The fire that started in the popular hiking destination of Waldo Canyon west of town has consumed more than 19,000 acres and 346 houses. It has taken the efforts of 1,008 firefighters to reach only 10 percent containment. Now, tragically, it has claimed a life, as well as led to some 32,000 people being evacuated.

I am one of them, and I can tell you what it is like.

Read it all

Also: CNN: Colorado city looks to Obama for aid as fire turns deadly
and White House: President Obama Signs Colorado Disaster Declaration
Please pray for those affected including the response teams

In this week’s Anglican Unscripted Kevin and George discuss the Arab Apocalypse and the effects on the Anglican Church in Egypt. Also, the two June Birthday boys discuss General Convention and the illogical musings of Rowan Williams. Alan Haley delves into the mess we call the Supreme Court and special guest Bishop Dan Martins gives us a sneak peak on GC2012. #AU44
from here

The Ordinariate has paid back a £1-million grant it received from the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament (News, 8 July 2011) after the Charity Commission ruled that the payment was “unauthorised”.

The Commission announced the conclusion of its investigation of the grant yesterday. Its statement says that the decision to make a grant to the Ordinariate, a Roman Catholic body for former Anglicans, “was taken at an inquorate meeting, the majority of the trustees having a (financial) personal interest in the decision” and was “in breach of the charity’s governing document”.

Since the meeting was inquorate, it says, the decision to award the money was “invalid. There was no valid exercise of the power to make a gift to the Ordinariate and the payment was unauthorised.”

Read it all and the Charity Commission case report is here

On Thursday the 24th of May, Bishop Mouneer met with former President of the United States Jimmy Carter. They discussed the situation in Egypt, and Bishop Mouneer shared about the role and ministry of the Anglican Church in Egypt.

Bishop Mouneer presented President Carter with a booklet about the new Harpur Memorial Hospital in Sadat City (see below). President Carter gave Bishop Mouneer a copy of his book “Through the Year with Jimmy Carter” a book of reflections drawn from his 30 years of experience teaching Sunday School classes.

After this meeting, Bishop Mouneer and President Carter went to the Coptic Orthodox Patriachate in Abbasiyia to meet with leaders of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Coptic Catholic Church.

Peace and Reconciliation
The Story Began Here…Two people (President Sadat of Egypt, and President Carter of USA) committed to reconciliation and who were ready to put their lives at risk to bring peace. One of the outcomes of the 1979 Camp David Accord, the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, was the creation of Sadat City, the city of peace.

The Fruits of this Peace are”¦.

Harpur Memorial Hospital in Sadat City; a practical interfaith dialogue and a tool to bring peace among faith communities.

Read it all

The Venerable Dr Daniel Silvanus Mensah Torto was ordained the ninth Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Accra this weekend, but the Church of the Province of West Africa is yet to elect a new Primate.

Commenting on erroneous media reports that Bishop Torto would automatically become Primate on the current Archbishop’s retirement, the Provincial Secretary the Revd Canon Fr Anthony Eiwuley told ACNS that the election of a new Archbishop would take place in September.

“The reports were incorrect. The journalists just assumed that whoever is Bishop of Accra also becomes the new Primate. We are yet to elect an Archbishop,” he said. “We will meet in September to do this and the Primate steps down in October.”

Read it all.

A short stop motion film by Tyler Nicolson, music by Chris Adriaanse–Watch it all.

A return visit
…the world famous Westminster Abbey choir is here in the Vatican this week to sing alongside the Sistine Chapel choir at the Papal Mass for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on Friday morning. In issuing the invitation, Pope Benedict stressed that such an event may serve to encourage the enriching mutual exchange of gifts between the two liturgical and cultural traditions.

To find out more about the choir’s history and about the programme of events for this visit, Vatican Radio’s Philippa Hitchen spoke to the Dean of Westminster Abbey, Rev Dr John Hall”¦..

Read and listen to it all

Update: Westminster Abbey Choir in St Peter’s this morning with the Sistine Chapel Choir

from here where there are more videos

Angela Merkel took a tough stance ahead of the EU summit, insisting she would not make concessions. But Italy and Spain broke the will of the iron chancellor by out-negotiating her in the early hours of Friday morning. Germany caved in to demands for less stringent bailouts and direct aid to banks.

Mario Monti was so relieved that he even spoke about football. He is proud and happy that the Italian national team defeated Germany in the semi-finals of the European Football Championship, the Italian prime minister said in the early hours of Friday morning after the marathon night of European Union summit meetings. Given that Monti isn’t much of a soccer fan, Italian journalists saw his comments as a veritable emotional outburst.

With good reason. Monti emerged from the late-night negotiations as a clear victor, having broken Chancellor Angela Merkel’s resistance just as Italian striker Mario Balotelli cracked the German defense on the pitch in Warsaw earlier in the evening. In 15 hours of negotiations in Brussels, Monti together with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy secured easier access to the permanent euro-zone bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)….

Read it all.

They kept their decision confidential. Not one leak, Not one semi-sliver of a little detail released prematurely. Lips sealed.

It has a role, and, yes, it can be done–even today. Confidentiality, secrets, limits that should not be breached–these things matter.

Hooray for them–it is one of the reasons there is so much surprise.

Say what you want about the actual decision, but this aspect of its handling deserves real praise–KSH.

Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified thee by their martyrdom: Grant that thy Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by thy Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

O God, who hast willed that the gate of mercy should stand open to the faithful: Look on us, and have mercy upon us, we beseech thee; that we who by thy grace are following the path of thy will may continue in the same all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people contended with Moses, and said, “Would that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them, and the LORD said to Moses, “Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water; so you shall bring water out of the rock for them; so you shall give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” These are the waters of Mer’ibah, where the people of Israel contended with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them.

–Numbers 20:1-13

Congratulations to them they played well; Buffon is quite the goalie.