Priest who became “Just Stop Oil” and is accused of vandalising the Magna Carta is banned from preaching

An Anglican priest accused of attacking the Magna Carta with chisels during a “Just Stop Oil” stunt has been banned from preaching by the Church of England.

The application by the Reverend Sue Parfitt, formerly of St Mary's Cotham in Bristol, to renew her permission to officiate in church (PTO) was rejected by her diocese earlier this week.

The 82-year-old is awaiting trial alongside 85-year-old biology teacher Judith Bruce for allegedly damaging a 13th-century royal charter at the British Library in central London on May 10.

The Diocese of Bristol has confirmed that Rev Parfitt is not allowed to preach, perform baptisms or preside over communion while she faces criminal damage charges, The Telegraph reports.

The retired vicar, who was one of the first women to be ordained by the Church of England when female priests were introduced in 1994, had asked for a new licence to serve as an active priest as she has not held one since December 2022.

Rev. Parfitt and Judith Bruce appeared to be using a hammer and chisel to strike the glass case that protects the historic document in the library's Treasury Gallery

Rev. Parfitt claimed the Anglican Church was trying to “silence climate protests” after Bristol Bishop Vivienne Faull rejected her application to lead the service.

“The bishop's action is part of an effort to silence the climate protests and I imagine that she was 'pressured' in some way,” she told the Telegraph.

“This is the Church, which acts like the courts, the judges, the [General] The Medical Council (GMC) and other professional bodies, the press and the Government are all determined not to allow truth to be spoken to power and are being prevented from doing so by the power of the fossil fuel and agribusiness industries.'

In a letter to the bishop, she expressed her anger that there was “complete lack of understanding for the path I have chosen.”

It continues: “My legal proceedings will likely never be concluded, as further criminal actions will always be necessary if we are to overthrow the power of the fossil fuel industry, which puts profit above the well-being of human and non-human life on Earth.”

In addition to the Magna Carta stunt, Rev. Parfitt has been involved in a number of environmental protests, including a blockade by Extinction Rebellion in central London in April 2019 and a roadblock by Insulate Britain on the M25 in October 2021.

She is also part of the Christian Climate Action organisation, which caused an uproar in November 2023 when eco-activists stormed an evening service broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Rev Parfitt and his colleague Judith Bruce, also a pensioner, have pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage in connection with the Magna Carta stunt.

The elderly couple awaiting trial held a sign that read, “The government is breaking the law.”

The elderly couple entered the British Library at around 10:40am and were photographed apparently using a hammer and chisel to strike the protective cover of the Magna Carta in what was described as “reckless vandalism”.

They were then seen holding a sign that read “The government is breaking the law” and apparently gluing themselves to the casing.

The Magna Carta is a highly valued legal document with a history of over 800 years.

It was the first to establish the principle that neither the government nor the monarch is above the law, and this principle remains part of the uncodified British Constitution.

This famous royal charter of rights was approved by King John on June 15, 1215 at Runnymede, near Windsor.