Kirk accused of sexism and ‘institutional wickedness’
Minister claims attack swept under carpet
THE Church of Scotland today stands accused by a serving minister of male-dominated “institutional wickedness” and a culture of sexism.
Reverend Lily Mckinnon, of Kirkintilloch Hillhead, claims that after being attacked by a man with an apparent grudge against ministers, her case was “swept under the carpet” andpromises of pastoral care and post-trauma support were never fulfilled.
She has decided to speak out after reading a controversial book by a former minister who was raped by an elder.
Mrs Mckinnon, 63, and retired minister Evelyn Hope, 77, believe there is a culture of sexism among some senior Church figures and that many more women may have suffered.
Mrs Mckinnon and Ms Hope have written to all 335 female ministers in Scotland urging any who believe they have been treated unfairly to come forward. They will also today lobby Kirk members as they arrive at The Mound for the General Assembly.
Mrs Mckinnon claimed some key Church figures used emotional blackmail to urge her not to publicly pursue her concerns over the Kirk.
Speaking of the aftermath of her attack, the mother-of-four told how she spoke to a pastoral care officer who asked if it happened in the parish.
She said: “It didn’t happen in the parish. I was attacked by a man who seemed to have something against ministers – he kept referring to ‘the Vicar’.
“Because it was outside the parish, the Church did not want to know. They said if I wanted back to work they would put in place a plan to keep me safe.”
Her attacker has never faced criminal charges.
Mrs Mckinnon also claims the Church failed to offer her further support when a bout of illness led to a nine-month absence from work in 2011. She added: “They said I should stay at home receiving my pay for two years until my retirement. There was no way I could agree to do that.
“I was promised help to get back to work and put measures in place that would make me feel safer – it was at a time when there were rapes in Glasgow and I was struggling even to be alone with men after being attacked.
“But to offer me money not to go back to work was the highest insult. I call it ‘institutional wickedness’.”
She said she decided to speak out after reading Scandalous, Immoral and Improper – the trial of Helen Percy. Ms Percy was a Kirk minister in Angus but was forced to leave after being accused of having an affair with Sandy Nicoll, a married elder.
In her book, Mspercy, 46, wrote that on December 1, 1995, while at home in bed with flu, she was visited by Mr Nicoll.
While she lay paralysed with fear, he had sex with her against her wishes. She later discovered she was pregnant, but had a termination. A confession by Mr Nicoll that Ms Percy had not consented to sex was not accepted by the Church.
Mrs Mckinnon said: “When I read Helen’s bookit struck achord with the way I had been treated at the hands of the Church of Scotland. There was a lack of compassion, a lack of support and a lack of understanding.
“I don’t want to bring the Church into disrepute but there comes a time when you can’t continue to sweep things under the carpet. I hope that other people will have the courage to say ‘this has happened to me’.”
The news comes after The Herald revealed an Acas survey taken at the Kirk’s administrative headquarters in Edinburgh revealed allegations of bullying.
A spokesman for the Church of Scotland said: “Mrs Mckinnon received considerable pastoral support from the point she indicated she had been attacked, which was some time after the event. We are sorry to hear she now feels this support, which was specifically guided by her own wishes, was inadequate.
“We are not aware of Mrs Mckinnon asking for help in regard to the physical security of either the Church or the house where she was living although we did work with her after the attack to advise and support her on matters of personal safety.”
The spokesman added: “Whether the Church is guilty of ‘institutional wickedness’ is ulti- mately for others to judge. However we would point to the high levels of support provided to, and gratefully received by, ministers and members throughout the Church and the spiritual and financial support given to communities throughout Scotland as evidence of the ‘institutional goodness’ that many see in the Church.”