Sellin, said: "It is the Church of England's task to pb successful the enactment of enabling communal knowing and strong, peaceable inter-faith relationships for the communal bully of society, and its ministers indispensable instrumentality precise earnestly their relation successful initiating affirmative relationships betwixt communities, locally, astatine diocesan and determination level, arsenic good arsenic nationally and internationally."

She added: "Antisemitism has nary spot successful our nine and those successful positions of powerfulness and power indispensable perceive to concerns astir it."