Church of England accused of turning blind eye to fake migrant conversions
by Charles Hymas, Telegraph:
Giving evidence to the home affairs committee whistleblower Rev Matthew Firth also says he was the victim of intimidation by ‘naive’ Church.
The Church of England turned a blind eye to fake Christian conversions by asylum seekers, a whistleblower priest has said, claiming he has been a victim of intimidation.
The Rev Matthew Firth, who blew the whistle in the Telegraph last month on fake migrant baptisms, claimed senior figures in the Church knew about the practice but did nothing about it.
Giving evidence to the Commons home affairs committee, he claimed even the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, was unwilling “at the moment to be totally honest about those dynamics that we’re seeing in this area.”
Mr Firth also alleged he had been warned by his own advisers that “people could try to get” him if he spoke out at the committee, adding that he felt “intimidated” by the backlash against his whistleblowing.
Former minister Tim Loughton, a Conservative member of the committee, described the rubbishing of his claims by senior figures in the Church as akin to the Spanish Inquisition coming down on him.
‘Church complicit in conveyor belt of asylum seeker baptisms’
Mr Firth was called to give evidence to the committee after he claimed last month, in an interview with the Telegraph, that the Church of England was complicit in a “conveyor belt” of asylum seeker baptisms used by migrants to remain in the UK.
Read here (£)
Read also: No evidence Church of England is a ‘conveyor belt’ for asylum claims – bishop, BBC
Watch: Interview with Revd Matthew Firth by Charlie Peters, GB News
Watch: Christian Concern’s Tim Dieppe says asylum seekers who convert to Christianity in a bid to stay in the UK should have to renounce their former faith. “Fake converts would find it much harder to do that.”
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