‘Vicar of Baghdad’ in new initiative after Charity Commission probe

Canon Andrew White, the charismatic so-called Vicar of Baghdad, has set up a new foundation days after resigning from the charity he founded, citing ill health. The Anglican cleric (pictured), who set up the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME) in 2010 and led a church in Baghdad until 2014, has been battling multiple sclerosis for almost 20 years.

In a statement last week the charity’s trustees said that FRRME and its American branch had accepted his resignation “with reluctance” and were “committed to carrying out the humanitarian assistance and reconciliation efforts” it funds.

The charity suspended Canon White, the charity’s president, on full pay after the Charity Commission announced in June it was investigating whether payments to terrorists were involved in the charity’s support for girls freed from Islamic State sex slavery in Iraq. Canon White says he did not pay ransoms but focussed on helping the women after they were released.

On 4 November, Canon White posted a video of himself on Facebook announcing the launch of a new organisation working with a charity led by US tele­vangelist Pat Robertson.

He said the new foundation would not be a registered charity since this would involve “too many restrictions” but that it would fund projects he had previously led with FRRME. In another post the following day, Canon White cited recent tests that showed his medical condition had deteriorated.