Ian Gomersall A Retired Rector’s Reflections A curious event at an ordination
Nick Spencer, George Lapshynov and Hannah Rich Theos Should Chris Coghlan be denied the Eucharist?
In this week’s issue of The Critical Friend Tim Wyatt writes about the resignation/retirement of the Archbishop of Wales in The rot goes deep, and about The Leicester Stalker. For those who have not been following the Leicester case, the BBC investigation is here, and subsequent statements from the Diocese of Leicester are here. House of Survivors have also issued a statement.
Alexandra Zhirnova reads the Nicene Creed in Old English; the Church of England has a press release.
Manchester Diocese ordination. Is this the Church of Christ, or is it more in the tradition of the purity cults of Jesus’ day, with their dread of touching dead bodies and hangups around menstruating women? Will the Bishop of Manchester be censured?
It’s always been a mystery to me as when bishops throw their weight around and when they cave in. Why didn’t Bishop Walker invite the candidate to go away and pray about it and possibly come back in 2026?
From the reporting of the sad case of the harassment of an ordinand by a licensed minister by the bishop, does it not bring into question the standard and extent of the due diligence exercised before such a license is awarded. Unless I mistake the BBC’s coverage, it would seem Ms Pinto had not been long in attendance at the cathedral thus said license was perhaps been issued without due care
As a former union rep much of my case load was with clergy who had fallen foul with social media in one way or another. What I can’t understand is why Bishop Snow did not look at Mr Hulme’s phone with all of Ms Pinto’s vituperative postings on it? It struck me that much archidiaconal time was spent scrolling through the clergy’s prodigious online activity, what was the reticence here? Mr Hulme’s card will already have been marked for embarrassing the Ordinary and he would be well advised to consider whether ordination is the right patch for him now.
Manchester ordination. If this was thought a good thing to do why did Bishop Walker not explain, and why was it not mentioned on the day? Bishop Walker’s covert actions set a new precedent for the Church of England. Those who oppose women as priests can have their own synodically agreed bishops. But now it seems Walker is going further in allowing ordinands opposed to same gender blessings to nominate their own bishop to ordain them even when others in the service are being ordained by the diocesan. Presumably then he must allow ordinands with a more generous outlook to… Read more »
I don’t know if it’s usual for one bishop to ordain while another presided over the eucharist, but it seems very sensible to me, for all sorts of reasons.
Not this year. I gather all the deacons who are not serving in churches under alternative episcopal oversight were made by the Bishop of Bolton, and no choice was offered.
On the OE Nicene Creed, some years ago we had a service here for the return of the remains of about 3,000 former parishioners who had been exhumed as part of an archæological investigation. Since the remains spanned the period from Cnut to Victoria, the liturgy included the Lord’s Prayer in OE, Latin and Cranmerian.
News of it reached the Today programme, and as part of the broadcast, it was requested that the OE text be recited. Cue for ‘Fæþer ure,þu þe eart on heafonum….’
‘Thank you,’ responded the interviewer, brightly. ‘And what does that mean?’
Sigh…..
(Necessary light relief at a bewildering and troubling development.) Is deacon Alexi serving his/her title in Sale? It would be so entertaining if that were the case….
Apologies.
D
A troubling development? I thought you were referring to this report from Bangor Cathedral and how its bishop is doing:
Bangor Cathedral had ‘binge drinking culture’ at diocese – BBC News
Reading about candidates for ordination choosing their Bishop, the words of Yeats sprang to mind (as they do rather frequently these days, must be my age)
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.