Bishops and senior clergy at the Church of Wales have chosen to turn down their annual 1.6% pay rise next year as a gesture of support for those facing financial uncertainty in parishes across Wales.
About 35 people will forego or give away the pay rise. They include all the bishops, deans and archdeacons, as well as most of the senior staff of the representative body of the Church in Wales and some diocesan secretaries.
Speaking at the governing body meeting of the Church of Wales on 21 September, the archbishop Dr Barry Morgan, said: “We recognise that this is a difficult time for many of our parishioners as the recession bites and many are losing their jobs or having their salaries frozen or even reduced.
“Turning down our pay rises will save the Church some money and will, I hope, be a symbolic gesture to show we understand what the communities we serve are going through at the moment and we want to support them.”
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