Church of England priest who disrupted consecration of first female bishop loses religious discrimination tribunal

Dec 29, 2021 by Jill

by Katie Feehan, Mailonline:

A Church of England priest who protested at the consecration of the first female bishop has lost a claim of religious discrimination at a tribunal after he claimed he was forced to retire because he believes women shouldn’t be ordained.

Reverend Paul Williamson, 72, claimed he was forced to retire aged 70 – as is common practice in the Church of England – because of his unpopular view.

His notorious campaign against women being ordained dates back 25 years when in 1997 he tried to sue the dean and chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral for appointing a female minor canon.

In 2015 the priest publicly interrupted the ordination of Libby Lane – England’s first female bishop – at York Minster to object to it, shouting that it was ‘not in the bible’ and that it was an ‘absolute impediment’.

Now, Rev Williamson has lost his second employment tribunal after he was forced to retire from his post as priest of St George’s Church, Hanworth, London.

Rev Williamson, 72, first lost an age discrimination case in 2019 after he was retired at 70. All priests retire at 70 under Church of England rules unless there are exceptional circumstances.

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