Father Tim Jones of the parish of St. Lawrence and St. Hilda in York (Church of England) is back in the press – this time for supporting Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams’ recent remarks about the killing of Osama bin Laden.
“A coalition minister (bravely anonymous) is quoted by the Daily Telegraph as calling the Archbishop naive: “It’s quite easy to talk about due process and justice from the warmth and safety of a palace in London, but out in the real world, things are rather more complicated.”
…. “It is precisely those, like Bin Laden, who are most despised and feared by the public and the powerful alike, for whom due process and justice are necessary, as much for our sake as theirs.
“When we dispense with such niceties simply because the offences of the accused are heinous, then we put at risk the very foundations of the civilization we profess to cherish. Thank God for a national figure who can calmly, gently, and pointedly remind us of that.”
Fr. Tim made headlines in December 2009 for implying that shoplifting Christmas presents from larger stores was, on balance, more sensible than stealing from smaller stores.