Articles in "All"

The House of Bishops of the General Synod of the Church of England is scheduled to meet in private session next week to review the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordinartion of Women) Measure debated by General Synod at its February 2012 session.

On May 21 and 22 the bishops will respond to the motion adopted by the February meeting of General Synod that the House of Bishops review the safeguards for those, who for theological reasons, are not able to receive the ministry of women bishops.

The House of Bishops of the Church in Wales has rejected calls for the reintroduction of a flying bishop for its members opposed to women clergy.

In a paper given to last month’s meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, the bishops said that while they wish to “uphold the principle of respect for those, who in conscience, cannot accept that women can be ordained to holy orders,” they would not permit the creation of any legal structures to safeguard these principles.

Bishop Bauerschmidt of Tennessee walks a fine line between his role in suing St. Andrew's, Nashville, for its property on the grounds that ECUSA is "hierarchical", and his role in Communion Partners, whose members take the opposite stance.

The Archbishop of Kenya has withdrawn from the Anglican Mission in America’s (AMiA) College of Consultors.  Sources within the AMiA and in the Anglican Church of Kenya tell Anglican Ink Archbishop Eliud Wabukala has written to Bishop Chuck Murphy withdrawing his patronage from the organization.

While in London, we had the opportunity to talk at length together about the continuing turbulence from the separation of the Anglican Mission in America from its founding church, the Anglican Church of Rwanda. The House of Bishops of Rwanda has recently declared the establishment of a Missionary District in North America (PEARUSA) as its only continuing work on this continent and has offered a deadline of August 31 for clergy and churches to determine their future jurisdiction. There are three options available: remain with Rwanda through PEARUSA, transfer to another Anglican jurisdiction through letters dimissory, or follow the Anglican Mission into its new venture. Provision and procedure for each of these options is available or is being developed as rapidly as possible. 

Church leaders in India have joined the call made by Catholic and Orthodox leaders in Europe to condemn the call to tear down all Christian churches in the Arabian Peninsula made by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.

The All Indian Christian Council (AICC) said the comments made by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah were “bigoted” and “dangerous” for the millions of Christians living Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states.

Calls for presidential term limits have led to death threats against a Ugandan bishop.

In a sermon delivered on Easter Sunday at St Stephen’s Church in Kisugu, the Assistant Bishop of Kampala, Dr. Zac Niringiye said he was stepping down from office to campaign for the restoration of presidential term limits in Uganda’s constitution.  In 2005 the Uganda’s constitution was altered, removing the two term limit, effectively allowing President Yoweri Muzeveni to remain in office.

The Anglican Province of the Congo has given the Anglican Mission in America a temporary home while it seeks to find a permanent place within the Anglican Communion.

... The Congolese archbishop told Anglican Ink “we have finally agreed to temporarily welcome AMiA in our Province as a result of a fruitful discussion as a first step of our ongoing dialogue.”

 it is a particular joy to report the good news that our goal has now been realized. This week, I received an official letter from Archbishop Henri Isingoma of the Anglican Church of the Congo, receiving me as a Bishop of the House of Bishops in his Province and offering us a new canonical residence.

The Bishop of Monmouth has voiced concern over the illicit celebration of black magic rituals in churches and graveyards performed by devotees of Wicca in Wales.

In an interview with WalesonLine, Bishop Dominic Walker said that the rise in popularity in the occult and wicca may have led to a rise in break-ins.  “Churches get disturbed and you can see someone’s carried out a ritual in a graveyard,” the bishop said.

But there is more, much more.  The tomb is empty. “He has been raised, as he said.”  They are invited to see the place where the body had lain.  They are given a message.  (Forget the spices and the ointments.)  “Go tell his disciples.”  It hadn’t been about the stone after all…or about a dead body.  The crucifixion wasn’t the last word.  Not at all.  They had mis-read what God was up to.  Yes they were being faithful, but their plan – their challenge – was much too small.  Fear – a different kind of fear – and great joy are now theirs.  They hadn’t run from their problem, from their grief, but had headed straight into it.  Now everything was changed.  So now they run with a different purpose.  They are bearers of the greatest good news of all time.  And suddenly he himself meets them:  “Greetings!”  They fall and worship, and so do we.  And his last words to them are “Go and tell.”  We, too, now fall and worship.  Our next step is to go and tell. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams says that the ultimate test of the Christian religion is not whether it is useful, beneficial or helpful to the human race but whether or not its central claim – the resurrection of Jesus Christ – actually happened.