Penpushers outnumber priests in Diocese of Truro
Cornwall’s acting Bishop the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson now has more pen-pushing bureaucrats on the Church House payroll than priests in parishes. There is only one priest per 15,000 people in the county, a Save The Parish Cornwall analysis reveals. The news comes as a petition calling for a suspension in divisive radical reorganisation plans in the diocese burst through the significant 1,000 signature barrier this week. The petition, signed by 1,070 worried churchgoers in just a few weeks, warns that the plans - championed by Bishop Hugh and known as On The Way - will lead to sharply reduced stipendiary clergy numbers in Cornwall as Church House lay staff numbers rise. The diocese’ own records reveal that the number of stipendiary priests currently in post carrying out pastoral duties, conducting services, and “curing souls” in the county is at an all-time record low, just 39 for the 200 plus parishes and 300 churches. There are currently around 600,000 people living in Cornwall: this means ...