“You don’t go into it for the money do you?” People feel they can be personal (read, rude) with clergy, and say this sort of thing all the time. So the news this week that Church of England vicars represented by the union Unite have demanded a 9.5 per cent increase in their pay will have raised some eyebrows.
While it is true that being a vicar is not a way to get on the rich list – we’re a long way from the days of Bishop William Van Mildert of Durham, one of the richest men in England in the early 19th century – clergy don’t have such a bad lot, especially compared to many people in the communities they work with. A stable income (normally between about £25,000 and £29,000 a year) and a roof over your head is a luxury for some people to whom a parish priest ministers. It is not only very difficult for a vicar to look someone in a food-bank queue in the eye and moan about their pay, it’s morally wrong.
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