Broken Rites
@brokenrites.bsky.social
Divorced/separated ex spouses/partners of clergy, supporting each other & calling for better support of ministers' families, before, during & after breakdown. UK based, international & interdenominational. Est. 1983
brokenrites.org
brokenrites.org
Pinned
Broken Rites
@brokenrites.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Church authorities are failing to take seriously the physical and emotional abuse suffered by divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, respondents to a new survey suggest
Abuse suffered by divorced clergy spouses ‘not taken seriously’ by the Church, survey suggests
CHURCH authorities are failing to take seriously the physical and emotional abuse suffered by divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, respondents to a new survey suggest. The research by Broken Rites, a support group for divorced and s...
www.churchtimes.co.uk
With thanks to our members who contributed to this and worked hard on it, and to @churchtimes.bsky.social for this report.
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
What a brilliant initiative. We are so aware of the devastating impact on children of housing insecurity.
🙌
🙌
"We all know that a child needs a home where they feel safe and secure, as do parents, in order to thrive." - @stevechalke.bsky.social
Read about our latest housing project:
Read about our latest housing project:
Oasis Charitable Trust to offer 20 homes for vulnerable pupils
The trust hopes the scheme will improve education outcomes for pupils in Sheffield and Scunthorpe.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 9:01 AM
What a brilliant initiative. We are so aware of the devastating impact on children of housing insecurity.
🙌
🙌
Reposted by Broken Rites
Bit of good news...
Rail worker who saved passengers from stabbings leaves hospital
Samir Zitouni's family say they are
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Bit of good news...
✝️⚓#CofEpeeps @ctbi.bsky.social
"...the church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be "vulnerable" as a safeguarding allegation..."
🙌🙌🙌
The Charity Commission's observations about the #CofE will apply to other #church denominations too
🙌🙌🙌
The Charity Commission's observations about the #CofE will apply to other #church denominations too
Church of England charity must rapidly accelerate safeguarding reforms
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England must rapidly accelerate the delivery of safeguarding improvements and close gaps in its approach to handling complaints, the charity regulator has war...
www.gov.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:04 PM
✝️⚓#CofEpeeps @ctbi.bsky.social
"...the church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be "vulnerable" as a safeguarding allegation..."
🙌🙌🙌
The Charity Commission's observations about the #CofE will apply to other #church denominations too
🙌🙌🙌
The Charity Commission's observations about the #CofE will apply to other #church denominations too
Church of England charity must rapidly accelerate safeguarding reforms
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England must rapidly accelerate the delivery of safeguarding improvements and close gaps in its approach to handling complaints, the charity regulator has war...
www.gov.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:00 PM
📖 Jennie Hogan on help for female survivors of domestic abuse
Book review: No Visible Scars: An always hopeful guide to healing from domestic abuse as a Christian by Sally Hope
Jennie Hogan on help for female survivors
www.churchtimes.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Also out this month:
2. Life on the Breadline: Theology, Poverty and Politics in an Age of Austerity by Chris Shannahan
The first fieldwork-based book by an academic theologian to analyse Christian responses to UK austerity-age poverty
20% off in November:
scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/978033...
2. Life on the Breadline: Theology, Poverty and Politics in an Age of Austerity by Chris Shannahan
The first fieldwork-based book by an academic theologian to analyse Christian responses to UK austerity-age poverty
20% off in November:
scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/978033...
November 4, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Broken Rites
Almost 100% of children in 73 neighbourhoods in England are living in income-deprived families.
Govts push real wage/benefit cuts, two-child benefit cap; oppose universal basic income; don't curb profiteering.
No govt targets to cut poverty.
1% has more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Govts push real wage/benefit cuts, two-child benefit cap; oppose universal basic income; don't curb profiteering.
No govt targets to cut poverty.
1% has more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Almost all children in 73 areas of England live in low-income households
New official measures show levelling up attempts have failed to shift high levels of deprivation
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Almost 100% of children in 73 neighbourhoods in England are living in income-deprived families.
Govts push real wage/benefit cuts, two-child benefit cap; oppose universal basic income; don't curb profiteering.
No govt targets to cut poverty.
1% has more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Govts push real wage/benefit cuts, two-child benefit cap; oppose universal basic income; don't curb profiteering.
No govt targets to cut poverty.
1% has more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Massive thanks to @clergysupport.bsky.social, who help many of us to stay half-sane after we & our children are evicted from the Vicarage.
Spare a thought for our non #CofE members.
Spare a thought for our non #CofE members.
The breakdown of a marriage can be a turbulent time. 💍
As well as clergy, we welcome applications from the former spouses/partners of clergy, and we work closely with partner organisations like @brokenrites.bsky.social to continue to develop our services.
www.clergysupport.org.uk/separation
As well as clergy, we welcome applications from the former spouses/partners of clergy, and we work closely with partner organisations like @brokenrites.bsky.social to continue to develop our services.
www.clergysupport.org.uk/separation
October 30, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Massive thanks to @clergysupport.bsky.social, who help many of us to stay half-sane after we & our children are evicted from the Vicarage.
Spare a thought for our non #CofE members.
Spare a thought for our non #CofE members.
Reposted by Broken Rites
I light this week’s #candleforcare on the eve of the UN #InternationalDayofCare and Support to highlight the tens of thousands who care for and support others across the world, both paid professionals and unpaid individuals. #careaboutcare.
October 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I light this week’s #candleforcare on the eve of the UN #InternationalDayofCare and Support to highlight the tens of thousands who care for and support others across the world, both paid professionals and unpaid individuals. #careaboutcare.
With thanks to our members who contributed to this and worked hard on it, and to @churchtimes.bsky.social for this report.
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
Church authorities are failing to take seriously the physical and emotional abuse suffered by divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, respondents to a new survey suggest
Abuse suffered by divorced clergy spouses ‘not taken seriously’ by the Church, survey suggests
CHURCH authorities are failing to take seriously the physical and emotional abuse suffered by divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, respondents to a new survey suggest. The research by Broken Rites, a support group for divorced and s...
www.churchtimes.co.uk
October 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
With thanks to our members who contributed to this and worked hard on it, and to @churchtimes.bsky.social for this report.
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
We, and our children, wait to see who takes notice of it..!
Out of interest (self-interest):
Anyone looking specifically into the outworkings of a culture that heavily emphasised/s self-denial & sacrifice in the lives of women of a certain age?
Anyone looking specifically into the outworkings of a culture that heavily emphasised/s self-denial & sacrifice in the lives of women of a certain age?
🏴 Theology in Scotland Call for Contributions (Spring 2026 issue): Theology and Mental Health 🏴
📓 Seeking contributions (articles, theological reflections, creative work) that explore intersections of theology and mental health
👉Full call + details here: ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TI...
📓 Seeking contributions (articles, theological reflections, creative work) that explore intersections of theology and mental health
👉Full call + details here: ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TI...
Call for contributions: Spring 2026 issue on theology and mental health
| Theology in Scotland
ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk
September 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Out of interest (self-interest):
Anyone looking specifically into the outworkings of a culture that heavily emphasised/s self-denial & sacrifice in the lives of women of a certain age?
Anyone looking specifically into the outworkings of a culture that heavily emphasised/s self-denial & sacrifice in the lives of women of a certain age?
Reposted by Broken Rites
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
Neuroscience finds musicians feel pain differently from the rest of us
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
tcnv.link
September 24, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Can musical training rewire the brain to resist pain?
Reposted by Broken Rites
We believe you.
Speaking up after experiencing #DomesticAbuse can be extremely difficult, but we’re always here to listen. There is no shame in needing help.
For more information contact us on:
☎️ 0151 263 7474
☎️ 0800 084 2744
🌐 LiverpoolDomesticAbuseService.org.uk
Speaking up after experiencing #DomesticAbuse can be extremely difficult, but we’re always here to listen. There is no shame in needing help.
For more information contact us on:
☎️ 0151 263 7474
☎️ 0800 084 2744
🌐 LiverpoolDomesticAbuseService.org.uk
September 17, 2025 at 1:59 PM
We believe you.
Speaking up after experiencing #DomesticAbuse can be extremely difficult, but we’re always here to listen. There is no shame in needing help.
For more information contact us on:
☎️ 0151 263 7474
☎️ 0800 084 2744
🌐 LiverpoolDomesticAbuseService.org.uk
Speaking up after experiencing #DomesticAbuse can be extremely difficult, but we’re always here to listen. There is no shame in needing help.
For more information contact us on:
☎️ 0151 263 7474
☎️ 0800 084 2744
🌐 LiverpoolDomesticAbuseService.org.uk
Reposted by Broken Rites
FYI Universal Credit for a single person is £4,801.68 per annum for which you will be harassed, coerced and threatened constantly via your own mobile phone by the DWP, while in media you will be called scrounging workshy scum by the LABOUR party.
A single person in the UK now needs to earn £30,500 a year to “participate in society” and "live with dignity", new research has found.
Single people must earn at least £30,500 per year to live well in the UK
www.bigissue.com
September 16, 2025 at 10:08 PM
FYI Universal Credit for a single person is £4,801.68 per annum for which you will be harassed, coerced and threatened constantly via your own mobile phone by the DWP, while in media you will be called scrounging workshy scum by the LABOUR party.
Reposted by Broken Rites
'[We need] not only generalisations about the benefits of diversity or whatever, but a story about the kind of vulnerabilities that people in the streets in the UK can identify with' - this is excellent from Rowan Williams. Compassionate and nuanced.
Ordinary people outside hotels raging at ordinary people inside them: that’s the tragedy of this refugee controversy | Rowan Williams
Ordinary people outside hotels raging at ordinary people inside them: that’s the tragedy of this refugee controversy | Rowan Williams
Anyone who has met refugees sees the ordinariness of their hopes and dreams. If we reject their humanity, how can we be proud of ourselves, asks former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
www.theguardian.com
August 30, 2025 at 1:16 PM
'[We need] not only generalisations about the benefits of diversity or whatever, but a story about the kind of vulnerabilities that people in the streets in the UK can identify with' - this is excellent from Rowan Williams. Compassionate and nuanced.
Our annual opportunity for some of us to meet up with old friends & new members. It was a festival with all the feelings, as ever. The challenge now is to grow hope in some very difficult situations #HopeIsAVerb
#GB25 #greenbelt
#GB25 #greenbelt
August 25, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Our annual opportunity for some of us to meet up with old friends & new members. It was a festival with all the feelings, as ever. The challenge now is to grow hope in some very difficult situations #HopeIsAVerb
#GB25 #greenbelt
#GB25 #greenbelt
Question: #Greenbelt #GB25 people, what's the best way to communicate with spouses and partners of #clergy who may be struggling in unhappy marriages, to let them know they are not alone? And to offer the opportunity of meeting, to those who may need to be incognito?
August 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Question: #Greenbelt #GB25 people, what's the best way to communicate with spouses and partners of #clergy who may be struggling in unhappy marriages, to let them know they are not alone? And to offer the opportunity of meeting, to those who may need to be incognito?
Reposted by Broken Rites
I have not heard anything at all from government ministers nor the opposition nor many media outlets about the dangers of this epidemic of sweeping casual racism. It is sometimes seen as comical - as with Rupert Lowe and the rowers - but it is dangerous and dehumanising
August 20, 2025 at 10:03 AM
I have not heard anything at all from government ministers nor the opposition nor many media outlets about the dangers of this epidemic of sweeping casual racism. It is sometimes seen as comical - as with Rupert Lowe and the rowers - but it is dangerous and dehumanising
Good to see this being discussed- at least by people who can afford to buy it 😆 Thank God for social media! UK people please let us know what you think
August 20, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Good to see this being discussed- at least by people who can afford to buy it 😆 Thank God for social media! UK people please let us know what you think
"...When it comes to the predatory power of a... charismatic figure.., consent can be complex."
If only this was understood, & if only the understanding was acted upon, especially by those with responsibilities for systems of accountability
#ChurchToo
✝️
If only this was understood, & if only the understanding was acted upon, especially by those with responsibilities for systems of accountability
#ChurchToo
✝️
The Vanier who abused women was not a fallen saint, succumbing to the temptations and opportunities afforded him by his rising fame. This was who he had been all along: a man exquisitely and terribly attuned to the vulnerabilities of others. sojo.net/magazine/jul...
When a Trusted Spiritual Leader Turns out to Be a Sexual Predator
Revelations about Jean Vanier’s abuse threaten our confidence in determining good and evil.
sojo.net
August 18, 2025 at 10:15 PM
"...When it comes to the predatory power of a... charismatic figure.., consent can be complex."
If only this was understood, & if only the understanding was acted upon, especially by those with responsibilities for systems of accountability
#ChurchToo
✝️
If only this was understood, & if only the understanding was acted upon, especially by those with responsibilities for systems of accountability
#ChurchToo
✝️
Not just kids!
When a child has experienced trauma, their behaviour isn’t a moral failing, it’s communication. The anger you see? That’s pain. The defiance? That’s fear. And the silence? That’s a survival strategy. None of this is about excusing bad behaviour. It’s about understanding it!
August 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Not just kids!
Reposted by Broken Rites
#vss365 #prompt
I followed the #rules—
Looked up to you,
Played the good wife,
Built us a life.
Swallowed my pride,
Stood by your side,
Did as you asked,
Forgave the past.
Hung on your word,
Hoped to be heard,
Only to find
No peace of mind.
What hope has grace,
When lies take its place?
#poetry
I followed the #rules—
Looked up to you,
Played the good wife,
Built us a life.
Swallowed my pride,
Stood by your side,
Did as you asked,
Forgave the past.
Hung on your word,
Hoped to be heard,
Only to find
No peace of mind.
What hope has grace,
When lies take its place?
#poetry
August 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM
#CoerciveControl "We’ve named the violence but haven’t yet built the systems to stop it"
Which is more shocking, the low rate of convictions or the high number of suicides driven by #DomesticAbuse?
Which is more shocking, the low rate of convictions or the high number of suicides driven by #DomesticAbuse?
Ours was the kind of family no one suspected. But behind closed doors, the harm escalated until it changed all our lives forever. Ten years on from coercive control becoming a crime, how far have we come? My piece in @observeruk.bsky.social
David Challen: the torment that drove my mother to kill m...
The writer reflects on a crime which shaped his own life, 10 years after coercive control was made a crime
observer.co.uk
August 3, 2025 at 8:40 AM
#CoerciveControl "We’ve named the violence but haven’t yet built the systems to stop it"
Which is more shocking, the low rate of convictions or the high number of suicides driven by #DomesticAbuse?
Which is more shocking, the low rate of convictions or the high number of suicides driven by #DomesticAbuse?
Reposted by Broken Rites
As a GP, I am not allowed to receive a pen or post-it note pad from a pharmaceutical company rep!
Govt banned them in case I was influenced to prescribe medications.
This should also be banned?
Influence being bought in Govt?
Patients should influence not the healthy & wealthy
Govt banned them in case I was influenced to prescribe medications.
This should also be banned?
Influence being bought in Govt?
Patients should influence not the healthy & wealthy
July 26, 2025 at 6:56 AM
As a GP, I am not allowed to receive a pen or post-it note pad from a pharmaceutical company rep!
Govt banned them in case I was influenced to prescribe medications.
This should also be banned?
Influence being bought in Govt?
Patients should influence not the healthy & wealthy
Govt banned them in case I was influenced to prescribe medications.
This should also be banned?
Influence being bought in Govt?
Patients should influence not the healthy & wealthy
Good motto for many of us
‘The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening’ (Rosa Luxembourg). Good motto for sociology.
July 26, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Good motto for many of us