Category : * Anglican – Episcopal
(Church Times) Clergy posts are a priority, says Truro bishop
Increasing the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese of Truro is the “top operational priority”, the Acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, who is the Bishop of St Germans, said this week.
His comments followed claims by the campaign group Save the Parish Cornwall (STP) that the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese had fallen to 38, and that there were 19 vacancies to be filled. The group says that the diocese is “struggling to recruit new priests to undertake the unrealistic roles proposed by the restructuring plans — in particular ‘oversight ministers’ . . . in giant benefices”.
A diocesan spokeswoman said this week that there were 58 stipendiary clergy in post at the end of last month, including incumbent-status clergy, assistant curates, and archdeacons. In addition, eight new appointments had been made in the past three months. The plan was to increase the number of stipendiary clergy to about 85, “dependent on clergy being attracted to our posts”.
Increasing the number of stipendiary priests in the diocese of Truro is the “top operational priority”, the Acting Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, who is the Bishop of St Germans, said this week https://t.co/Xg8Zz5KOH7
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 15, 2024
(Guardian) Bishop Richard Harries reviews ‘Reading Genesis’ by Marilynne Robinson
Robinson’s reading is full of telling details and keenly observed parallels. This enables her to show that what Jews term the binding of Isaac is not a test of Abraham’s faith, but a prohibition of the child sacrifice that occurred in some other cultures, for example in Carthage. Although she is familiar with biblical scholarship and makes use of it where necessary, this work is best seen as a close, attentive reading from a literary point of view. In her approach there is something of the sense of astonishment and marvel that is present in her novels. About the first words of Genesis she writes, “When I think there was a day when a human hand first wrote those words, I am filled with awe. This sentence is a masterpiece of compression.”
“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will,” Hamlet said to Horatio. That is the conviction that controls the narrative of Genesis, culminating in its closing, when Joseph says to the brothers who tried to murder him, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Robinson makes few concessions to the reader. There is no introduction or conclusion; there are no chapter headings or signposts. She just wants her audience to look again at Genesis and see what they make of it.
Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson review – rich literary reading of the first book of the Bible https://t.co/oBAzmJviaq
— Guardian Books (@GuardianBooks) March 13, 2024
A Report on the 2024 Convention of the Anglican diocese of South Carolina
Bishop Chip Edgar called the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to exercise hospitality in his address to the 2024 Convention. The event, which drew more than 300 clergy, delegates and guests to the Cross Schools in Bluffton, was held March 8-9.
“If we are true to our nature as the people God has called to himself, keeping our blessings to ourselves is not an option,” he said.
He urged those present to be ready to welcome the stranger. “People by the thousands continue to move to South Carolina… Many are unchurched, and study after study suggests that unchurched folks are more likely to visit a church plant than an established church,” he said. “But many are churched, too, and churched folks are more likely to look for churches. To be hospitable, we have to both strengthen our existing churches and plant new ones.”
He made three proposals: “One, that we continue to encourage deaneries to work together to strategize church planting, and we set the goal for ourselves to add a new congregation to our diocese each year going forward; two, we reestablish our Congregational Development Committee to help our existing congregations; and three, that we, as a diocese, continue to raise up and emphasize the ministry and work of deacons in our diocese.”
Join us this Sunday, July 23, 2023 as we, in The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, pray for Bishop Chip Edgar and Bishop Emeritus Mark Lawrence as they begin their summer respites. #ACNA #ADOSC pic.twitter.com/ipSeFrsA13
— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) July 21, 2023
(Church Times) New extremism definition could drive communities apart, Archbishops warn Michael Gove
The Government’s new definition of extremism is likely to “vilify the wrong people” by threatening freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have warned.
In a joint statement published on Tuesday afternoon, Archbishops Welby and Cottrell said that the plan also “risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities, who are already experiencing rising levels of hate and abuse”.
Their statement pre-empts an announcement, expected on Thursday, in which the Communities Secretary, Michael Gove, plans to broaden the official definition of extremism to include individuals and groups who “undermine the UK’s system of liberal democracy” — and ban them from public life.
The Government’s new definition of extremism is likely to “vilify the wrong people” by threatening freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have warned https://t.co/T87MOTD9eg
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 12, 2024
(Premier) Bishop of Blackburn welcomes new eco status for Church in Lancashire
The Church of England in Lancashire has achieved an important milestone in developing its environmental credentials.
The Diocese of Blackburn has been awarded the Bronze status of the national A Rocha Eco Church programme, which encourages churches, schools and dioceses throughout the UK to take practical action in ‘caring for God’s Creation’.
The collective award follows individual bronze awards for Blackburn Cathedral; the Diocesan Offices in Blackburn and the Centre for Christian Discipleship and Prayer at Whalley Abbey, along with 15 parishes in their own right across Lancashire. A further three churches in the Diocese have already achieved silver status; while another 36 have registered and are working towards their bronze status.
Congratulations to @cofelancs on their Bronze Eco Diocese! #Ecochurchhttps://t.co/pECAWKNI6y
— Church of England Environment Programme (@CofEEnvironment) March 11, 2024
(Church Times) In face of opposition, Dean of Ripon seeks views on proposed cathedral annexe
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, is urging people in the diocese of Leeds to respond to an extended consultation on plans to build an annexe to the cathedral, which is said to be “bursting at the seams”…
Building plans for the renovation — Ripon Cathedral Renewed — have already been approved by Historic England and all the cathedral’s regulators, including the Fabric Advisory Commission. But about 2000 people have signed a petition opposing the annexe.
Ripon Cathedral was the first minster church since the Reformation to be given cathedral status, in 1836. Unlike those that came later, it was never adapted or extended in any way; consequently, it has no lavatories — the cathedral pays the council to keep open the public lavatories across the road in Minster Gardens — no safe space for choristers to change and rehearse, no refectory, no communal meeting space, and no storage space.
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, is urging people in the diocese of Leeds to respond to an extended consultation on plans to build an annexe to the cathedral, which is said to be “bursting at the seams” https://t.co/ner0Tgxd03
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 7, 2024
Your Prayers Sought for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina’s Convention March 8-9
The 2024 Convention of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, which will be held March 8-9, promises to be a joyful event of worshiping our Lord, fellowshipping in His name, and carrying out efficient and productive Kingdom work. The Church of the Cross, Bluffton is again extending their spectacular hospitality on their Cross Schools Campus. The Convention will open on Friday with Holy Eucharist and the Bishop’s Address at 4:00 p.m. in The Chapel, followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a must-see video presentation.
Registration for the business section of the gathering will begin at 7:30 on Saturday morning, and a continental breakfast will be provided. Members of the Diocesan Youth Commission will open the business meeting with Morning Prayer at 9:00 a.m., after which Bishop Edgar will conduct the meeting. The aim is to end at noon. Participants will be provided with a boxed lunch, which they can eat on the grounds or take with them as they depart.
You may find the convention agenda there.
Your Prayers Sought for the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina’s Convention March 8-9 https://t.co/hxHncqL0dD #parishministry #churchmeetings #21stc pic.twitter.com/P2Jjg7Gg0R
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) March 7, 2024
(Telegraph) Madeline Grant–The Church leadership is destroying the CoE I love
Some, who mistakenly view the Church of England as a unified, coherent body – may therefore delight in the shrinking congregations and generally low morale that defines it nowadays. I delight in none of these things, because I love the CofE.
Look more closely though, and you’ll realise that there is not one Church of England – but two. There’s the Reverend Dr Jekyll, the one who performs invaluable work on the ground; burying the dead, visiting the sick, educating more than a quarter of our nation’s schoolchildren to a much higher standard than the state normally achieves.
This Church manages the food banks, playgroups, dementia cafés and loneliness workshops. It does its best to protect some of the most valuable parts of our nation’s physical and cultural heritage. Its parish priests do this for little money; its thousands of volunteers do it for none at all.
Then there is the other Church of England – the Reverend Mr Hyde. This is a church of unaccountable committees and upward failure, resulting in perhaps the least impressive bench of bishops since Pope Gregory first observed “non angli, sed angeli”. Members of this caste speak in identikit managerial jargon, which from an institution that has provided some of the most beautiful cadences and turns of phrase in the English language is depressing.
Several points expressed well. And they won’t stop. It’s like the control room at Chernobyl – total meltdown.
The Church leadership is destroying the CoE I love https://t.co/VUVRNZ06Te
— Tom Sander 🚴 (@RevThomasSander) March 6, 2024
Structural differentiation is a viable way forward, writes Martin Davie in response to Charlie Bell
I want to make a threefold response to what Bell says in these two paragraphs.
First, creating a new provincial structure for the Church of England to provide for the differing positions of conservatives and liberals is not a ‘fundamental threat’ to the Church of England’s ecclesiology.
What CEEC is asking for is internal differentiation within the Church of England by means of a re-configuration of the Church’s current provincial system. This could take the form of a new province for conservatives alongside Canterbury and York, a new province for liberals alongside Canterbury and York or a re-working of the two existing provinces to cover the whole country with conservatives in Canterbury and liberals in York. [1]
The key point to note about this proposal is that it is in line with the existing ecclesiology of the Church of England. The Church of England has historically consisted, and continues to consist, as a combination of two separate provinces, each their own Archbishop (both of whom have metropolitical authority within their own province and neither of whom is subject to the other), and each having its own provincial synodical structure consisting of a provincial Convocation made up of the two Houses of Bishops and Clergy, and an attendant House of Laity. A meeting of the General Synod is simply a joint meeting of these two provincial synods, and the two Convocations retain the power both to veto legislation proposed in the General Synod and to make provision for matters relating to their province (see Canon H.1 and Article 7 of the Constitution of General Synod).
Adding another province into the mix, or reconfiguring the two existing provinces, would not alter this ecclesiological structure in any fundamental way.[2] What it would mean is that the two (or three) provinces of the Church of England could continue to meet together in General Synod to debate and legislate on matters of common concern, while their provincial synods could legislate to either maintain or change the Church of England’s current teaching and practice with regard to marriage and human sexuality, thus allowing both conservatives and liberals to have what they are looking for within their own province or provinces.
Each province would hold that the other province or provinces is (or are) part of the Catholic Church and the Church of England, and there would be transferability of ministry without re-ordination between them subject to a minister being prepared to accept the doctrine and discipline of the province to which he or she was transferring.
The Church of England could thus stay together, but in a way which respected the conscientious convictions of both sides and would prevent the Church of England breaking apart entirely.
Martin Davie–A response to Meg Warner ‘Does the Bible really say … that sex outside marriage is wrong? https://t.co/tYzlpsnfpt #christianity #sexualethics #marriage #bible #anglican #anthropology pic.twitter.com/qdQI0oGk5j
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 30, 2019
(BBC) First female Bishop of Peterborough is installed in ‘uplifting service’
The first woman Bishop of Peterborough has been installed in an “uplifting and inspiring service”.
The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin was welcomed as the 39th bishop in the diocese during a 90-minute service at Peterborough Cathedral.
The 59-year-old will lead the Anglican communities across Northamptonshire, Rutland and Peterborough.
She previously acted as Bishop of Southampton after the sudden retirement of the Right Reverend Tim Dakin.
New female bishop installed in 'inspiring service' https://t.co/y8H4akRr4z
— صحيفة مباشر العربية (@mubasheer2022) March 3, 2024
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Saint Chad
Almighty God, whose servant Chad, for the peace of the Church, relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray thee, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to give place to others, (in honor preferring one another,) that the cause of Christ may be advanced; in the name of him who washed his disciples’ feet, even the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Happy #StChad ’s Day!
Credited with bringing Christianity to Mercia, St Chad died #otd 672, seen here as one of the saints in Christopher Whall’s 1902 #stainedglass in All Saints, Brockhampton-by-Ross. (St John is in the panel above, I didn’t want to crop Chad’s crosier) pic.twitter.com/xbLSyMSTp2— Posy Hill (@PosyHill1) March 2, 2024
(Church Times) Bishop of London welcomes MPs’ report on end-of-life care
In a statement, the Roman Catholic lead bishop for life issues, the Rt Revd John Sherrington, an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Westminster, welcomed the committee’s decision “not to recommend the legalisation of assisted suicide”.
He continued: “As highlighted in the Committee’s report, experts have noted that there have been major problems in safeguarding the vulnerable and those without full mental capacity when assisted suicide and/or euthanasia has been introduced in other jurisdictions.
“Recognising the distress and suffering of those who are sick and vulnerable, I welcome the Committee’s recommendation that the accessibility and provision of palliative and end of life care needs to be improved — something the Catholic Church has consistently called for.”
Read it all (registration or subscription).
The Bishop of London @bishopSarahM has welcomed a report by MPs which calls for palliative and end-of-life care to be made more widely available https://t.co/5liE9iClCh
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 1, 2024
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Saint David of Wales
Almighty God, who didst call thy servant David to be a faithful and wise steward of thy mysteries for the people of Wales: Mercifully grant that, following his purity of life and zeal for the gospel of Christ, we may with him receive the crown of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.
Today the Church of England celebrates the feast of David, Bishop of Menevia, Patron of Wales, c.601
Image: Window (1909) in @StDavidsCath's Becket Chapel. Photo by Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons pic.twitter.com/uQfDP0HiYJ
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) March 1, 2024
(Church Times) Ukraine is paying for our security in blood, Archbishop Justin Welby tells Synod
The General Synod has renewed its call for a just peace in Ukraine, after a debate to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, which fell on Saturday.
The motion, which was carried almost unanimously on Tuesday at the end of a five-day meeting in Westminster, referred to the “ongoing suffering and terror” experienced by Ukrainians two years into the war, and called on churches and politicians to work for an end to the conflict and a restoration of the international order.
During the debate, the motion was amended to include a further call to UK politicians to “affirm their continued support for Ukraine until such time as a just and lasting peace is secured”.
First to speak was the Archbishop of Canterbury, recently returned from his second visit to Ukraine (News, 23 February). He had also spoken, directly but remotely, with Patriarch Kirill. “But I am not neutral on this,” he said. “Ukraine is paying for our security with blood.”
Ukraine is paying for our security in blood, Archbishop Welby tells Synod https://t.co/vz6s408Ovc
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 29, 2024
Three Diocesan Evangelists commissioned in the Diocese of Down and Dromore
Congratulations to the three new Diocesan Evangelists commissioned by Bishop David on Sunday evening 25 February. The commissioning took place in the shadow of Belfast’s famous Harland and Wolf cranes at The Gathering in St Martin’s Church.
Pictured right to left with Bishop David are Justin McMinn (The Gathering), Sarah Irwin (St John’s Lurgan) and Paul Hawkins (Glen Community Church).
Our Warden of Evangelists, Capt George Newell, and Archdeacon Jim Cheshire who gave the address, complete the line–up.
Down & Dromore news: Three Diocesan Evangelists commissioned: Congratulations to the three new Diocesan Evangelists commissioned by Bishop David on Sunday evening 25 February. The commissioning took place in the shadow of Belfast’s famous Harland and… https://t.co/UZynvrVZ7y pic.twitter.com/aTeuXSrgrk
— Church of Ireland (@churchofireland) February 28, 2024
(Natl Catholic Register) Raymond J. de Souza–A Bleak Year for Christian Unity Concludes
Early in 2023, the Anglicans in England approved liturgical prayers at same-sex civil marriages, while not permitting same-sex marriages in the Church of England itself. This led to a decision by Anglican archbishops in the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to break off communion with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The bishops of the Global South Fellowship said that they are “no longer able to recognize” Welby as “first among equals,” because the Church of England’s General Synod made decisions that “run contrary to the faith and order of the orthodox provinces in the communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock.”
That was one of the most important religious stories of 2023, but it did not get the attention it deserved. Welby serenely crowned King Charles in May as if nothing had changed, even though the Anglican Communion was in tatters and he was left, in effect, leading a small minority of global Anglicans.
Makes the heart sad–A Bleak Year for Christian Unity Concludes| National Catholic Register https://t.co/sPa91150Kz #romancatholic #popefrancis #justinwelby #globalisation #ecumenism #21stc #theology #anthropology #marriage #ethics #globalsouth
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 22, 2024
A Must not Miss–Bishop Festo Kivengere’s account of the Martyrdom of Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum
In Uganda, during the eight years in the 1970’s when Idi Amin and his men slaughtered probably half a million Ugandans, “We live today and are gone tomorrow” was the common phrase.
We learned that living in danger, when the Lord Jesus is the focus of your life, can be liberating. For one thing, you are no longer imprisoned by your own security, because there is none. So the important security that people sought was to be anchored in God.
As we testified to the safe place we had in Jesus, many people who had been pagan, or were on the fringes of Christianity, flocked to the church or to individuals, asking earnestly, “How do you prepare yourself for death?” Churches all over the country were packed both with members and seekers. This was no comfort to President Amin, who was making wild promises to Libya and other Arab nations that Uganda would soon be a Muslim country. (It is actually 80 per cent Christian)….
It became clear to us through the Scriptures that our resistance was to be that of overcoming evil with good. This included refusing to cooperate with anything that dehumanizes people, but we reaffirmed that we can never be involved in using force or weapons.…we knew, of course, that the accusation against our beloved brother, Archbishop Janani Luwum, that he was hiding weapons for an armed rebellion, was untrue, a frame-up to justify his murder.
The archbishop’s arrest, and the news of his death, was a blow from the Enemy calculated to send us reeling. That was on February 16, 1977. The truth of the matter is that it boomeranged on Idi Amin himself. Through it he lost respect in the world and, as we see it now, it was the beginning of the end for him.
For us, the effect can best be expressed in the words of the little lady who came to arrange flowers, as she walked through the cathedral with several despondent bishops who were preparing for Archbishop Luwum’s Memorial Service. She said, “This is going to put us twenty times forward, isn’t it?” And as a matter of fact, it did.
More than four thousand people walked, unintimidated, past Idi Amin’s guards to pack St. Paul’s Cathedral in Kampala on February 20. They repeatedly sang the “Martyr’s Song,” which had been sung by the young Ugandan martyrs in 1885. Those young lads had only recently come to know the Lord, but they loved Him so much that they could refuse the evil thing demanded of them by King Mwanga. They died in the flames singing, “Oh that I had wings such as angels have, I would fly away and be with the Lord.” They were given wings, and the singing of those thousands at the Memorial Service had wings too.
–Festo Kivengere, Revolutionary Love, Chapter Nine
Archbishop Janani Luwum was killed #onthisday in 1977 after protesting against acts of violence carried out by the security services in his native Uganda.
He is one of ten 20th-century Christian martyrs whose statues stand above the Abbey's West Door:https://t.co/U8m2V4sagr pic.twitter.com/2hWnmftUjL
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) February 17, 2024
A Prayer for the Feast Day of Janani Luwum
O God, whose Son the Good Shepherd laid down his life for the sheep: We give thee thanks for thy faithful shepherd, Janani Luwum, who after his Savior’s example gave up his life for the people of Uganda. Grant us to be so inspired by his witness that we make no peace with oppression, but live as those who are sealed with the cross of Christ, who died and rose again, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.O God, whose Son the Good Shepherd laid down his life for the sheep: We give thee thanks for thy faithful shepherd, Janani Luwum, who after his Savior’s example gave up his life for the people of Uganda. Grant us to be so inspired by his witness that we make no peace with oppression, but live as those who are sealed with the cross of Christ, who died and rose again, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today we join the rest of the world to honour a figure of the Church, the voice of people and communities in Uganda, Archbishop Janan Lawum.
Archbishop Janan Lawum teaches to speak truth to power always, a character that can open very many doors.@JanetMuseveni @JanetMuseveni pic.twitter.com/uf35qvAHfx
— Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) (@unsaugofficial) February 16, 2024
(Church Times) Ukrainian mood dour but determined, says Archbishop Justin Welby
The Archbishop of Canterbury, concluding his five-day visit to Ukraine on Friday, said: “We must long for peace — but not peace that increases the likelihood of more war.”
The UK, he said, “needs to show that we are committed as a nation to justice, to peace, to reconciliation on the basis of security, and respect for international law”, but he was “not capable of trotting out an answer that would probably be wrong” about exactly how this could be achieved.
Asked whether he thought the trip had been worth the time, expense, and risk, he said that he saw it as a “biblical and theological imperative to stand — as much as one is able — with those who are oppressed” and to say: “You’re not forgotten: we love you.”
Our reporter @PhrancisMartin joined the Archbishop of Canterbury @JustinWelby on his pastoral visit to Ukraine last week https://t.co/eE5vplLG7P
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 14, 2024
The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter
Seven Ordained to the Diaconate
“From the moment I entered the cathedral, my heart soared with joy,” said the now-Rev. Scott Poelker, one of seven ordained to the diaconate at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul on January 27. “It felt like I was carried aloft by the household of faith to the banquet of our Lord. I was fed spiritual energy for the task that lies ahead.” Read the full story and view photo gallery.
Bishop Chip Edgar Ordains Seven to the Diaconate https://t.co/H0rYhqPyIg #anglican #parishministry #southcarolina #lowcountrylife #deacons #service pic.twitter.com/w4ycYFcVK2
— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 13, 2024
(Church Times) Stephanie Denning–Hardship is a rural problem, too
Hardship and poverty are often associated more with urban than with rural areas. Rural hardship in the north Cotswolds, for example, is often hidden, because of inequalities and the relative affluence experienced by the majority, and the high levels of tourism in the area.
This is a problem, because the significant minority who experience hardship are more hidden. This means that rural hardship is often not adequately addressed by local and national policy-makers and community leaders.
This is the focus of the exhibition “Hidden Hardship”, which Coventry Cathedral is hosting until 26 February, and which is part of my new participatory research project at Coventry University. This has sought to understand hardship in the north Cotswolds better.
The exhibition consists of illustrations by the artist Beth Waters, based on the research participants’ interviews and diaries of their experiences of hardship and/or responding to hardship. It focuses on people’s experiences of rural hardship, their coping strategies, and the barriers to their improved well-being.
Read it all (registration or subscription).
Hardship is a rural problem, too
In areas that appear more affluent, poverty is often hidden, writes @SJ_Denninghttps://t.co/8T0KmRxzFZ
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 9, 2024
(Church Times) C of E General Synod asked to tackle bullying behaviour by lay people in church
LEGAL sanction, including the possibility of disqualification from holding office, is necessary to address bullying by lay officer-holders, a motion set to be debated by General Synod this month argues.
The private members’ motion, brought by the Archdeacon of Blackburn, the Ven. Mark Ireland, asks the Synod to recognise “the serious pastoral problems and unfairness that arise while clergy can be subject to penalties for bullying that include prohibition and removal from office but there is no means of disqualifying a churchwarden, PCC member, or other lay officer who is guilty of bullying from holding office”.
It asks the Archbishops’ Council to “bring forward legislative proposals which would enable a churchwarden, PCC member, or other lay officer who was found to have conducted him-or herself in such a manner to be disqualified from holding office”.
Two motions set to be debated at Synod this month tackling bullying by lay officers and destructive behaviour on PCCs. Bishops said to be reluctant to recommend some parishes ‘knowing that a series of previous incumbents have been hounded out of office’ https://t.co/Cc0aAGaI9Z
— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) February 9, 2024
(Church Times) Bishop challenges former Home Secretaries’ talk of churches’ ‘facilitating’ bogus asylum claims
Christians have a duty “to follow the example of Jesus, who, throughout the Bible, focuses his love and care on the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society”, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, has said.
She was writing in The Daily Telegraph on Monday in response to comments from senior political figures — including two former Home Secretaries, Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel — who have questioned the involvement of churches and members of the clergy in the asylum process.
The subject came to the fore after it was reported that the suspect in last week’s alkali attack in Clapham, south-west London, submitted that he had converted to Christianity before his asylum claim was approved (News, 2 February). The suspect, Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, is an Afghan national who is believed to have arrived illegally in the UK in 2016 and to have received support from church communities for his application to settle in the country.
Read it all (registration or subscription).
Bishop challenges former Home Secretaries’ talk of churches’ ‘facilitating’ bogus asylum claims https://t.co/TMxbAqT8IE
— Simon Sarmiento (@simonsarmiento) February 6, 2024
(Church Times) Researcher Michael Carter finds red-letter day for Thurstan, 12th-century Archbishop of York
A scholar who has studied a 15th-century manuscript suggests that a former Archbishop of York, Thurstan (1114-40), was more highly venerated than historians have generally thought him to have been: in fact, a saint’s day would have been observed for him by monks in the first week of February.
The senior properties historian for English Heritage, Dr Michael Carter, made the discovery in the archives of King’s College, Cambridge. In a reference in a manuscript from Pontefract Priory, St Thurstan appears in a calendar of saints’ days observed at the monastery (King’s College MS 31 fol 3v).
The entry for 6 February, translated from Latin, reads: “Death of Saint Thurstan, archbishop of York, year of grace, 1140” It has also been written in red ink — a sign of its significance to the monks at that time.
Read it all. (registration or subscription)
🔴 Britain’s lost saint discovered in ancient manuscript.
Thurstan, 12th century Archbishop of York, shown to have been honoured at saints’ feast days proving for first time he had been canonised https://t.co/FIO4J1rkzk
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 4, 2024