Paula Vennells - why doesn't the church ask her to stand down

[Flyhigher]

Her actions led to suicides and a mass prosecutions and wrongful imprisonments.

Why doesn't the church ask her to stand down ?

History could probably give you a fair idea

Church asking people to stand down?

Now let me think about that...........

I agree.

Stand down from what, OP? She left her parish and her role on the investment board, what else is there to resign from?

Perhaps they already have.

But in the Church of England it's extremely difficult to make someone stand down. It rather relies on them having the integrity to resign.

If she had that kind of integrity I don't think any of this would have happened.

She already has.

Why doesn't the church ask her to stand down ?

Because they are just as morally bankrupt as she is.

No matter what has happened. It’s time to leave this woman alone in the press.
Its too much pressure
She hasn’t been convicted of anything or arrested.
She may well be presumed guilty by all of us.
But give this a break.
And I know people have died, lives really ruined, compensation never properly recovered or received.
I worry there will be more deaths, at this rate.
She was not the only person in charge, the television company chose to portray her as the sole person in charge, I believe..

She gave up active ministry in 2021

Organised religion is as corrupt as she is.

We’re going to miss a lot of what went wrong in the Post Office scandal if we just blame it all on Paula Vennels.

She did! Who knows if she jumped or was pushed. This looks like a fallacy based thread to bash church.

Which to be fair deserves it. How anyone can defend the church is quite beyond me.

I read that she was made to step down by her boss, the Bishop of St Albans, two or three years ago. Apparently the Bishop of St Albans father was a sub post master

I'd be happy to leave her alone but let's not forget she pocketed £4.3 million in pay and bonuses plus a £700k leaving bonus. Some of that money was bonuses based on profits based on the money the PO stole from sub postmasters.

The first reports of issues with Horizon were given to Venells when she took the job. She presided over the worst period of theft of over £25k from our PO. She was on charge when my husband was ficed to pay it back under threat of prosecution. She knew there were problems and left the job clutching her wallet closely to her chest a matter of months before the most damning report that she had read and knew was coming. If she feels any guilt she could start by returning the £700k. Then all the bonuses, then the pension. Her yearly pension payout for overseeing suicides, prison sentences, including that of a pregnant woman, is more than the payout 90% of victims has recieved. Every year, every year she will get paid for her calumny.

Whilst I agree that targeting one person and laying blame solely at her door is wrong she could make reparations, she could start with honesty, admitting she got so caught up in maintaining the PO reputation she lost sight of right and wrong. Carry it through by returning money to be distributed amongst the victims she, personally, oversaw utter torment for.

if you take the big bucks expect the buck to stop with you.

The below dates from 2021
Former Post Office chief executive Rev Paula Vennells, who is an associate minister in the Diocese of St Albans, has announced that she is stepping back from her regular church duties and has quit as a non-executive director of high street chains Morrisons and Dunelm in the wake of the subpostmaster miscarriage of justice scandal.
Rev Paula Vennells has informed the Bishop of St Albans that she is stepping back from her regular parochial duties.
The Bishop of St Albans said: “As the son of a former sub-postmaster I express my distress at the miscarriage of justice that so many sub-postmasters have suffered. They and their families are in my thoughts and prayers. I am glad that these and earlier appeals have overturned convictions that have been found to be unjust. I am aware that there are still legal processes and inquiries to take place during which it is right that Ms Vennells stands back from public ministry.”

She was ceo.
She was the person in charge.
If she didn't have authority to intervene then nobody did.

Well said. I hope you and your husband are ok.

Sorry you and your dh went through this.

Personally I'd like to see criminal prosecutions after all the real thieves were the post office bosses.

It would be good to base that opinion on facts rather than the fantasy of this specific case.

Thank you @Tontostitis
I agree with you. There are lots of people to be held accountable for the Post Office scandal but Paula Vennells was CEO, received an overly large salary, significant bonuses and a CBE. Plus she was able to use her role in the Post Office as a stepping stone to other jobs.
She seems like a posh princess. Privately educated, walked into posh jobs and appears to believe that she is beyond reproach. She has expressed sorrow for the sub post master's distress but has not taken any responsibility for her role in this mess.

I'm not quite sure if you are defending the church or not?
If your comment is aimed at me there is a huge amount of evidence of decades of child and adults being raped by clergy and it being deliberately covered up by the church. So someone linked to the church treating sub postmasters appallingly and not being kicked out quickly isn't all that surprisingly.

• No matter what has happened. It’s time to leave this woman alone in the press. Its too much pressure*

Bollocks to that. What about the pressure on the postmasters.

She wouldn't know the meaning of it!!

I agree. She wasn't the only one who ruined people's lives.

Precisely where did the money go? The money that was wrongfully taken from the sub postmasters accounts? Literally, where is that money? Every penny needs returning, plus compensation. Vennels was not doubt paid a very large salary to be ceo, the buck stops with her. She has an opportunity to apologise, return money and and attempt to make amends but I don't even think she's said sorry! The whole thing is disgusting and those in charge need rinsing of their fat paychecks!