An 82-year-old retired priest has spoken of her pain at losing her right to conduct religious ceremonies because of her participation in Just Stop Oil protests.
The Rev Sue Parfitt was arrested in May after causing damage to the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library in London as part of a protest with the climate action group. She is still awaiting trial.
It is one of dozens of protests the retired priest has taken part in during the last few years for Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain. She said that she has been convicted five times for various protest-related offences in that time.
After her arrest in May, she was told by the diocese of Bristol and the city’s bishop, Vivienne Faull, that she would be denied permission to officiate (PTO) because of the charges she is facing.
PTO is a licence granted by the Church of England, typically to retired priests or deacons, that allows them to conduct religious ceremonies. It has to be renewed every three years and renewal is usually only refused for severe wrongdoing.
Parfitt, who lives in Bristol, said she has been negotiating with the diocese for her PTO renewal since the start of 2023. She was subject to a safeguarding check that recommended she should be granted the permission.
“It’s painful – I would be foolish to deny it,” she said. “And the irony is it’s the 30th anniversary year of women being ordained as priests.”
Parfitt and Faull were among the first women to join the priesthood.
“I am very shocked, surprised and disappointed in [Faull’s] attitude… I, and everybody else, find it inexplicable, considering her strong lead on the climate.”
Faull has been a progressive voice on climate action in the church in recent years, with the diocese of Bristol declaring a climate emergency in 2019 and being the first diocese in the UK to commit to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.
At the time, Faull said that “care for God’s creation is key to our Christian faith” and that the move would “send a strong message” that “we must all act now” to combat the climate crisis.
Parfitt said that she believed the climate crisis was a “spiritual issue”, adding: “This is God’s creation and we need to be doing all we can to save it… I don’t want to sound too pious, but it’s part of the sacrifice I’ve been called to make.”
She added: “I’m the first priest this has happened to, even as some other clergy have been in prison [for similar protests]. And of course, it stands as a threat to everyone else. It is a double punishment.”
Parfitt said “the biggest thing” was that she would never be able to preside over a eucharist again. “That is a big deal. But if it came to the point where [Faull] said to me: ‘You can have your licence back if you commit to never take any illegal action again,’ I wouldn’t agree to that.”
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Several Just Stop Oil campaigners have faced professional repercussions as a result of their protests. The Guardian reported in March that three GPs involved in climate activism were awaiting professional tribunals where they faced being struck off.
In July, five Just Stop Oil activists were sentenced to four and five years in prison for planning a protest that would cause gridlock on the M25. The sentences are thought to be the longest ever given in the UK for nonviolent protest.
A spokesperson for the Bristol diocese confirmed that Parfitt’s PTO had originally run out on 31 December 2022, but that she “remains a clerk in holy orders”.
They said: “PTO is not being issued at this time based on the fact that Ms Parfitt is facing criminal charges in ongoing court proceedings.
“The diocese recognises everyone’s legal right to protest. We support the call for more urgent action to combat the environmental crisis the world is facing and advocate for the changes in peaceful and lawful ways.”