Behind the Name
Every month, StOM prints the Anglican Calendar of Prayer, but have you
ever thought about what or who lies behind the name and place specified
every Sunday?
In each issue, we will feature some information about some of the
people/places for whom your prayers are being asked.
Timothy Martin Thornton is a British Anglican bishop. Since 6 September
2017, he has been Bishop
at Lambeth, Bishop to the
Forces, and Bishop for the
Falkland Islands. He was
previously the area Bishop
of Sherborne from 2001 to
2008, the diocesan Bishop
of Truro, and a Member of
the House of Lords.
In March 2016, Thornton
was cited in a Guardian
report on the Elliott
Review as one of several
senior figures who had
received a disclosure of
child sexual abuse but had
"no recollection" of it.
The review, led by Ian Elliott, found this lack of memory difficult to
countenance. "What is surprising about this is that he (the survivor) would be
speaking about a serious and sadistic sexual assault allegedly perpetrated
by a senior member of the hierarchy.
The fact that these conversations could be forgotten about is hard to
accept," Elliott wrote. The survivor had tried repeatedly to alert the
Archbishop’s office to critical concerns arising from these denials but was
ignored on the instruction of the church's insurers.
The resulting Elliott Review led to damning headlines across the UK and
world media and kickstarted significant cultural and structural change in the
Church of England's response to sex abuse cases.
In an open letter the survivor urged Thornton to lead a call for repentance
across the House of Bishops.
As from October 2016, Thornton has sat on the Church of England's
National Safeguarding Steering Group (NSSG).
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