DRUNK VICAR CRASHES BISHOP'S £50,000 CAR INTO ARCHERS ACTRESS'S PARTNER'S VEHICLE
A vicar in Lincoln has been banned from driving for two years after crashing the Bishop of Lincoln's car while drunk, causing embarrassment to the Church of England and raising questions about clergy conduct.
Father Sion Hughes Carew, 40, was arrested at the scene near Lincoln Cathedral after the vehicle crashed into a parked car and ended up on a pavement. The priest in charge at All Saints and St Mary le Wigford had reportedly been socializing at the Bishops' Palace before the crash on a Friday evening last month at around 11pm.
He pleaded guilty to drink driving while almost three times the legal limit, and was fined £873 and ordered to pay £434 in court fees.
The parked car, which was written off, belonged to Brian Meagher, 78, the partner of actress Heather Bell, 81, who plays Clarrie Grundy in Radio 4's The Archers since 1979.
The evening began with Father Hughes Carew and Bishop Stephen Conway drinking together at the bishop's palace. The pair had become friends after Bishop Conway gave Father Hughes Carew his first church in February. The social gathering coincided with a special peal of bells being rung at a nearby church in honor of the vicar's birthday.
Later that evening, an intoxicated Father Hughes Carew allegedly drove off from the palace, apparently barefoot, in the bishop's year old Kia Sportage worth £50,000. He crashed into Brian Meagher's £2,000 Skoda Octavia not once but twice, then drove up a steep hill, stalled, and reversed or rolled back into a garden wall and railings.
The collision was so loud that half the street emerged from their homes to find the bishop's car wedged into the remains of the wall.
Bell told the Daily Mail, "It's the story of the actress and the bishop. Brian was very upset because he hadn't had the car long. It was a hell of an accident, but the driver seemed so calm as he walked up and down on his phone the whole time, though he must have been terrified of the consequences."
Meagher added, "I would say it's no way for a vicar to behave, but it's no way for anyone to behave."
Parishioners at Father Hughes Carew's churches had been told he was ill following the crash, but he actually faces disciplinary action under the Clergy Discipline Measure process and could be stripped of holy orders.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Lincoln stated, "We can confirm that the Revd Sion Hughes Carew has been convicted of a drink driving offence. This behavior falls short of the highest standards of personal and professional conduct expected of our clergy."
The spokesman added, "The Bishop of Lincoln had no knowledge of the car being taken and did not give permission."
Bishop Conway, who was criticized in the Makin Review last November for previous failings, has refused to discuss how the convivial evening descended into such chaos.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
A vicar gets drunk with his bishop.
Steals the bishop's £50,000 car.
Drives barefoot.
Crashes into a parked car twice.
Reverses into a garden wall.
Gets arrested in front of his own parishioners.
Nearly three times the legal limit.
And the diocese tells parishioners he is "ill."
This is not illness.
This is moral failure compounded by institutional dishonesty, can we at LEAST be honest there?
The Church of England has spent years lecturing the nation about social justice, climate change, gender ideology, and systemic racism.
Meanwhile their clergy get drunk and steal their bishop's car.
Father Hughes Carew faces defrocking.
He should.
Not because he crashed a car.
Because he violated the most basic expectation of Christian leadership.
Self control.
"Be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
A priest who cannot control his drinking cannot shepherd souls.
Bishop Conway also deserves scrutiny.
How does an evening with your vicar end with him stealing your car and crashing it while barefoot and drunk?
What kind of accountability exists in a diocese where this can happen?
The Church of England is dying because it has lost moral authority.
Stories like this are why.
When clergy live with less self discipline than the average unbeliever, why would anyone take Christianity seriously?
The world is watching.
And laughing.
TAKE ACTION
- Contact the Diocese of Lincoln demanding full transparency about the evening's events and Bishop Conway's role in allowing a drunk vicar access to his vehicle. Email via lincolndiocese.com or call +44 (0)1522 504050 to express concern over clergy conduct.
- Support accountability in Church of England by contacting the Archbishops' Council demanding stricter standards for clergy behavior and consequences for moral failures. Write to Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ.
- Pray for genuine revival in the Church of England where clergy prioritize holiness over conviviality and biblical standards over institutional reputation. Contact Reform, a network for orthodox Anglicans, at reform.org.uk for prayer resources.
- Demand Bishop Conway's resignation if investigations reveal negligence or complicity in the incident. Contact the Archbishop of Canterbury's office at lambethpalace.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7898 1200 to call for leadership accountability.
- Support GAFCON and orthodox Anglican movements holding Church of England accountable to biblical standards of conduct. Donate at gafcon.org or contact uk@gafcon.org to strengthen faithful Anglican witness amid institutional moral decay.
- Encourage your Anglican church to adopt clear policies on clergy conduct, alcohol consumption, and disciplinary measures for moral failures. Share this story as a cautionary tale of what happens when standards erode and institutional cover ups replace honesty.
