Updated Wednesday evening
Two American views:
BabyBlueOnline has reproduced a significant extract from the recent interview in The Times , linked it to remarks made during the Lambeth Conference in 2008, and added further commentary. Read all this at Rowan Williams tells The London Times: “It’s a question about a particular choice of life.”
… in this interview from The Times he articulates that he is not a political activist, he is the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is resisting the politicization of his office on this matter, instead taking the position that it is a matter of theology, not purely a matter of rights. He does not fall for the tactic of aligning women’s ordination with the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals since he states quite clearly, “the question about gay people is not about their dignity or the respect they deserve as gay people, it’s a question about a particular choice of life, a partnership, and what the Church has to say about that.” He does not agree that homosexuality is like another gender or race (as in the case of suffrage and civil rights), but that we all have choices about our behavior and as far as the church is concerned at this point, those choices have consequences in the matters of ordination and marriage…
Walking with Integrity has Integrity Leader Challenges Archbishop: “Enough, Double Talk”
…Maybe the Archbishop doesn’t actually think that gay (and lesbian, bisexual and transgender) people deserve respect, or that God really loves them. Or maybe, against mountains of scientific evidence, he thinks that people choose their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The most common way of making sense of the Archbishop’s argument, at least among the people who pay attention to Integrity, reflects rather badly on him as a moral leader. Perhaps he really has nothing in particular against gay (or lesbian, bisexual or transgender) people, but he simply doesn’t think that their freedom to live in loving, intimate, and committed relationships is as important as keeping the Anglican Communion together. Keeping the party going with its current guest list is the important thing, even if it means that some people need to be blocked by bouncers at the door…
And now more views from Changing Attitude in Gay bishops still don’t exist in the public domain (except in the USA)
33 Comments“Gay bishops are all right by me, says Archbishop” was the front page headline in The Times on Saturday. More accurate but far less enticing might have been the line proposed in a comment on Thinking Anglicans – “Single, celibate, preferably virgin and never-once-promoted-gay-equality bishops are all right by me.”
…If there is no problem with a celibate gay person being a bishop, why are none of the 3 gay Primates in the Anglican Communion able to be open about their sexuality and why are none of the 10 to 13 gay bishops in the Church of England able to be publicly open? Some are married, some or single and celibate, some are not, all are closeted. The recently published survey estimated that 1.5% of the UK are gay or bisexual. Eight percent of Anglican Primates are gay and 10% of Church of England Bishops…
See earlier announcement of the formation of a religious society here.
WATCH Press Statement
The Paradox of the Proposed Missionary Society of St Wilfred and St Hilda
It seems curious if not paradoxical that in proposing to form a Society for those who will not accept women bishops, the bishops concerned should choose St Hilda of Whitby as one of their patron Saints. As Abbess of a double monastery, with men and women “under her direction” (Bede), kings and bishops came to her for guidance and advice. Hilda of all people knew about discipline and loyalty to her church with her acceptance of the decision of the Synod of Whitby to follow the Roman rules and not the Celtic way which she had supported.
The “Society model” (which this proposal seems to embody), was discussed in depth by the Revision Committee when it looked at how best to provide for those who would not accept women as bishops. It was rejected because, ‘Crucially the majority of us came to believe that there was some risk of creating a society that was an even weightier body than a Diocese. This was because some of the representations made to us seemed to envisage that jurisdiction would in some way be conferred on the society itself and through it to its bishops… we therefore voted by 11 votes to 7 that we did not wish the draft Measure to be amended to give effect to a society model.’ (Report of the Revision Committee, page 22 paras 110, 115)
How sad that the example given by St Hilda in her obedience to a decision concerning the ordering of her church is ignored by those using her name, who are themselves unwilling to accept the decision made by the Revision Committee and endorsed by the General Synod.
The Revision Committee report (142 pages, as a .doc file) is available via this page.
23 CommentsUpdated 9 & 10 January 2011: links updated to refer to the new Church of England website.
The Church of England has announced today that the Women in the episcopate draft legislation has now been officially referred to dioceses. Here is the press release.
Women in the episcopate draft legislation referred to dioceses
27 September 2010Dioceses have until Monday, 14 November, 2011, to debate and vote on draft legislation that would allow the consecration of women as bishops, according to documents published this week.
The four documents have been posted to Diocesan Secretaries and circulated to General Synod members, as well as being posted on the Church of England website. They are:
– a background note on the history of the legislative proposals;
– the text of the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and draft Amending Canon No 30;
– an explanatory memorandum relating to the draft Measure and draft Canon; and
– a procedural note together with a copy of the response form which diocesan secretaries need to send the Clerk to the Synod recording the diocesan decision by 5pm on Monday 14 November 2011.
The membership of a group established under the auspices of the House of Bishops to prepare the draft statutory code of practice will be announced shortly.
Article 8 of the Constitution of the General Synod provides that certain kinds of legislation may not receive the final approval of the General Synod unless they have first been approved by the majority of diocesan synods. Legislation to enable women to become bishops falls within the scope of Article 8 and hence this reference of the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and draft Amending Canon No 30 to dioceses.
There are actually five documents, which are linked from this page: Women in the Episcopate: Article 8 Reference, the text of which (with links) is copied below.
6 CommentsArticle 8 of the Constitution of the General Synod provides that certain kinds of legislation may not receive the final approval of the General Synod unless they have first been approved by the majority of diocesan synods . Legislation to enable women to become bishops falls within the scope of Article 8, hence this reference of the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and draft Amending Canon No 30 to dioceses.
Key documents
The Article 8 process is outlined and explained in a note from the Business Committee of the General Synod (GS Misc 964). The Business Committee has also circulated four other documents:
- a background note on the history of the legislative proposals (A8(WE)BACKGROUND);
- the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure
(A8(WE)M);- the draft amending Canon 30 (A8(WE)AC); and
- an explanatory memorandum relating to the draft measure and amending Canon (A8(WE)X).
Updated again Tuesday evening
There have been a number of responses to the interview in The Times reported below.
Church Mouse as previously reported, here.
Changing Attitude TUCKED AWAY BEHIND THE PAY WALL …
and
Yearning for change in the Anglican Communion – discrimination wrong, affirmation right
Benny’s Blog Archbishop’s empty words
Lesley’s blog Why can’t Rowan Williams be candid?
and
Splitting the church over homosexuality?
Significant Truths Archbishop asks to pass…
and
Won’t say, daren’t say
Anglican Mainstream Response to Archbishop of Canterbury’s Views on ‘Gay’ Bishops in The Times
Cranmer’s Curate ARCHBISHOP’S ‘PASS’ WAS SOLD BACK IN 1991
23 CommentsUpdated again Monday evening
The Times has published a major interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Because this interview and several related articles are all behind a paywall, it makes no sense to link to them directly here.
However, there are other reports. The most useful so far comes from Episcopal Café which has summarised the material in Rowan Williams: “No problem” with celibate gay bishops.
Other British media reports:
BBC Archbishop Rowan Williams backs gay, celibate bishops
Guardian Rowan Williams backs gay bishops [this headline is obviously inaccurate]
Press Association Williams backs celibate gay bishops
Independent Archbishop supports celibate gay bishops
Telegraph Archbishop of Canterbury: Anglican Church has ‘no problem’ with gay bishops
Damian Thompson at the Telegraph Rowan Williams’s authority goes up in smoke as he replies ‘Pass’ to a question about future gay bishops
Updates
Ekklesia reports Archbishop of Canterbury fails to bridge gay row gap
Church Mouse has written about Rowan’s little communication problem.
…Mouse’s view is that Rowan has two possible reactions to this kind of question. The first is simply to stonewall. That would be Mouse’s advice. Simply respond, “the Church’s approach to this is well known and widely documented” then refuse to go further. This is rather boring for interviewers but doesn’t give them room to make up juicy headlines.
The other option is rather more high risk. That would be to say, “the Church’s line on this is well known and widely documented, but we all know that it is a dreadful fudge concocted to try to avoid total civil war in the Church. I hope to be able to move forward on that in due course.”
The benefit of this is that it avoids you sounding like you’re defending a pretty indefensible position, as the Church’s current line really is. It is inconsistent and illogical, but its what we’ve got. The second is that it puts Rowan on the front foot leading the debate. Of course, it is more high risk, as many within the Church would respond with their usual venom. However, the ultimate virtue of this position for Rowan Williams is that it is actually what he believes…
Update Monday
There is now an ENS report, ENGLAND: Archbishop says there’s ‘no problem’ with celibate gay bishops.
85 CommentsAn announcement today about the formation of The Missionary Society of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda, which has a website here.
Anglican Catholic bishops have announced that in addition to the provision of an Ordinariate offered recently by Pope Benedict there is to be a new Society [of St Wilfrid and St Hilda] for bishops, clergy, religious and laity in order to provide a place within the Church of England where catholics can worship and minister with integrity without accepting innovations that further distance the Church of England from the greater churches of the East and West…
The press release describing it is reproduced in full below the fold.
Also, a news story in the Catholic Herald Britain could have an Ordinariate by new year.
44 CommentsBritain could have an Ordinariate by the end of the year, it emerged today.
Sources say that the Rt Rev Keith Newton, the flying bishop of Richborough and the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, the flying Bishop of Ebbsfleet will take up the special canonical structure, which allows groups of Anglicans to come into full Communion with Rome without losing their Anglican identity, before the end of the calendar year.
Groups of Anglicans are already forming across the country in preparation for joining an ordinariate, according to the blog of the retired Bishop of Richborough, the Rt Rev Edwin Barnes.
In his October pastoral letter, Bishop Burnham wrote that ordinariate groups would likely be small congregations of thirty or so people…
Voting for the Church of England General Synod has started. Voting closes on or about Friday 8 October. The exact date varies from diocese to diocese, so if you are a voter who leaves things to the last minute be sure to check the closing date in your diocese.
All candidates are entitled to have an election address sent to each elector at the diocese’s expense. Some of these addresses are available online, and the General Synod Blog has published this list: Online Election General Synod Addresses/Statements. If you know of any more do add it as a comment to that list.
I have prepared a list showing the number of candidates in each constituency, where I know them, and in due course I will publish the names of successful candidates.
Candidates for the 2010 Election
General Synod List of members
If you have any updates and/or corrections to either of these lists please send them to the email address given at the head of each list.
The Pope did mention Anglicanorum Coetibus in his remarks to the Roman Catholic bishops at Oscott on Sunday. He said this:
…The other matter I touched upon in February with the Bishops of England and Wales, when I asked you to be generous in implementing the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. This should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute postitively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all. Let us continue to pray and work unceasingly in order to hasten the joyful day when the goal can be accomplished.
Last Friday, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave an interview to Vatican Radio. You can read the full transcript of that at Vatican Radio Interview Archbishop after Evening Prayer with Pope Benedict XVI in Westminster Abbey.
The Tablet reported some reactions of Anglican bishops to the visit, see Anglican bishops encouraged by papal visit.
Volumes of articles have been published about John Henry Newman in the past few days, but here are just two items:
Guardian Stephen Bates John Henry Newman: An unlikely candidate for sainthood?
New York Review of Books Garry Wills Stealing Newman
15 CommentsEd Beavan Pope and Dr Williams find accord at Lambeth Palace
Paul Handley in Westminster Hall Religion is not ‘a problem to be solved’, says Benedict
Text of Pope’s address in Westminster Hall
Ed Thornton Dr Williams embraces Pope in Westminster Peace
12 CommentsA Service of Evening Prayer in the presence of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and His Grace The Archbishop of Canterbury.
Documents:
Order of Service (PDF)
Archbishop of Canterbury’s remarks here
Pope’s remarks here
16 CommentsThe Pope visited Lambeth Palace and addressed a joint meeting of diocesan bishops from the Church of England and the RC Church in England & Wales.
Documents:
PDF file of the proceedings
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s remarks (start below the press release) are at The Fraternal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Archbishop Rowan Williams.
The Pope’s remarks are here (very strangely, the Vatican website has relocated Lambeth Palace to the London Borough of Richmond).
The Joint Communique issued immediately after the event is below the fold.
6 CommentsThe Conservative Party has published the full text of the address that Baroness Varsi gave to the College of Bishops on Wednesday. (Some Scottish, Welsh, and Irish bishops were also present.)
Read it all at Sayeeda Warsi: The importance of faith to life in Britain.
There has been a lot of media coverage of this, and follow-up appearances by Lady Varsi on various television news programmes.
Bishop Nick Baines who was present at the speech, has commented on his blog, see Kasper, Warsi & Wei.
Ekklesia has a report of the BBC Newsnight coverage, see Churches should not misuse public service ethos, says bishop.
And today, the Tablet has an article by David Cameron Place of faith in British life.
6 CommentsGiles Fraser spoke on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme today about Anglican reactions to the Pope’s visit to Britain. For the next few days you can hear what he said at Fraser: Anglicans ‘not anti-Pope’.
Kelvin Holdsworth was critical of some of the Pope’s remarks at Holyrood Palace this morning. See Where to find a place to stand?. Earlier he had written What to say to the Pope, which includes a link to the mural displayed outside St John’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, which was on the papal route today.
Abigail Frymann has written at the Tablet Blog The Vatican needs a few English lessons. After dealing with the Kasper gaffe, she writes:
What will Benedict say about Anglicans while he is here? Will his affection and respect for Dr Rowan Williams endear him to the troublesome Anglicans who, 500 years after running off with the family silver have opened the door to women priests, supplied the Catholic Church with married priests and seem to take a far fuzzier line on gay issues than does the Vatican? Will he reiterate his invitation for them to join Rome en masse? At best, using carefully chosen words, Pope Benedict could praise what the Vatican calls “Anglican patrimony”. In his homily at Newman’s beatification, or his meeting with the Queen or with Dr Williams and the other Anglican bishops, he could recognise the good the Church of England does, the initiatives for growth it has successfully pioneered, and the parity of its struggles with those of the Catholic Church. At worst, if there is an awkward moment behind closed doors, a subtle criticism, an unfortunate choice of words, between guest and host, let’s hope both Benedict and Koch grasp the use of the line, “More tea, vicar?”
Catherine Pepinster has written at Cif belief Cardinal Kasper take note: the Catholic church in Britain is full of immigrants. This includes the following observation:
10 Comments…Kasper, like Benedict, is also deeply concerned about the Church of England and fears that it is on the point of schism over women bishops and gay priests. And while people might assume that Rome is keen for that schism if it means hundreds of Anglicans cross the Tiber and become part of what is called an “ordinariate” – a special grouping of Anglicans within the Roman Catholic church – if you talk to people at the pontifical council in Rome and, indeed, to the Catholic hierarchy here in Britain, they want the established church here to be strong…
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the former head of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, is well known to Anglicans. But today he appears to have committed a blunder. But what exactly did he really say?
Press reports:
Guardian Pope’s visit: aide steps aside after comparing Britain to ‘third world’ and later, Pope Benedict XVI flies in amid row over aide’s race remarks
Telegraph Pope visit: Cardinal drops out after calling UK ‘Third World’
Comment:
Andrew Brown Cardinal Kasper reveals the Vatican’s true beliefs
Catholic Voices has Bishops’ conference distants itself from Cardinal Kasper remarks
“The attributed comments of Cardinal Kasper do not represent the views of the Vatican, nor those of bishops in this country. Clearly, they are the personal views of one individual. Catholics play a full part in this country’s life and welcome the rich diversity of thought, culture and people which is so evident here. This historic visit marks a further development of the good relationship between the United Kingdom and the Holy See. We are confident that it will be a huge success.”
Catholic News Service quotes Fr Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, at length, in Church spokesmen downplay German cardinal’s remarks about Britain
At the Vatican, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the papal spokesman, also issued a statement to clarify the cardinal’s comments, which he said “have no negative intention and do not reflect any lack of appreciation for the United Kingdom.”
He said the cardinal “wanted to refer to the fact that from the moment of one’s arrival at London’s airport — as happens in many great cities of the world today, but in London in particular for its unique historic role as capital of the United Kingdom — one is aware from the very beginning that one finds oneself in a country in which many human realities from diverse origins and conditions arrive and encounter each other: a cosmopolitan reality, a crucible of modern humanity, with its differences and its problems.”
Father Lombardi added: “As far as the reference to atheism, he was referring evidently to the positions of some noted authors who are particularly aggressive and who cover themselves with scientific or cultural arguments, but which in reality don’t have the value that they claim. This doesn’t mean, naturally, that Cardinal Kasper is unaware that these positions and trends are limited, or that he does not recognize the great values of the British culture.”
The closest I have found so far to an actual quote from the article, in German, is below the fold. From this page.
42 CommentsChristopher Hill, who is Bishop of Guildford and chairman of the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph Pope visit: Anglicans and Catholics can share a mission.
…My hopes as an Anglican bishop are twofold. Pope Benedict is a formidable philosopher and theologian. He has spent much of his ministry analysing the ebb-tide of faith in modern Europe. This is also a matter Archbishop Rowan Williams has devoted much attention to.
Instead of slogans on buses pressing an atheist cause, or the reverse, I hope the visit will promote real dialogue between those of faith, those in doubt and those who deny.
Secondly, Pope Benedict will meet his bishops and the Church of England bishops at Lambeth Palace. Anglican and Catholic bishops regularly meet but doing so with the Bishop of Rome will, I believe, reinforce and further encourage our common mission. Differences will remain but what we have in common far outweighs them.
At the grass-roots level, SueM blogged about Protest, prejudice – and the Pope.
I am looking forward to the Pope’s visit to the UK. For a start I am interested to see what reactions it will actually evoke among the British people and in the media. I am expecting to see hostility, appreciation and indifference, but I am not sure which of these reactions will predominate. Another thing that I am looking forward to is the variety of programmes, news articles and radio discussions focusing on the Papal visit. I think that some of these may serve to raise some interesting questions, not only about the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, but also about the changing role and nature of religion in British society and the huge shift we have seen in attitudes to religious faith and institutionalised religion.
I understand the reasons why many people object to the attitudes and approach of the Roman Catholic (and Anglican) church…
I am hoping the level of coverage (and even protest) that we see will be proportionate, sensible and balanced. I do expect that we will see some excellent and challenging debate; I hope we will not see too much anti Catholic prejudice, disrespect or ignorance, but I won’t be surprised if we do!
Church Mouse writing in An Anglican response to the Papal visit offers four principles for Anglicans:
26 Comments1. Despite some theological differences, we should treat the Roman Catholic church as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and as such we should share the experience of the visit with them in the spirit of Christian unity.
2. We should not seek to “take sides” in any of the Catholic debates on reforms of the Church. It would be unhelpful to all within the Catholic Church if one side was seen to be ‘backed’ by sections of the Church of England, not to mention hypocritical on our part, given the divisions in our own Church.
3. We should defend the Catholic Church and the Pope from the more extreme anti-Christian attacks on him, which are in reality attacks on all Christians. Bishop Christopher Hill explained that “Today’s opposition focuses on Pope Benedict, gaining some support in the light of the terrible cases of clerical abuse, but intellectually it represents an attack on all Christians, indeed on faith.” Mouse reckons that is true to a large extent, as the most viscous attacks are not based on reason and logic, but on hatred.
4. We should use the opportunity afforded by the visit to move discussion of the Ordinariate from behind closed doors to out in the open. Mouse’s guess is that there are very few people who will be leaving the Church of England under the scheme, but to have the threat held beneath the surface is damaging to the church.
The Tablet www.thetablet.co.uk has had a series of articles in recent weeks under this title, in which a wide range of people have written about what they would say to the Pope in a short one-on-one meeting. Here we reproduce, with the editor’s permission, two of them.
‘I would like to wash your feet, but not before I have stood up first’
In her imaginary private audience with Pope Benedict, Lucy Winkett, a senior Anglican priest, tackles the subject of the ordination of women in the Church of England head on.
I am aware that you believe my ordination is a serious barrier between us, but I hope we could discuss what unites us in wanting to live an apostolic life. I want to learn from you what you would say are the characteristics and hallmarks of that life. For myself, it’s Christ’s actions at the Last Supper – and if I could, I would love to discuss this with you.
How do you interpret the tradition that Jesus took the bread first eaten by slaves on the run in the Passover story and identified himself so closely with them that he became this bread? The cup is the cup of suffering that he asked to be passed from him, the cup that he offered to James and John when they vied for seats of honour in heaven. One of the aspects that moves me about that evening was that Jesus knelt and washed his disciples’ feet, but not before his own feet had been washed and anointed by the woman from the city. When Christ stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from Isaiah, he was echoing the song of Mary in her Magnificat and, as such, he showed himself to be highly responsive to the example and ministry of women. He was not only his Father’s son, he was his mother’s son too. In this spirit, I would like to find a way to wash your feet, but not before I have stood up first.
Women’s apostolic path is, in this way, different from men’s. Women have to find a way to live a redeemed humility, not a humility based on the nature of a victim or a doormat. Social expectations, particularly within the family, mean that women’s default mode of relating is of self-sacrifice. This is a noble way to live but only if it is chosen, not enforced.
Women’s path to salvation is one that involves standing before we kneel, learning to accept ourselves and delight, as does Holy Wisdom, in the nature of human beings, before choosing to serve others as a sacrifice freely given.
I am not going to try to tell you what it’s actually like to be a woman and a priest, or about the nature of the calling I believe with all my heart I am following, unless you want to know. These personal experiences are vital but they pale before the fundamental truth that God in Christ is taken, blessed, broken and given for the life of a suffering world. Women, half of humanity, take their place alongside men in being a sign and symbol of the risen Christ at the altar when we celebrate the Eucharist. When I celebrate the Eucharist, I am not taking part in a re-enactment of an action by Jesus of Nazareth. I am being caught up in the eschatological foretaste of the heavenly banquet.
The ontological difference in gender between me and Jesus of Nazareth, just as fundamental as the differences ethnically between Gentile men and Jesus the Jew, are not material. It is our common humanity, not our gender differences, that define and dignify our attempts to live such an apostolic life.
I regret deeply that we are not united, but the truth is that, with or without your permission, as a woman and a fellow human being, I walk respectfully with you as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a priest in God’s universal Church.
‘Churchmen aren’t at all happy to see gay couples happy’
If you had a one-to-one meeting with the Pope, what would you talk to him about? In the third of our series, the church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch tackles His Holiness on homosexuality and Catholicism.
Given my five minutes with Pope Benedict, I would ask him if he’s ever spent any time with a gay couple. I don’t mean the large number of silently gay Catholic clergy under vows of celibacy, who are not unknown even in the corridors of the Vatican; I mean two people who have met socially, spent time getting to know each other, found that it’s a lot of fun being with the other person, had rows, made up, gone to parties, done the shopping, been polite to each other’s dull relatives, had a good laugh with the unexpectedly entertaining eccentric aunt, and at the end of a day of pleasant trivia, have turned off their bedside lights side by side? And have perhaps done that over months, years, decades, initially despite the huge amount of social pressure to split up and fade into the background of other people’s social and moral expectations.
Has His Holiness sat down with them over a coffee or a beer and discovered how intrinsically ordinary they are? Because if he hasn’t, I don’t think he’s got much business calling them intrinsically disordered.
I think what might disconcert him about such an experience would be that such couples don’t have any problems, at least problems no different from those of other couples, or of human beings generally. The Church rather likes claiming a pastoral ministry to lesbian and gay people, because it sees them as having a basic problem that needs pastoral care. And the Church has been very good at setting up problems for gay people which it can then solve. It has demanded that they feel guilty if they ever enact their feelings for another person of the same sex in a physical way – then it can deal with the guilt. Churchmen really aren’t at all happy to see gay couples happy; it breaks all the rules and of course encourages others to do the same things. Who knows where it will all end? Gay teenagers cheerful, contented and fulfilled? Or at least making the same stupid mistakes as any other teenagers?
But perhaps the Pope will surprise us all on his visit. He is, after all, planning to beatify Cardinal Newman, a distinguished theologian who patently found a way within the conventions of his time of having a deep, committed relationship with another man, Ambrose St John. It was the primary relationship in both their lives and that was expressed by their single grave in death. Because they were both priests committed to clerical celibacy, I don’t suppose that they did much that was physical to express their relationship, and I don’t think that I would greatly care even if there were proof that they did. It really isn’t that important. The relationship matters. For those who aren’t nineteenth-century celibates, there are different means of celebrating such a relationship, and I can’t imagine that the God of love is too worried about the details of what they are.
Back in June, I wrote an article for the Church Times, Equality Law will affect church appointments. This is a more detailed look at the same subject, with particular reference to the draft legislation on women bishops that is about to be referred to the dioceses of the Church of England.
That draft measure, GS 1708A as amended by synod in July, contains the following clause:
7 Equality Act exceptions
(1) Section 50(1), (2), (3), (6) and (7) of the Equality Act 2010 (2010 c. 15) (“the Equality Act”) do not apply so far as they relate to sex or religion or belief, in relation to —
(a) any arrangements contained in a scheme made by the bishop of a diocese under section 2,
(b) any request made by a parochial church council under section 3(1) or (3),
(c) any arrangements set out in a notice sent to the secretary of a parochial church council by the bishop of a diocese under section 3(8),
(d) any action taken in exercising functions relating to the appointment of a priest in order to take account of a request made by a parochial church council under section 3(3), and
(e) any provision in a Code of Practice made under section 5.
(2) Subsection (1) is without prejudice to Schedule 9 to the Equality Act
Section 50 of the Equality Act 2010 deals with the particular topic of Public offices: appointments, etc. Under the Equality Act, a Public office is defined as:
a) an office or post, appointment to which is made by a member of the executive;
(b) an office or post, appointment to which is made on the recommendation of, or subject to the approval of, a member of the executive;
(c) an office or post, appointment to which is made on the recommendation of, or subject to the approval of, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the National Assembly for Wales or the Scottish Parliament.
Clearly, this definition encompasses all Crown appointments, which within the Church of England includes among many others all appointments to bishoprics.
Section 50 goes on to specify the various ways in which discrimination is prohibited in relation to such appointments. For example:
(a) in the arrangements A makes for deciding to whom to offer the appointment;
(b) as to the terms on which A offers B the appointment;
(c) by not offering B the appointment.
It is self-evident that several provisions in the draft legislation are, and are intended to be, discriminatory against women appointees. See, for example, the references to a “male bishop” in the text. Unless a clause along the lines of Clause 7 is included in the draft measure, there will be a clear conflict with Clause 50 of the Act. It is worth noting, perhaps, that this requirement is entirely separate from, and in no way impinges on, the various exemptions for religious organisations which are enumerated in Schedule 9 of the Act.
It is also worth noting that the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Tony Baldry MP, and the former MP, Robert Key, both issued warnings to synod during the debate that even with, or perhaps because of, Clause 7, the draft measure might face opposition in Parliament. See my earlier report women bishops and equality legislation.
7 CommentsA few weeks ago, the Dean of Westminster wrote an article. See A chance to recall the nation’s Christian roots.
The Pope’s visit could help to emphasise how the state can engage with the Churches, argues John Hall
This week there is a news report, Pope’s state visit won’t be a fishing trip, says Nichols.
THE Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Revd Vincent Nichols, has said that the Pope will not be “fishing” for Anglicans when he comes to Britain next week.
Pope Benedict XVI will meet the Archbishop of Canterbury next week during the first state visit by a pope to the UK, and the first papal visit for 28 years.
Archbishop Nichols told the BBC that there were “delicate and difficult issues” between his Church and the Church of England. But there would be no “harsh words” between the two church leaders during next week’s visit. The Pope’s creation of an Ordinariate for those who chose to leave the Anglican Church was made only in response to repeated requests.
“Sometimes, people want to say, ‘Oh, this is the initiative of the Pope, who is going fishing for Anglicans.’ That is not true. He is responding to requests that he has received, and those requests we have to handle sensitively on both sides. There are delicate, difficult issues between our two Churches at the moment.”
And there is a Leader, English lesson for Pope Benedict.
53 Comments…The interest in Pope Benedict’s visit is there, too, but it stems, in part, from negative sources. In place of the Revd Ian Paisley and Pastor Jack Glass will stand, physically or metaphorically, Peter Tatchell and Richard Dawkins, criticising not the brand of Christianity represented by the Pope, but the whole Christian edifice. Where ecumenical endeavour has failed, ignorance has triumphed, so that divisions within the Church are largely unperceived by the general public. The Pope’s views are taken to be the views of all, just as the crimes of a few Roman Catholic priests have cast a shadow over all…
The Church of Ireland Gazette reports:
Christina Baxter, the Chair of the Church of England General Synod’s House of Laity, Principal of St John’s Theological College in Nottingham and a lay canon of Southwell, has paid tribute to those preparing for ordination in the Church of Ireland. In an interview with the Gazette editor during a visit at the end of August to the Diocese of Down and Dromore, where she led the Bishop’s Bible Week, Dr Baxter said that the Church of Ireland ordinands were all doing a professional certificate through St John’s College, which prepared them for Master’s level training. She said she had been working with the Church of Ireland Theological Institute Principal, Dr Maurice Elliott, on these arrangements.
For the full interview, go to this page.
Her views on the progress of English legislation on Women in the Episcopate may be of interest.
4 CommentsAccording to the Nigerian provincial website:
ON THE UNDILUTED WORD OF GOD WE STAND-ARCHBISHOP OKOH
The Archbishop, metropolitan and primate of all Nigeria Anglican communion The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh has again re-iterated his assurance of unalloyed cooperation and partnership with people who have complete faith and confidence in the undiluted word of God.
Archbishop Okoh stated this during a courtesy visit paid to him by a team of 7 visitors from the Diocese of Guildford, the Rt Rev Christopher Hill and his wife Hilary. He said the challenge the communion is facing at the moment is that of a section of the West who are promoting homosexuality, Lesbianism and approving liturgy for same sex marriage. He said this is an issue that must be seriously addressed if the communion must sustain the unity and oneness that had existed over the years.
The Primate, after reading a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered by the Bishop of Guildford re-echoed the respect the church of Nigeria has for his office and his person and promised that a high powered delegation would visit the Lambeth palace later in the year to discuss issues of serious concern with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The team also visited the General Secretary of the church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) the Venerable Michael Oluwarohunbi who called their attention to the Youth as an indispensable tool, when he observed that in the 7-man team no Youth was present. Venerable Farohunbi said the Youth form the larger percentage in the church today and they must be given a conspicuous place.
The trip was rounded up with a visit to the General Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Engineer. S.L. Salifu who said Christianity is about 200years old in Nigeria and that CAN has within the 5 Blocs about 201 denominations. He said CAN is making great strides in physical and spiritual growth having conducted them round the National Christian Centre, a symbol of Unity for Christians in Nigeria. The visitors appreciated the magnificent edifice, with a revolving altar, first of its kind.
Earlier the team of 7 visitors have visited Diocese of Kebbi, Sokoto, Ife, Maidiguri, Ideato, Kaduna, Jos, Kafanchan, Minna, Lokoja, and Okrika paying courtesy calls on some Emirs, Muslim leaders, and peaceful co-existence. Divided into 3 groups the team were enthusiastically received in all the Dioceses.
The Dioceses in link with the dioceses of Guildford in Nigeria are Kebbi, Ife, Maiduguri, Ideato, Kano, Awka, Owo, Ekiti, West, Oleh, Orlu, Nsukka and Okrika dioceses. The visit was facilitated by the Archbishop of Kaduna province the most Rev Edmund Akanya. According to Dr. Olusola Igbari one of the facilitators, he said it is believed that the visit will enhance bilateral relationships and cooperation with the Diocese of Guildford and promote gospel of Christ and further enhance his kingdom.
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) also thinks that his church is being denigrated in the USA and the UK. According to a report headed CHURCH OF NIGERIA ANGLICAN COMMUNION CAN NEVER BE PUSHED OR DRAGGED INTO THE DITCH – PRIMATE OKOH. He said this:
7 Comments…He said the outside world especially United states and United kingdom characterizes church of Nigeria Anglican Communion as fanatics, illiterates, and not in line with post modern times.