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.”

A Church…

Worshippers who had planned to attend services at St Mary’s Cathedral in the city of Marawi are being directed to smaller churches in the region.

The Bishop of Marawi Edwin dela Peña was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying: “For the first time in many years, we will not hold any service in the cathedral itself.

“But in other parishes in the prelature, we will have our Holy Week services.”

Extremists stormed St Mary’s during the early stages of five-month bloody conflict in Marawi between groups affiliated with IS and the Philippine government.

The militants were eventually defeated but not before the cathedral was riddled with bullets by militants who also filmed themselves smashing statues inside the place of worship.

Bishop Edwin was speaking at the launch on Friday of a new church-led campaign to help rebuild Marawi, five months after the conclusion of the conflict which left 500,000 people displaced.

Aid to the Church in Need Philippines and Duyog Marawi are working together on the initiative, which is urging people to pray for the Muslim-majority region, and donate funds towards rebuilding work – including a restoration of St Mary’s Cathedral.

Jonathan Luciano, national director of ACN Philippines, said the program would also focus on healing,…