Bishop was drunk, says secret report
Wednesday June 06 2007
AN Anglican bishop could have been prosecuted for drunkenness under ecclesiastical law after a Christmas party at the Irish Embassy in London, according to a secret Church of England report.
In fact, Dr Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark in south London, escaped disciplinary action over the mysterious incident, in which he suffered head injuries and lost his mobile telephone, crucifix and briefcase.
A report found that the layman who filed the complaint was not deemed of sufficient rank to continue proceedings. But a subsequent investigation into a second complaint influenced the Archbishop of Canterbury's decision to take no action.
In his report to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the top ecclesiastical lawyer, Judge Rupert Bursell, QC, ruled that there was "sufficient substance" to justify disciplinary proceedings against Dr Butler "in relation to the complaint of drunkenness".
John Adams, a former church warden, submitted a formal complaint against his bishop, who was found bloodied with a black eye and a bump on the head outside Bishop's House in Streatham several hours after leaving the Irish Embassy last December.
The bishop was seen throwing children's toys out of the window of a stranger's car and, when challenged, is reported to have said: "I'm the Bishop of Southwark - it's what I do."
At first he said he had been mugged. Later, he suggested that a neurological affliction might have been to blame for his memory loss.
Last month, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said that no further action would be taken against the bishop under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 despite a 20-page report submitted privately from Judge Bursell this year, which stated that there was enough evidence to support allegations that Dr Butler had been drunk.
In the preliminary report, Judge Bursell, acting as deputy to the Archbishop's Registrar, wrote: "There is substantial evidence to support Mr Adams's contention that the bishop was drunk on the night in question. (©The Times, London)
- Ruth Gledhill
