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| Jonathan Aitken warns of 'high voltage egos' in first sermon as deacon | Jonathan Aitken warns of 'high voltage egos' in first sermon as deacon |
| (3 days later) | |
| Jonathan Aitken, the former cabinet minister, has warned against “high voltage egos” and “grandstanding” in his first sermon as an ordained deacon. | Jonathan Aitken, the former cabinet minister, has warned against “high voltage egos” and “grandstanding” in his first sermon as an ordained deacon. |
| Aitken delivered the homily the day after he hosted a party for 220 people at the Grand Hall of the Old Bailey where, in 1999, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail for perjury and perverting the course of justice. | Aitken delivered the homily the day after he hosted a party for 220 people at the Grand Hall of the Old Bailey where, in 1999, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail for perjury and perverting the course of justice. |
| Among the invited guests were Jeffrey Archer, the former MP and deputy chair of the Conservative party who was also jailed for perjury in 2001; Norman Lamont, the former chancellor; the Brexit secretary, David Davis; the Commons Speaker, John Bercow; the Tory MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Bernard Jenkin; Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary; the authors Antonia Fraser and Robert Lacey; Jared Harris, the actor; and six former Belmarsh prisoners. | Among the invited guests were Jeffrey Archer, the former MP and deputy chair of the Conservative party who was also jailed for perjury in 2001; Norman Lamont, the former chancellor; the Brexit secretary, David Davis; the Commons Speaker, John Bercow; the Tory MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Bernard Jenkin; Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary; the authors Antonia Fraser and Robert Lacey; Jared Harris, the actor; and six former Belmarsh prisoners. |
| Aitken was ordained as a deacon at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday. Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London, took him and more than 30 other ordinands through their vows before a congregation of about 3,000. | Aitken was ordained as a deacon at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday. Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London, took him and more than 30 other ordinands through their vows before a congregation of about 3,000. |
| In his sermon, delivered on Sunday morning at St Matthew’s, Westminster, Aitken said he was trying to temper “joyful enthusiasm” about his ordination with “a proper sense of Christian humility”. | In his sermon, delivered on Sunday morning at St Matthew’s, Westminster, Aitken said he was trying to temper “joyful enthusiasm” about his ordination with “a proper sense of Christian humility”. |
| He said: “Unlike my previous profession of politics there is, or should be, no room at the inn of the ordained ministry for tall poppies, high voltage egos, and grandstanding over pointless debates and disputes.” | He said: “Unlike my previous profession of politics there is, or should be, no room at the inn of the ordained ministry for tall poppies, high voltage egos, and grandstanding over pointless debates and disputes.” |
| When he had first joined the congregation of St Matthew’s in 1997, he said, his “life was far from joyful”. | When he had first joined the congregation of St Matthew’s in 1997, he said, his “life was far from joyful”. |
| “I was trapped in a self-inflicted downward spiral of disasters which I have described as disgrace, defeat, divorce, bankruptcy and jail. I was clinging by my fingertips to faith and occasionally to life itself. But the love and shared faith I found here helped me to steer through the encircling gloom.” | “I was trapped in a self-inflicted downward spiral of disasters which I have described as disgrace, defeat, divorce, bankruptcy and jail. I was clinging by my fingertips to faith and occasionally to life itself. But the love and shared faith I found here helped me to steer through the encircling gloom.” |
| Aitken, who plans to become a prison chaplain, told the congregation: “Our prisons are full of the spiritually dead. | Aitken, who plans to become a prison chaplain, told the congregation: “Our prisons are full of the spiritually dead. |
| “They are also full of people who are bleeding. Sometimes literally and visibly bleeding. There were over 30,000 serious assaults in our jails last year, 44,000 self-harming incidents, and 201 suicides – all record figures. | “They are also full of people who are bleeding. Sometimes literally and visibly bleeding. There were over 30,000 serious assaults in our jails last year, 44,000 self-harming incidents, and 201 suicides – all record figures. |
| “A far greater number are emotionally bleeding – sometimes because they are in denial about what they’ve done to their victims, sometimes because of their remorse, or for other reasons, such as family breakdowns or mental illness problems.” | “A far greater number are emotionally bleeding – sometimes because they are in denial about what they’ve done to their victims, sometimes because of their remorse, or for other reasons, such as family breakdowns or mental illness problems.” |
| He added: “Sadly, there is far too little spiritual balm offered in our prisons … In our jails, hard-pressed chaplains are too often overloaded, marginalised and demoralised.” | He added: “Sadly, there is far too little spiritual balm offered in our prisons … In our jails, hard-pressed chaplains are too often overloaded, marginalised and demoralised.” |
| Aitken was jailed following the collapse of a high profile libel case brought against the Guardian over its report that a £1,000 hotel bill was paid by aides of the Saudi royal family while he was minister for defence procurement. He plans to be ordained as a priest in a year. | Aitken was jailed following the collapse of a high profile libel case brought against the Guardian over its report that a £1,000 hotel bill was paid by aides of the Saudi royal family while he was minister for defence procurement. He plans to be ordained as a priest in a year. |
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