Retired vicar banned over 'virulently antisemitic' posts

Stephen Sizer was found to have "engaged in antisemitic activity" by a church tribunal in December.

A Church of England priest who shared "virulently antisemitic" material has been barred from ministry for 12 years.

The Reverend Dr Stephen Sizer, 69, was found by a church tribunal to have engaged in conduct "unbecoming to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders".

The Archbishop of Canterbury said Dr Sizer's behaviour had given "encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes".

Dr Sizer declined to comment.

He previously told the tribunal he strongly denied the allegation he was antisemitic and said any distress he had caused was unintentional and he had been misquoted.

The acting Bishop of Winchester said the penalty handed down on Monday reflects "the seriousness of the misconduct".

Dr Sizer was vicar of Christ Church, Virginia Water, in Surrey, for 20 years, until his retirement in 2017.

Dr Sizer declined to comment, although in December after the tribunal's ruling he apologised "unreservedly for the hurt and offence caused."

The ban, which includes the time he has already served since the complaint was brought in 2018, will last until December 2030.

It means Dr Sizer cannot fulfil any priestly roles, such as taking communion or marriage services, until he has served his sentence.

The Bishop's Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Winchester ruled in December that he had "provoked and offended the Jewish community" and "engaged in antisemitic activity".

The case had been brought by the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, who cited 11 examples between 2005 and 2018.

The tribunal upheld the complaint in four instances, including one example from 2015 where Dr Sizer shared an article promoting the idea that Israel was behind the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.

On another occasion Dr Sizer posted a link on his website in September 2010 to an article titled "9/11 The Mother of All Coincidences".

Marie van der Zyl said she was "pleased" with the "unambiguous statement in banning Stephen Sizer from being able to act as a Clerk in Holy Orders for 12 years.

"Given that he indulged in 'antisemitic activity' and caused grievous offence to the Jewish community over a number of years, this is the correct decision.

"I am grateful to the Tribunal for hearing our evidence and look forward to a continued strong and close relationship with the Church of England in the coming years."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, said: "It's clear that the behaviour of Stephen Sizer has undermined Christian-Jewish relations, giving encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes that have no place in public Christian ministry and the church.

"I renew my call for the highest possible standards among ordained ministers of the Church of England in combatting antisemitism of all kinds."

The acting Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Reverend Debbie Sellin, said: "It is the Church of England's task to lead in the work of enabling mutual understanding and strong, peaceable inter-faith relationships for the common good of society, and its ministers must take very seriously their role in initiating positive relationships between communities, locally, at diocesan and regional level, as well as nationally and internationally."

She added: "Antisemitism has no place in our society and those in positions of power and influence must listen to concerns about it."