Peter Mullen
Encyclopedia
The Rev'd Peter Mullen is the current Rector of St Michael, Cornhill
and St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
in the City of London
. Dr Mullen is also Chaplain to the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
, one of the Livery Companies
of the City of London
and the Anglican Chaplain
to the London Stock Exchange
, a largely honorific and historical post.
with the degree of BA
, before obtaining a PhD
from Middlesex University
.
He was ordained into the Church of England
in 1970. He became Chaplain and Head of Religious Education
(RE) at Whitecroft School, Bolton
in 1974. In 1977 he was appointed Vicar
of Tockwith
and Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton
, Diocese of York
, where he remained until 1989.
Mullen was censure
d in 1989 by the Church for committing adultery
with a parish
ioner, and as a consequence had to resign from this incumbency in Yorkshire
. He returned to the ministry as a priest in 1997. Mullen was granted Permission to Officiate, York 1989-98. He became Priest-in-Charge
of St Michael's Cornhill & St Sepulchre-without-Newgate and Chaplain to the Stock Exchange in 1998. He later was confirmed as Rector
of St Michael, Cornhill
. He is due to retire on his seventieth birthday in January 2012.
Mullen has been criticised by some for his remarks on homosexuality
. Writing on his online blog
, he stated that gay men should carry "health warnings", for instance, "Sodomy
may seriously damage your health". He later explained that his comments were 'satirical', and went further by saying that he has gay friends. Nonetheless, a spokesman for the Diocese of London
made an announcement distancing the Bishop and fellow clergy from Mullen's statements, following which these comments were removed from his blog. He later apologized. Mullen has also called for Gay pride
parades to be banned, describing them as "obscene".
A few members of his congregation left his parish in protest to worship elsewhere, among them Douglas Murray
, the Old Etonian Neoconservative who had previously been a regular in the church choir.
Mullen is Eurosceptic
and does not hide his views; for instance, in March 2010, he spoke at a United Kingdom Independence Party
event in Chichester
, where he denounced the European Union
and Islam
. He has mocked Muslim
s, saying there could be an "agreeable carnage" at the start of the annual Hajj
in Mecca
: "They usually manage to stampede and slaughter quite a few hundred of their co-religionists. Just imagine for a moment what a field day the BBC and the left-wing press in England would have if anything even remotely as bad as that happened in Vatican Square at Christmas or Easter". He added that Muslims "lend themselves to ridicule: sticking their arses in the air five times a day. How about a few little choruses, 'Randy Muslims when they die/Find 70 virgins in the sky'?"
Mullen is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal He has also written, in typically forthright fashion, for the Daily Telegraph in support of preserving traditional forms of Anglican worship
.
Dr Mullen's sermons can be seen at the St Michael's Cornhill website.
St Michael, Cornhill
St Michael, Cornhill is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London and the current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren between 1670-1677....
and St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey...
in the City of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Dr Mullen is also Chaplain to the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild was established in 1929 and was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1956...
, one of the Livery Companies
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and the Anglican Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, a largely honorific and historical post.
Life and career
Mullen graduated from the University of LiverpoolUniversity of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
with the degree of BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, before obtaining a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
.
He was ordained into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in 1970. He became Chaplain and Head of Religious Education
Religious Education
Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
(RE) at Whitecroft School, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
in 1974. In 1977 he was appointed Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Tockwith
Tockwith
Tockwith is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England, near the town of Wetherby and the city of York. There has been a village on the site since at least 1086 when Tocvi was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tockwith's greatest claim to fame is being used as a...
and Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton
Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton
Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton is a civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 512....
, Diocese of York
Diocese of York
The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire....
, where he remained until 1989.
Mullen was censure
Censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
d in 1989 by the Church for committing adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
ioner, and as a consequence had to resign from this incumbency in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He returned to the ministry as a priest in 1997. Mullen was granted Permission to Officiate, York 1989-98. He became Priest-in-Charge
Priest in charge
A priest in charge or priest-in-charge is a priest in charge of a parish who does not receive the temporalities of the parish. He or she is not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, simply holds a licence rather than freehold and is not appointed by advowson.The appointment of priests in...
of St Michael's Cornhill & St Sepulchre-without-Newgate and Chaplain to the Stock Exchange in 1998. He later was confirmed as Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St Michael, Cornhill
St Michael, Cornhill
St Michael, Cornhill is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London and the current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren between 1670-1677....
. He is due to retire on his seventieth birthday in January 2012.
Mullen has been criticised by some for his remarks on homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Writing on his online blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, he stated that gay men should carry "health warnings", for instance, "Sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
may seriously damage your health". He later explained that his comments were 'satirical', and went further by saying that he has gay friends. Nonetheless, a spokesman for the Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
made an announcement distancing the Bishop and fellow clergy from Mullen's statements, following which these comments were removed from his blog. He later apologized. Mullen has also called for Gay pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
parades to be banned, describing them as "obscene".
A few members of his congregation left his parish in protest to worship elsewhere, among them Douglas Murray
Douglas Murray
Douglas Murray may refer to:* Douglas Murray , British political journalist, author and commentator* Douglas Murray , Swedish ice hockey player* Doug Murray , American comic book writer...
, the Old Etonian Neoconservative who had previously been a regular in the church choir.
Mullen is Eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
and does not hide his views; for instance, in March 2010, he spoke at a United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
event in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, where he denounced the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He has mocked Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, saying there could be an "agreeable carnage" at the start of the annual Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
: "They usually manage to stampede and slaughter quite a few hundred of their co-religionists. Just imagine for a moment what a field day the BBC and the left-wing press in England would have if anything even remotely as bad as that happened in Vatican Square at Christmas or Easter". He added that Muslims "lend themselves to ridicule: sticking their arses in the air five times a day. How about a few little choruses, 'Randy Muslims when they die/Find 70 virgins in the sky'?"
Mullen is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal He has also written, in typically forthright fashion, for the Daily Telegraph in support of preserving traditional forms of Anglican worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
.
Dr Mullen's sermons can be seen at the St Michael's Cornhill website.
External links
- http://www.waterconservators.orgWorshipful Company of Water ConservatorsWorshipful Company of Water ConservatorsThe Worshipful Company of Water Conservators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. In 1988, some members of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers , who were also members of the Institution of Water and Environmental Management decided to found the Guild of Water...
] - St Michael's Cornhill website