This Morning’s Phillip Schofield made a brutal dig at a Cornish town after it ruled against a woman becoming its next priest, despite once being home to TV sensation Vicar of Dibley.
Fowey in Cornwall was the home of Reverend Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom, starring Dawn French.
Yet the town’s church St Fimbarrus has been barred from being helmed by a woman in Geraldine’s stead as some congregation members said they would quit unless it was run by a man.
This Morning hosts Phillip and Holly Willoughby discussed the news item on Thursday’s instalment of the programme as they were joined by journalists Tom Swarbrick and Anushka Asthana in the studio.
Fowey Parochial Church Council has now agreed a man should run the parish overall, to which Anushka said: “I think we should make them all watch the Vicar of Dibley and then maybe they’ll change their minds.”
An emboldened Phillip then savagely added: “Maybe they should watch the doors of their churches and wonder why so few people are walking through them.”
Sat next to him, Holly questioned: “I just wonder who is overseeing this. The church is a massive system. I don’t understand how that works and how this is being allowed to happen.”
Tom replied: “It sounds a little bit Victorian. It’s all so anachronistic and odd.”
Phillip then continued: “When we read this this morning, I just thought we were much further away from this,” as Holly agreed.
Anushka concluded: “I guess we do still get these issues where theological beliefs rub up against what we think are human rights.
“It’s getting through that. On the sexist point, we thought we were past it.”
Fowey Parochial Church Council said in a statement on the decision: “The Bible is very clear on equality — all are equal. There is, however, debate over the roles women play within the church.
“The church council has agreed a compromise position where we will both welcome women priests to teach the Bible faithfully each Sunday and lead communion, but seek an overall male priest in charge.
“We robustly defend that this position is not sexist, is widely established in the worldwide church, and accommodates all views in the membership of our church without exclusion.”
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.
