Church of England should rethink automatic secrecy of misconduct hearings, say MPs

The proposed measures raised significant objections from the public, said members of the ecclesiastical committee in parliament. Photograph: Angelo Hornak/Corbis/Getty Images

Church of England proposals for church courts to automatically be held in secret should be reconsidered, a parliamentary committee has said.

The clergy conduct measure is intended to replace the existing clergy disciplinary measure, which has been extensively criticised for failing to tackle allegations of serious or sexual misconduct against clergy.