Rev Graham Sawyer from Briercliffe near Burnley was named a recipient of the accolade by the National Secular Society (NSS) after years spent trying to expose abuse within the Church.
He won the prize along with a survivor of clergy abuse, Phil Johnson, who founded the Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors group.
Rev Sawyer, who leads St James Church in Briercliffe, was quoted by the Independent as saying: “When religious leaders are given secular power or one particular religion, let alone one group in one religion, is given a position of privilege by the state, we all too often see an abuse of power.
“Perhaps an example of this is the way that the established Church of England has treated victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by its leaders over so many years.”
According to the NSS, the pair was nominated for the award “for their courageous campaigning work over many years to expose the institutional abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the Church of England in the face of institutional hostility”.
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans was quoted by the Independent as saying: “We hope their work will cause those in positions of power to reflect on the damage done by excessive deference to religious authority.
“The Church of England must be held to account for its cover-up of abuse, including through independent oversight of its safeguarding policies.”
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