Church blocks ‘anti-woke’ trainee vicar

A BLACK trainee vicar was blocked from becoming a Church of England priest after a white bishop voiced concerns about his belief that Britain was not institutionally racist.

Calvin Robinson, a TV presenter and political commentator, accused senior figures last night of torpedoing his ordination because of his conservative and anti-woke views.

Internal emails obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveal Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby asked to be shown examples of Mr Robinson’s tweets amid mounting alarm within the Church over his criticism of ‘bleeding-heart liberal vicars’ and the Church’s race policy.

In one, The Rt Rev Rob Wickham, Bishop of Edmonton, voiced his fears to senior church leaders after Mr Robinson insisted that Britain was not riven with racism. ‘Calvin’s comments concern me about denying institutional racism in this country,’ he wrote.

Mr Robinson also said the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, lectured him, insisting that ‘as a white woman I can tell you that the Church is institutionally racist’.

Mr Robinson, who became a trainee vicar – an ordinand – at St Stephen’s House, a theological college at the University of Oxford, in October 2020, has been told that plans for him to serve as a deacon at a parish in London have been axed.

Last night he called the decision ‘soul-destroying’ and said he was leaving the Church of England and joining the breakaway Global Anglican Future Conference.

The Church said there were only a few clergy positions in London and ‘no suitable option’ there for Mr Robinson. The Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishops of Edmonton and London declined to comment.