English bishops threatens libel action against lay critic
December 10, 2014
A bishop in England threatened to sue a layman who charged that the bishop did not read his own mail. The threat prompted an apology from the bishop’s critic.
Philip Bannister had written an open letter to Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster, protesting the decision to close his parish. Bannister wrote that he had chosen to make his letter public because of “a diocese-wide acknowledgement that your secretary filters mail from you and takes the initiative to provide his own response.”
Bishop Campbell charged that this accusation was a “most serious—and defamatory—allegation” and said that he planned legal action.
Bannister apologized for the comment and said that he had decided to withdraw the remark. He added, however, that Bishop Campbell had not responded to the substance of his complaint.
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