Thinking Anglicans

civil partnerships: Telegraph

An article All-embracing partnership Act by Joshua Rozenberg in yesterday’s Telegraph discusses the Civil Partnership Act and previews a lecture to be given later this month on the subject. The article points out that:

As the distinguished family lawyer Stephen Cretney explains in his Clarendon Lectures, to be delivered in Oxford later this month and published by Oxford University Press, the new legislation does not require civil partners to be homosexual or indeed to have a sexual relationship of any kind. They do not even need to live together.

The benefits on offer under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 are available to pretty well any unrelated couple of the same sex aged 16 or over, provided neither of them is already married.

And it goes on to say:

Dr Cretney recognises that friends who simply share common interests may be deterred from registering as partners by the fear that their friends would wrongly assume that they were homosexual. But he points out that no less a body than the Bishops of the Church of England has explained that civil partnership is “not predicated on the intention to engage in a sexual relationship”.

On the difference between this and marriage, it notes that:

…there are significant differences between the two relationships, despite attempts by ministers to suggest otherwise. Unlike marriage, civil partnership law has no problem with promiscuity: although adultery coupled with intolerability opens the door to divorce, sexual infidelity does not provide a basis for dissolving a civil partnership. Similarly, although a marriage is voidable on the ground that either party is incapable of consummating it, there is nothing comparable in the Civil Partnership Act.

Another difference was designed to appease those who believe that “gay marriage” is against God’s law. Although two people of the opposite sex may choose to marry in a place of worship, civil partners have no such choice: the law says that “no religious service is to be used while the civil partnership registrar is officiating at the signing of a civil partnership document”.

The whole article is an excellent summary of the position.

Update
An earlier Guardian article mentioned that the Association of Registration and Celebratory Services in conjunction with the Society of Registration Officers has drafted A CEREMONY FOR CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS for optional use within those local authorities that choose to do so. It’s important to realise that individual local authorities have very considerable discretion in such matters, and also that wholly civil ceremonies not only for births, marriages, and deaths, but also for wedding anniversaries, adoptions, etc. is a fast-growing activity in the UK. This is the context in which this particular draft needs to be seen.

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Sentamu election confirmed

Update
Parts of the Guardian interview have also been published in Uganda, see New Vision under the headline Dr. Sentamu prepared to ordain women bishops.

The routine formal Church of England confirmation ceremony for its diocesan bishops got more attention than usual yesterday when the new Archbishop of York, John Sentamu underwent the process.

Stephen Bates in the Guardian actually got to talk to him beforehand and has an interview with him in From Uganda with love … Church of England’s new No 2 spells out his creed. Some sample quotes:

Dr Sentamu said: “Some of our disagreements are not Christian really … It seems to suggest that all the great evils of the world are being perpetrated by gay and lesbian people, which I cannot believe to be the case. What is wrong in the world is that people are sinful and alienate themselves from God and you do not have to be gay to do that. To suggest that to be gay equals evil, I find that quite unbelievable.

“Is somebody saying a gay and lesbian can’t live in Christ? What matters in the end to me is to do what my mother said to me as a little child: John, never point a finger at anybody because when you do three other fingers are pointing back at you. All of us are sinners, all of us have baggage. Why should my baggage as a heterosexual be more acceptable than the baggage of a gay person?”

Other newspaper reports:
Telegraph Jonathan Petre Black archbishop vows to speak out
Independent Ian Herbert Refugee who fled Amin is confirmed as archbishop

Other web reports:
Times Online Simon Freeman Church welcomes its first black archbishop
BBC First black Archbishop confirmed

Pictures and an explanation for those not familiar with the process, at ACNS here.

The new archbishop has also been appointed to the Privy Council. Further explanation here.

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Latest on Synod election results

So far I have about 40% of the General Synod election results; you can see them here. If you have any of the missing results please email them to me here.

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Eames at Virginia Seminary

The Anglican Communion: A Growing Reality was the title of a lecture given by Archbishop Robin Eames at Virginia Theological Seminary on 4 October. The full text can be found on ENS here.

A further lecture by him is scheduled for tomorrow. I will add another link here when it is available.

Update
The full text of the second lecture, The Anglican Communion: What Communion? is now available on ENS here. This lecture is essential reading.

Press Reports Update
Reuters has reported on this in Top Anglican cleric warns against gay rights split
The Living Church has Archbishop Eames: More Must Be Done to Heal Breach in Communion
The Church Times today (went to press Wednesday evening) also carries a very brief report, under the heading Anglican pain and referring mainly to the section on reconciliation. It starts this way:

The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames, spoke this week about the “hurt and dismay” caused by the present dispute about sexuality and authority in the Anglican Communion. In a pair of lectures at the Virginia Theological Seminary, where he received an honorary doctorate, Dr Eames said: “The impressions of the Anglican Communion I gained in the preparation of the Windsor report are dominated by one word: pain.”

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update on women bishops

We haven’t reported on this topic since July.

Jonathan Petre in the Telegraph had a story today about one possible compromise, Williams may give up consecration role over women.

This suggests that traditionalists might accept something less than a “third province solution” if the archbishop did not himself consecrate women bishops (something like the custom in London whereby the diocesan bishop hasn’t for some years now ordained any women (or men) priests personally).

The story doesn’t explain how this would work in the Northern Province: presumably the Archbishop of York would have to take some similar action there. And it would seem unlikely that this solution would work if either archbishop was herself female.

The September issue of New Directions had an article by the Bishop of Guildford, who is chairing the working group producing specific recommendations for the synod to consider: Going forward:

What provision should be made for those who cannot recognize women bishops? The Rt Rev. Christopher Hill, the Bishop of Guildford, bears the responsibility for discerning the possible answer, and here gives a personal view of the issues involved.

The reactions of the flying bishops to the synod vote in July can be found on the Forward in Faith website: Beverley, Ebbsfleet, Richborough, and also Fulham.

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plans for the Egypt meeting

Here is a press release from the host diocese:

30 September 2005
The Episcopal Diocese of Egypt welcomes the Third Anglican Global South to South Encounter

From 25th – 30th October 2005, about 120 delegates, representing 20 provinces within the Anglican Communion, from Africa, Asia and Latin America, will be meeting in Egypt for their third Global South Encounter. The Conference will take place at the Red Sea.

We, here in Egypt, are honored and privileged to be hosting this historic gathering of Anglican Archbishops, bishops, priests and laypersons from throughout the Global South. We also believe it will be a special time of encouraging one another, learning from each other, and most importantly, praying together. Our focus will be on “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”. This Conference is important as it is being held at a critical time in the life of the Anglican Communion.

I warmly welcome the news that Archbishop Rowan Williams has accepted the invitation of the Global South Working Committee and will join us for part of the Conference. This will be his second visit to Egypt and we are most grateful to him for taking the time out of his busy schedule for this occasion.

Throughout the Biblical story, from Abraham to Jesus, Egypt symbolized a divine place of refuge and sanctuary. From the patriarch Abraham going to Egypt during a time of famine, to the tribe of Israel moving to Egypt when there was famine in their land, to the Holy Family escaping Herod to Egypt to protect the Christ child. Egypt symbolized God meeting His people in their time of need. So Egypt in the Scriptures reminds us of God’s faithfulness. Our prayer is that during this Encounter, God will provide spiritual refreshment and new ministry vision to all who attend. As we gather by the Red Sea, may we be reminded of the presence of God among us and His unfailing promises.

It is worth mentioning that the first South to South Encounter was held in Limuru, Kenya, 1994 and the second was held in Kuala Lampur in 1997. Today we are excited to welcome all attendees and we encourage them to come to Egypt with a sense of expectation for the presence of God. It is a real honor for us to have this gathering in our land.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa
Cairo, Egypt

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General Synod election results

The counts of the elections to General Synod will be taking place over the next few days and I shall be listing the names of successful candidates here.

If anyone can help me by supplying these names for the laity or clergy of any diocese or for any of the special constituencies please let me know by emailing me here.

I’ll post updates as the results come in.

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Recife: a clarification

A document has been issued by the Recife Diocesan Standing Committee. This is reproduced in full below the fold. It can also be found linked from the official diocesan site.

An alternative view is presented in a document which can be found on the American Anglican council blogsite, here.

In case you are wondering which body is the real Anglican Diocese of Recife, you can check here.

Update
The Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, Gregory Venables has intervened in Brazil, see
SOUTHERN CONE PRIMATE ACCEPTS REJECTED BISHOP AND CLERGY
Text of Abp Venables’ letter

These events are also reported by TLC in Southern Cone Primate Annexes Brazilian Diocese

(more…)

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CEN report on Windsor book

The Church of England Newspaper reported the publication of the new book on the Windsor Report under the headline Anglican liberals attack Windsor report.

Andrew Linzey has commented on a significant inaccuracy in this report in a letter to the CEN editor. The text appears here below the fold.

(more…)

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from the weekend papers

In The Times Alan Webster writes about Coram and Barnardo’s in A vision that inspires hard work and high ideals for the next generation.

Christopher Howse in the Telegraph writes about the Spiritual side of Trafalgar. Over at the Tablet, he reviews the latest book on Opus Dei by John Allen, Out of the shadows.

The Guardian godslot is written by Alex Wright:

We need a more nuanced debate about religion, and must stop seeing it in terms of being either a fantasy or a destructive force…

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about the Silly season of political conference and Synod.

Church Times readers of this week’s Press column may find the full version of the article in the New Yorker (which is quoted by Andrew Brown) here at INTELLIGENT DESIGN by Paul Rudnick.

Returning to the Tablet Robert Mickens reports on the meeting between the Pope and Hans Kung in New-found harmony?

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