Trainee vicar ‘blocked from curacy over racism views’
Calvin Robinson claims he was refused role as a priest because he thinks the UK is not institutionally racist
A CONSERVATIVE trainee vicar claims he was blocked from becoming a Church of England priest because he does not believe the UK is institutionally racist.
Calvin Robinson, a political pundit, is known for his Right-wing views, which include opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and suggesting women should not be ordained.
He had been training to become a priest at the University of Oxford for the past two years and was due to begin a curacy at a parish in Holborn, London, but was turned down for the role by the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev Jonathan Baker, in February.
According to Mr Robinson it was never clear why he was denied the position other than that parishioners might complain about his media presence. He offered to reduce his media work but was told “the moment had passed”.
Mr Robinson said: “Being told there was no position for me in the Church was absolutely heartbreaking. It was soul-destroying.
“This is not just a job that I’ve applied for, it’s a vocation I feel called for by God.”
Mr Robinson submitted a subject access request to the Church of England – asking the organisation for access to the personal information it held on him.
It was then that he discovered a series of internal emails between Church bosses raising concerns over his opinions on institutional racism in Britain.
In one email, the Rt Rev Rob Wickham, Bishop of Edmonton, voiced concerns to senior church leaders after Mr
Robinson suggested Britain was not a racist country.
He wrote: “Calvin’s comments concern me about denying institutional racism in this country.”
In another email the Bishop of Fulham writes: “I wanted a word about an ordinand, Calvin Robinson. You might be aware of him.
“He is very active on Twitter and has a huge following (100,000 followers!). His political agenda is I guess what you would call libertarian anti-woke, antiidentity politics, Covid-sceptical etc.
“His tweets get him into trouble sometimes and there have been complaints to the Bishop of London that he should not be ordained.”
Mr Robinson described the Church’s approach to his views as “very narrow minded”. He added: “It’s not even to do with an issue that’s scriptural, it’s just
‘His tweets get him into trouble sometimes and there have been complaints that he should not be ordained’
woke.” Mr Robinson announced on Friday that he would be leaving the Church of England to join the breakaway conservative group Global Anglican Future Conference.
A spokesman for the Diocese of London said: “In the Diocese of London, we have a limited number of curacies available that are considered on a case-bycase basis.
“We work with and support Ordinands throughout the discernment process to establish the right path for each person.
“In this instance, it is felt that there is no suitable option available that London can currently offer.
“We continue to be in conversation with Calvin, are willing to work with him to discern the right way forward, and we keep him in our prayers.”