Presumption of Guilt

The Church's Flawed Case Against Bishop George Bell

Ruth H Grayson, Keith Clements

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English

Ekklesia
10 June 2025

History of religion; Christian Churches & denominations

George Kennedy Allen Bell, Anglican Bishop of Chichester from 1929 to 1958, is revered nationally and internationally as a pioneer of the ecumenical movement and a peacemaker. Forming a bond with theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he assisted the resistance to Hitler, aided refugees and imprisoned conscientious objectors, and courageously opposed indiscriminate area bombing as a war crime.

Bell is celebrated in the Church of England calendar on 3 October every year, the anniversary of his death. But in 2015 his reputation was ruined overnight by a single posthumous allegation of abuse over 60 years earlier. The allegation was initially upheld by the Church, without proper investigation and with no opportunity for a defence. It was based on the 'balance of probabilities' in a case that never went to court. Following further thorough investigation, the Church finally acknowledged its serious failings in handling the affair, but full restitution of Bell's name is yet to be achieved.

With a thoughtful introduction to the global importance of Bell's legacy by renowned scholar Keith Clements, this book is based on Ruth Hildebrandt Grayson's collection of letters and articles (both published and unpublished) written in the course of the campaign for justice and the clearing of the late bishop's name. It attempts to make sense of this sorry saga by placing it in the context other historical cases, contemporary trends and well-publicised flaws in handling of abuse within the Church.

By: Ruth H Grayson
Introduction by: Keith Clements
Imprint: Ekklesia
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 6mm
Weight: 141g
ISBN: 9781739755119
ISBN 10: 1739755111
Pages: 98
Publication Date: 10 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Historian Ruth Hildebrandt Grayson is the older daughter of Franz Hildebrandt, a close friend of the late Bishop George Bell. Her family, together with many others, owes its existence to Bell's lifesaving work with and for refugees from Nazism during the Second World War. Keith Clements is Ecumenical Scholar and former General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches