Prince of Wales pays tribute to Australian and British war dead: The Church of England Newspaper, July 30, 2010 p 6 July 30, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Arms Control/Defense/Peace Issues, Church of England, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Ninety four years after they were buried in a mass grave, 250 British and Australian soldiers were re-interred in a memorial service in the French village of Fromelles on July 19.
The Prince of Wales dedicated the new Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery for the British and Australian dead, whose bodies were discovered by an amateur historian on the edge of a small wood in 2008.
“I am profoundly humbled by the outstanding bravery of these men, who fought so valiantly,” Prince Charles said.
On July 19, 1916, a combined British and Australian force sought to retake a salient in the German lines north of the German-occupied village of Fromelles, 10 miles from Lille. The night attack by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the first Australian action on the Western Front in the war, and was designed to draw German forces away from the Battle of the Somme taking place 50 miles to the south. Following eleven hours of artillery bombardment the Australians went over the top at 6:00 pm. While some units were able to reach their objectives, the attack failed to break through the German machine gun emplacements.
When the attack was called off the next day, 1,500 British and 5,533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner in what the Australian War Memorial described as the “worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire history.”
The Germans, among whose troops that day was a Corporal Adolf Hitler, buried the Allied dead on their side of the lines in a mass grave, which was only found in 2008 by an amateur historian exploring the battlefield area. Forensic analysis have identified the remains of 96 of the soldiers by name, while 109 have been confirmed to have belonged to the Australian and 3 to the British army. The remaining 42 have been classified as unknown, the organizers said.
Monday’s ceremony began when the coffin of the last soldier was borne from the grave site by the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The procession journeyed through the village of Fromelles, and was met by the Prince of Wales, the Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce, Chief of the General Staff General Sir David Richards, Australian Army Chief Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, and soldiers from the British and Australian Armies for a memorial service at the cemetery.
Catholic outrage over plans to keep the Act of Settlement: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 6. July 28, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Politics, Roman Catholic Church.comments closed
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Roman Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Catholic leaders in Scotland have denounced the coalition government’s plans to leave intact the 1701 Act of Settlement, which bans the monarch from marrying a Roman Catholic.
“When a monarch is free to marry a Scientologist, Muslim, Buddhist, Moonie or even Satanist but not a Catholic, then there’s something seriously wrong,” said Scottish Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell.
In a written answer given to the House of Commons on June 30, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office, Mr. Mark Harper stated “there are no current plans to amend the laws on succession”
Bishop Devine, who during the General Election had urged Catholics not to vote Labour due to their social policies, expressed outrage over the Cameron government decision.
“What trust and confidence can we have in such a leader? He is barely two months into government and is already showing alarming signs of the arrogance and disdain so often associated with power,” he said according to the Scotsman.
On July 12 the Scotsman also reported that Cardinal Keith O’Brien said that it was “quite ironic that the two parties in coalition have both branded themselves champions of equality but have commenced their ‘era of equality’ by sending a clear message to the Catholic community that they are to be the exception.”
Passed by Parliament in 1701 the Act forbids the sovereign from marrying a Roman Catholic and requires the monarch to “join in communion with the Church of England.”
On July 1, 2010 the member for Rhondda, Chris Bryant (Lab.) pressed Mr. Harper to defend the government’s decision not to act. Mr. Bryant noted the Catholic Church in Scotland was strongly opposed to the current law.
Mr. Harper responded that this was true, however, it was not a position held by all Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom. The previous Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, said that he thought that the Act of Settlement was “discriminatory. I think it will disappear, but I don’t want to cause a great fuss,” while the current Archbishop of Westminster has said “I wouldn’t rush to support such a change in the law. I think that the position of the Queen and the monarchy is to be handled with great sensitivity”.
Mr. Bryant responded that the “Catholic cardinals in Scotland have asserted very forcefully that they believe the law is entirely discriminatory and should be changed, and many prelates in the Church of England have also said it should be changed.”
The minister replied that Cardinal O’Brien in Scotland was “much firmer about wanting to move quickly on this. However, this merely highlights the complexity of the debate. There is not even a single clear view within the Catholic Church in these islands. Some very significant Catholics think that the law should be changed, but should not be rushed or done in a way that causes the monarchy difficulty,” he said.
YMCA adopts new name and logo in the US: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 July 27, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Mission Societies/Religious Orders.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Y.M.C.A has adopted a new name and logo in the United States in a bid to reinvigorate flagging membership and to be more inviting to a changing cultural base.
Following two years of market research the Chicago-based organization has renamed itself “the Y” and will adopt a threefold corporate mission to “reach into communities to nurture the potential of youth and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to support neighbors.”
Founded in England in 1844 as the Young Men’s Christian Association, in 1967 its name was changed in the US to the Y.M.C.A. The new change of name, however, does not reflect an abandonment of its Christian principals its officers told a July 12 press conference in Washington, but speaks to the organization’s mission in the 21st century.
“Our mission remains the same – to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. We are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y,” the organization said in a press handout.
“This is a very important, exciting time for the Y,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of the Y.M.C.A. of the USA. “For 160 years, we’ve focused on changing lives for the better. Our commitment to building greater awareness for the important work we do will enable us to expand our efforts and further strengthen communities across the country” he said.
The American branch of the Y.M.C.A. serves 21 million members in 2,687 branches across the country. Its membership has been flat since 2007, and the new name, logo and corporate focus seek to boost the charity’s name awareness.
“We are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y,” said Kate Coleman, chief marketing officer of YMCA of the USA. “We are simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that it is immediately apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being and support our neighbors and the larger community.”
Islamists target soccer fans in terror attack in Uganda: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 6. July 26, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of Uganda, Terrorism.comments closed
Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Archbishop of Uganda has called for restraint in the wake of two suicide attacks launched by Islamist militants in Kampala, which killed 74 and has left dozens injured.
Archbishop Henry Orombi called upon Ugandans to “desist from anger and revenge; this will only perpetuate the pain we already feel. Revenge is not a solution and neither is a sectarian approach to this problem helpful.”
He urged Ugandans to “instead now focus our energies on being a part of the fight against terrorism in our country.”
On the evening of July 11, bombs were detonated at an Ethiopian Restaurant and at the Kyadondo Rugby Club in Kampala while the two were packed with revelers watching the World Cup Final.
The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab is believed to be behind the attack, which analysts say was launched in retaliation for Uganda’s support of the interim government in Mogadishu. Somali Islamists have also denounced soccer as un-Islamic and forbidden by the Koran.
A fatwa banning soccer was issued in 2003 by the Saudi Wahhabist cleric Abdallah Al-Najadi. His 40 page ruling, the MEMRI news service reported, held that Muslims may not play soccer unless the game is altered to eliminate fouls, penalties, short pants, and the use or red and yellow cards. In June two Somalis were murdered as they watched a televised World Cup match for violating the ban.
However, the Muslim world is not united in its condemnation of soccer. On June 21 the London-based Arab language newspaper al-Hayat published an editorial denouncing the ban. Editor Jamil Al-Thiyabi stated that these fatwas reflected a crisis in the Islamic world, where the legitimate Islamic institutions do nothing about extremist groups that are forcing their will upon society.
On July 12, a government spokesman said arrests have been made, and an un-exploded suicide vest packed with detonators and shrapnel was found in Kampala.
An Irish woman was among the dead at the restaurant reported Reuters, while the US embassy said a 25-year old American working for a California-based NGO, Invisible Children, which rehabilitates child soldiers, was among those killed at the rugby club. The vice-chancellor of Uganda Christian University, Prof. Stephen Noll, said one alumnus was killed, as were three members of the family of one of the school’s staff members.
Archbishop Orombi said “this act of malice and hatred towards mankind is completely ungodly, especially towards innocent and unsuspecting persons. I condemn this act in the strongest terms possible and hope to see the perpetrators of this hideous crime brought to justice.”
“To the bereaved, I extend my sincere condolences. We share in your pain and wish you God’s comfort during this difficult time.”
“And to the entire nation, I ask you to fix your eyes on the cross of Jesus. The cross is a reminder of human cruelty to an innocent person; the agony of pain He went through enables Him to share in our pain as well. He had to pay a price for us to receive our freedom. The blood of the Ugandans spilled on Sunday will bring to Ugandans peace,” the archbishop said.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni condemned the attackers and said his country would not “run away” from its commitments in Mogadishu.
“People who are watching football are not people who should be targeted. If they want a fight, they should go and look for soldiers.”
Foreign Secretary William Hague offered Britain’s condolences, and denounced the bombing. “These were cowardly attacks during an event that was widely seen as a celebration of African unity, and I condemn them in the strongest possible terms. The UK will stand with Uganda in fighting such brutal acts of violence and terror.”
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor condemned the terrorist bombing. “The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed or injured,” he said.
Vatican in the red for 2009: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 6. July 25, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Roman Catholic Church.comments closed
The Colonnade of St. Peter's Square. Restoration work on the Colonnade and the papal basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary Major led to a multi-million pound deficit for the Vatican City in 2009.
First published in The Church of England Newspaper
The Vatican ran a £3.4 million deficit in 2009, the consolidated financial statements for the Holy See report.
The financial statements for the Vatican, which are independent of the financial statements of the Catholic Church’s various dioceses, religious orders and charitable entities, were presented to the 45th meeting of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Problems of the Holy See.
A statement released after the close of the July 7-9 meeting, chaired by Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reported that income in 2009 was €250,182,364 (£209,683,000) and expenditures were €254,284,520 (£213,120,000).
Cardinal Bertone reported the bulk of the Vatican’s expenses were for salaries and the “ordinary and extraordinary expenses of the dicasteries and offices of the Holy See, which employ 2,762 people of whom 766 are ecclesiastics, 344 religious and 1,652 lay people.”
The cardinals also learned that the Vatican City State showed a loss of €7,815,183 (£6,550,000) for operations last year. However, last year’s figures were an improvement over 2008, which saw a €15,000,000 loss.
The communiqué from the meeting noted the Vatican City State carried a “considerable economic and financial burden” for “protecting, evaluating and restoring the artistic heritage of the Holy See,” citing restoration work on the Colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, and renovations of the papal basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary Major.
“Equally high costs were sustained for the internal security of Vatican City State and for important restructuring work in the Vatican Apostolic Library, which is due to reopen this September,” the statement said.
Significant sources of outside income came from “Peter’s Pence”, offerings made by Catholics around the world for the support for the Pope. In 2009 offerings totalled €65,688,141 (£55,055,000), with the US, Italy and France contributing the most funds.
Donations from overseas bishops provided €25,066,541, while the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) contributed a further €50,000,000.
Germany’s first woman bishop resigns in wake of clergy abuse scandal: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 6. July 24, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Church of England Newspaper, EKD.comments closed
Bishop Maria Jepsen of Hamburg
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The first woman elected to serve as a Lutheran bishop has resigned, following allegations of failing to investigate cases of sexual abuse in her diocese.
The Bishop of Hamburg, Rt. Rev. Maria Jepsen, who in 1992 was elected leader of the North Elbian Lutheran Church and became the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany’s (EKD) first woman bishop, resigned on July 16, telling reporters she could not continue in office with her integrity in doubt.
A diocesan committee has been investigating allegations that a pastor in the town of Ahrensburg had molested approximately 20 children in the 1980s. Bishop Jepsen said she had only become aware of cases in March of this year when she received a letter from one of the victims.
However, the news magazine Der Spiegel and the newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt have contradicted these claims, stating the bishop knew of the priest’s suspected behavior in 1999.
“My credibility has been contested,” Bishop Jepsen told reporters in Hamburg. “For that reason, I do not see myself in a position to continue to spread God’s word as I had promised.”
The head of the EKD Bishop Nikolaus Schneider, said he respected Jepsen’s decision.
“Jepsen has always shown a clear understanding that the victims’ needs come first,” he told a press conference. “It shows that the Protestants are ready to accept responsibility for what has happened without trying to protect themselves.”
Clergy child abuse cases involving Roman Catholic Church have been much in the news in Germany and have led to the resignation of one bishop this year. The head of the EKD, Bishop Margot Kaesmann also resigned earlier this year, after she was arrested for drunk driving.
‘Take a gun to church’ law passed in Louisiana: The Church of England Newspaper, July 23, 2010 p 5. July 23, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Louisiana.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Louisiana clergy may have an incentive to improve the quality of their sermons, for beginning on Aug 15 a new state law will allow parishioners to carry concealed handguns to church.
On July 12, Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law House Bill 1272, the church gun law. Under the terms of the new law, authorized individuals may carry concealed weapons in houses of worship as part of a church security team.
The law requires ministers to inform their congregations that armed individuals are worshiping amongst them, either in a written statement in the service leaflet or in an announcement from the pulpit. Members of God’s security squad in Louisiana must undergo eight hours a year of training and be licensed by their minister as a church security officer.
State representative Henry Burns proposed the bill in the Louisiana legislature arguing that churches in crime-ridden or “declining” neighborhoods need armed protection from thieves. The bill also allows churches to hire uniformed off-duty policemen to serve as security guards during services. The law does not apply, however, to churches who also have schools on their parish grounds.
Louisiana is believed to be the first state to specifically authorized the carrying of concealed weapons in church. Earlier this year, Georgia passed a law that allows churchgoers to carry concealed weapons in the parking lots of churches.
The Louisiana law follows a June 28 decision by the US Supreme Court that overturned local government gun-control laws. In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court held the US Constitution’s Second Amendment provision that grants the right to bear arms to Americans extends to all states and local governments. It struck down a 28-year old Chicago city ordinance banning the possession of handguns.
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has not seen the need to arm its members, however. A spokesman for Bishop Morris Thompson told The Church of England Newspaper the bishop was “disappointed some believe there is a need to carry guns into a house of worship”
In a statement released after the Bill was passed by the legislature on June 20, Bishop Thompson said the diocese believed the “need to carry weapons into worship seems inappropriate.”
“However, we have not seen the final bill that has been passed and we will need time to study this piece of legislation before we can respond further.”
First Latin American woman bishop dies: The Church of England Newspaper, July 16, 2010 p 5. July 23, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Cuba.comments closed
The Rt Rev Nerva Cot
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Latin America’s first woman bishop has died. The Episcopal Church reports that the Rt. Rev. Nerva Cot of Cuba died on July 10 due to complications from severe anemia. She was 71.
Bishop Cot became the first woman bishop in Latin America when she was consecrated on June 10, 2007 at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana.
In a statement given to The Church of England Newspaper, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori she was “deeply saddened by the sudden death of Obispa Nerva Aguilera Cot. She was a friend and colleague, and I know the Church in Cuba will miss the gifts she offered, even in retirement. She provided good leadership in the Episcopal Church of Cuba as they began to explore the possibilities of a second diocese. This Episcopal Church holds her, her family, and her colleagues, in our prayers.”
Bishop Cot taught school for 18 years and was an active member of the CDR, the Comités de Defensa de la Revolución, before she was ordained in 1986. In 2007 she told Granma, the Cuban Communist Party’s daily newspaper, that her three great passions were “my family, my church and my homeland.”
Being a loyal Cuban and good Christian was possible, she said. “Trying to guide our children in the midst of a polarized reality; helping them have a Christian education that did not contradict with the times that our nation was going through, was a challenge that we were all able to meet,” the bishop said.
Following the retirement of Bishop Jorge Perera in January 2003, Cuba’s diocesan synod was unable to elect a new bishop. Subsequent elections for a new bishop deadlocked between liberal and conservative factions in the diocese.
The stalemate was broken on Feb 4, 2007 when the Metropolitan Council comprised of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Primate of the Church of the Province of the West Indies appointed Bishop Cot as suffragan bishop of Western Cuba and Bishop Ulises Aguero as suffragan bishop of Eastern Cuba.
In an interview with Reuters following her consecration, Bishop Cot voiced her support for the new teaching on human sexuality made by the Episcopal Church, and said she hoped her appointment would encourage other Latin American Churches to liberalize their views also.
Rules out at ACC: The Church of England Newspaper, July 16, 2010 p 5. July 22, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Consultative Council, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
The Rev. Canon Janet Trisk of South Africa
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Observance of the Anglican Consultative Council’s bylaws are discretionary, a spokesman for the organization tells The Church of England Newspaper, when they are inconsistent with its political agenda.
ACC spokesman Jan Butter told CEN the future membership rules of the organization which seek to promote gender parity take precedence over its existing rules.
However, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s press spokesman tells The Church of England Newspaper, the ACC staff’s views are not the final word on the matter, as the appointment of Bishop Ian Douglas and Canon Janet Trisk to the ACC Standing Committee are under legal review.
Weakened by charges of mismanagement following ACC-14 in Jamaica, the credibility and moral integrity of the ACC Standing Committee is now being questioned over the propriety of seating two members whom critics charge are ineligible to serve.
The Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) reported on July 2 that two new members of the Standing Committee would attend its July 23-27 London meeting. Bishop Paul Sarker, moderator of the Church of Bangladesh and bishop of Dhaka would attend the meeting in place of the President Bishop of the Middle East, Dr. Mouneer Anis of Egypt, who resigned in protest in February.
ACNS also reported that the Rev. Canon Janet Trisk, rector of the parish of St. David, Prestbury, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, had been elected at the December Standing Committee meeting to replace resigned lay member, Ms. Nomfundo Walaza of South Africa.
However, the ACC’s bylaws forbid this appointment as Bylaw 7 states that a lay person must replace Ms. Walaza. When vacancies occur, “the Standing Committee itself shall have power to appoint a member of the Council of the same order as the representative who filled the vacant place,” the bylaws state.
Asked how the appointment could be made in light of the prohibition contained in the constitution, Mr. Butter told CEN the ACC was in the process of adopting new articles of incorporation as it moves from being an “unincorporated charity to becoming a limited company.”
“The appointment of Canon Trisk was made under the terms of the company’s articles which are currently being registered with the Charity Commission. These articles emphasise the need to achieve balance not only between orders, but also between gender and region,” he said, adding the Standing Committee “in December came to the view that balance could best be achieved by appointing Canon Trisk.”
Asked if copies of the proposed new bylaws were available for review, the ACC responded that “discussions about the Articles are still ongoing between the legal advisor and the Charity Commission, so they are not yet available.”
Canon lawyer Mark McCall of the Anglican Communion Institute noted this “explanation does not pass muster. Whatever aspirations they may have concerning selections of new members, the standing committee, like the ACC itself, is required to operate within the scope of the constitution and bylaws that are in effect.”
“They cannot ignore existing rules and anticipate new provisions that may come into effect at some future point. This is in effect a concession that the appointment was ultra vires,” or unlawful, he said.
ACNS also reported that the African member of the Primates Standing Committee, Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda and his alternate, Archbishop Justice Akrofi of West Africa had resigned as well. A spokesman for the Archbishop of Uganda has confirmed to CEN he had resigned.
Last month the ACI voiced its objections to the continuation of Bishop Ian Douglas on the Standing Committee, noting that his consecration as Bishop of Connecticut required that he relinquish his clergy seat on the ACC, and his place on the Standing Committee.
An aide to a senior African primate said the general mood among the Gafcon primates was weariness with the machinations of the ACC. They are so disillusioned with the Communion structures that they have “now taken a hands-off approach and are willing to let them just hang themselves,” CEN was told.
The appointment in the name of diversity of Canon Trisk, a white South African priest and lawyer, to replace a black African lay woman was greeted with amusement by other overseas leaders queried by CEN. At ACC-14 Canon Trisk urged delay in adopting section 4 of the Anglican Covenant, and when that was defeated put forward the amendment to bottle up section four of the Covenant in committee that was successfully carried.
The ACI also noted Canon Trisk does not meet the “recommended criteria” for appointment to the Standing Committee adopted at ACC-6 in 1984. New members of the Standing Committee should be able to attend two further ACC meetings—Canon Trisk has already attended two and is able to attend only one more under the current rules, and provinces that have never been represented on the Standing Committee should be given preference for vacancies. Canon Trisk replaces a fellow South African.
“Are we to understand that there was no lay representative and that Canon Trisk was the only clergy representative available to serve from Africa?” Mr. McCall asked, adding the ACC’s “explanation does nothing to satisfy those concerned that the Standing Committee is unwilling to operate within its legal requirements.”
A spokesman for Dr. Rowan Williams told CEN the archbishop was “aware of these membership issues. The Secretary General has referred them to the legal advisor who will report to the Standing Committee,” she said.
Niger Delta region close to collapse, archbishop warns: The Church of England Newspaper, July 16, 2010 p 6. July 21, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of Nigeria.comments closed
Archbishop Nicholas Okoh
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Civil society in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta region is on the verge of collapse, warned the Archbishop of Nigeria, with the breakdown of law and order reaching levels not seen since the Biafran Civil War.
Archbishop Nicholas Okoh “decried the war situation in Igbo land” the Church of Nigeria News reported following the archbishop’s visit to the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri this month.
If the “wave of wanton destruction is not curbed,” the archbishop said, the region will be “completely ruined.”
“There is no life anymore; no road, no market, no bank, only people shooting up and down and the police seize the opportunity to do anything,” Archbishop Okoh said.
At the age of 17 Archbishop Okoh enlisted as a private soldier in the Nigerian Army and fought with Federal troops during the Biafran or Nigerian Civil War. In 1967 the Igbo-dominated oil rich southeast attempted to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and formed the Biafran Republic. Death estimates during the three-year civil war from disease, malnutrition and in ethnic pogroms range from one to three million.
In recent years the oil rich southeast has been plagued by political instability and a low level guerrilla war waged by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). An amnesty for militants in the delta region was initiated by President Umaru Yar’Adua in July 2009 after the federal government launched a military campaign to route the rebels in May 2009.
The president’s amnesty programme had militants surrender their weapons at collection centres and register for job training. The federal government also promised to return more of the region’s oil revenues to the states to support community development.
While 10,000 militants were expected to take advantage of the programme that also promised a stipend and micro-credit loans, over 17,000 rebels came in from the bush. The government missed the first of the promised payments to the ex-militants, and failed to allocate sufficient resources to carry out the programme.
On April 21 acting President Goodluck Jonathan promised to reinvigorate the amnesty process, which had flagged during President Yar’Adua’s long-term illness, and appointed a new petroleum minister and minister of Niger Delta affairs.
The Nigerian press has reported that while 17,000 militants have turned themselves in, only 2700 guns have been handed over to the government. Archbishop Okoh told the Delta bishops that political instability and corruption had led to young people “carrying guns and shooting people to collect money; business is paralyzed because of kidnapping everything is at standstill.”
The violence was a self-inflicted wound, he said, and the “self destruction must stop.” Archbishop Okoh called upon the chancellors and bishops of the 12 dioceses in Owerri “to use their God given talents and good offices to provide leadership at this critical period.”
Abuse charges against US bishop made public: The Church of England Newspaper, July 16, 2010 p 6. July 20, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Church of England Newspaper, Northwestern Pennsylvania.comments closed
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The bishop of a small rural diocese in the United States has written to his clergy reporting that he had received “four credible allegations of sexual abuse” committed by a former bishop of the diocese, and has asked potential victims to come forward so that the church may “seek healing and reconciliation for those who have been harmed.”
On July 11 the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania asked the clergy in his diocese’s 34 congregations to read a letter concerning the allegations made against the Rt. Rev. Donald Davis.
Bishop Rowe reported that Bishop Davis, who served as the bishop from 1974 to 1991, had molested two girls, aged 9 and 11, at a diocesan summer camp when he was bishop, and abused two other girls “over time” when they were children.
He noted that the allegations against Bishop Davis were reported by his immediate predecessor, Bishop Robert Rowley to Presiding Bishop Edmund Browning in 1993. Bishop Browning requested Bishop Davis resign from the House of Bishops and refrain from exercising his priestly ministry and undergo counseling. The former bishop also agreed to pay some of the counseling costs of his victims. However, the abuse and punishment was never made public.
Bishop Rowe said he decided to go public with the news after one of the victims contacted him in March 2010. “Sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent in any community, and as your bishop, I feel particular pain that one of my predecessors betrayed the trust and innocence of children,” the bishop said.
“On behalf of the church, I offer an abject apology to Bishop Davis’ victims, their families, and everyone whose trust in the church has been violated, and I ask for your forgiveness.”
He pledged that “from now on, this diocese will tell the truth and seek healing and reconciliation for those who have been harmed” and asked “anyone else who may have been abused by Bishop Davis to come forward, publicly or confidentially, to me.”
“The existence of four victims makes it possible that there are others, and we are bound as Christians to seek their healing,” Bishop Rowe said.
The late Bishop Davis had hitherto been remembered as the bishop who on Jan 1, 1977 ordained the first female priest in the Episcopal Church, the Rev. Jacqueline Means, after the Sept 1976 General Convention approved women priests.
Bishop Riah banned: The Church of England Newspaper, July 16 2010 p 6. July 19, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Corruption, Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & the Middle East, Property Litigation.comments closed
The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu al-Assal
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
An Israeli court has banned the former Bishop in Jerusalem from trespassing on diocesan property and has rejected his claims of ownership of a church school in Nazareth.
The three year legal battle over Christ Church School in Nazareth has pitted retired Bishop Riah Abu al-Assal against the current diocesan Bishop Suheil Dawani and has spawned charges and counter charges of fraud and violence.
In its pleadings the Diocese in Jerusalem said that shortly before his retirement in March 2007, Bishop Riah established a charitable trust staffed by members of his family and sought to transfer the assets and administration of the diocese’s Christ Church School over to the “Bishop Riah Educational Campus.”
The diocese said Bishop Riah had collected tuition fees from the students while the school’s expenses, including staff salaries, were being paid by the diocese, and had also asked the CMS to give him a power of attorney over the school property. In his court filings Bishop Riah countered that he had provided the funds for building the school, which employed his son as headmaster, and that he had raised funds for the school in his personal rather than episcopal capacity.
Following attempts at mediation, the diocese brought suit against Bishop Riah and his family trust for possession of the school and the tuition fees, and on Jan 22, 2008 a magistrate court granted the diocese control of the assets pending final adjudication. Last month a final decision was handed down by the Israeli courts on the real estate which denied Bishop Riah all rights and access “without express written permission of the diocesan Bishop Suheil Dawani,” or involvement “at all in any matter, without exception, in the matters of church and the school.”
Earlier this year the primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East released a public letter asking Bishop Riah to return to the diocese the £1 million in school fees he had collected, or explain why he was entitled to keep the money.
In a letter dated March 20, Bishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt said he had been “informed by the Diocese of Jerusalem that Bishop Riah has collected five and a half million NIS shekels (£1 million) in tuition fees from the parents while his son continued as the Principal of the school. I was also informed by the Diocese of Jerusalem that Bishop Suheil, as the newly consecrated Diocesan Bishop, was prevented from entering the school with the members of the Board.”
“If Bishop Riah does not think that the claims of the Diocese of Jerusalem in regards to these funds are true, he should present the evidence of this,” he said.
The battle between the two bishops was a scandal for the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, Dr. Anis said, urging a speedy resolution to the dispute as it was “breaking the heart of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East” and casting the diocese in disrepute.
No plans to amend the Act of Settlement, government says: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 4. July 18, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England, Church of England Newspaper, Politics.comments closed
Mark Harper MP
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The coalition government will not amend the 1701 Act of Settlement that bans the monarch from marrying a Roman Catholic.
In a written answer given to the House of Commons on June 30, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office, Mr. Mark Harper stated “there are no current plans to amend the laws on succession” in response to a query from the member for Glasgow North East, William Bain (Lab.).
Passed by Parliament in 1701 to govern the succession of the monarch, the Act required the sovereign to “join in communion with the Church of England” and settled the throne on the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover—a granddaughter of Charles I, and to exclude the Roman Catholic Stuarts from the throne.
The Act states that all who “shall or may take or inherit the said Crown” may not be “reconciled to, or shall hold communion with, the See or Church of Rome, or shall profess the popish religion, or shall marry a papist.”
In 2001 former Prime Minister Tony Blair raised the issue of repealing the Act of Settlement but did not take the matter forward. In March 2008 Justice Minister Jack Straw told the House of Commons that he understood the Act “is seen as something which is antiquated,” while the Solicitor-General, Vera Baird, told the Sunday Times the following month that the “ban on Catholics” ascending to the throne “should be abolished because it is discriminatory.”
On Nov 24, 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown responded to a question about the law telling the House of Commons that “most people recognise the need for change. Change can only be brought about by not just the UK but all realms where Her Majesty is Queen making a decision to change.”
However, the Labour government took no action and the prime minister did not raise the issue during the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key reported at the time.
Altering the Act of Succession must be approved by the governments where the Queen is the constitutional monarch and sovereign: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu.
On July 1, 2010 the member for Rhondda, Chris Bryant (Lab.) pressed Mr. Harper to defend the government’s decision. Mr. Harper responded that altering the law was “complicated,” adding that a “significant number of pieces of legislation” would have to be “considered, amended or possibly repealed: the Bill of Rights 1689, the Coronation Oath Act 1688, the Act of Settlement 1701, the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the Union with Ireland Act 1800, and the Regency Act 1706.”
The Cameron government believed the Act of Settlement was “part of a political and constitutional settlement with strong historical roots. It does not, of course, prevent those in the line of succession from marrying Roman Catholics; it merely means that if they do so, they will lose their spot in the line of succession,” Mr. Harper said.
“The Act of Settlement is part of the backbone of our constitution, and tinkering with it lightly without thinking through all the changes would have unforeseen consequences,” Mr. Harper said.
The “Government are not saying that there should be no change. We are simply saying that, if we are to undertake change, we need to do it in a careful and thoughtful way,” the minister said and should have “consideration for the consequences not only for the Crown and the succession but for the position of the established Church in this country.”
Indian diocese dissolved: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 6. July 18, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of South India, Corruption.comments closed
Bishop Manickam Dorai
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Church of South India has dismissed the executive council and extended indefinitely a bishop’s involuntary two month leave of absence, pending the outcome of criminal and civil fraud proceedings against the Bishop in Coimbatore, the Rt. Rev. Manickam Dorai.
Meeting in Madras from July 1-2, the executive committee of the CSI’s General Synod, under the chairmanship of Moderator the Most Rev. S. Vasanthakumar, effectively dissolved the Diocese of Coimbatore.
The committee reviewed the criminal and civil cases pending against Bishop Dorai and sifted through the numerous complaints lodged by members of the diocese against their bishop. The bishop and his accomplices are charged with embezzling diocesan funds and taking kickbacks on construction projects amounting to over £500,000.
On May 8, a warrant was also issued for the bishop’s arrest after he failed to appear before a magistrate to answer charges he threatened bodily harm to one of the priests in his diocese. Bishop Dorai was granted bail on the menacing charge on May 10. However, since his release from prison, the diocesan administration has ground to a halt prompting the intervention of the General Synod Executive Committee.
The decision to dismiss the diocese’s executive committee and place the administration of the diocese in the hands of the moderator of the CSI also follows upon the resignation of the diocesan treasurer and the request by its interim bishop Dr. Paul Vasantha Kumar, Bishop in Tiruchy-Thanjavur, that he be permitted to return to his own diocese.
Bishop S. Vasanthakumar announced that he would assume temporary episcopal jurisdiction over the troubled South Indian diocese, and announced the appointment of a financial and administrative team to reorganize the diocese.
The case against Bishop Dorai is presently moving through the Indian courts. On July 2 a petition seeking removal of the case to the Madras Civil Court was filed, with the next hearing scheduled for July 14.
Madras bishop in customs fraud: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 6. July 17, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of South India, Corruption.comments closed
Bishop V Devasahayam
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Indian Customs and Excise has fined the Bishop in Madras £7000 for his part in a scheme to defraud the government of import duties.
The Deccan Chronicle reported the government launched an investigation into Bishop Vedanayagam Devasahayam after receiving a tip that medical equipment donated to the CSI Hospital in Nagari in Andhra Pradesh had been undervalued. The diocese had presented a false manifest to the Department of Revenue that led to an underpayment of import duties.
“The department of revenue intelligence (DRI) received a complaint on the malpractice in the deal some years back. In 2003, DRI forwarded the complaint to [Madras] customs commissioner who ordered a departmental enquiry. Upon investigation it was proved that the consignment was brought here and presented at an undervalued rate,” a government official told the Chronicle.
The diocese was ordered to pay a fine and back duty of almost £675,000 while Bishop Devasahayam was ordered to pay a personal fine of £7000 for his role in the affair. Supporters of the bishop report the fines have been paid, and have accused the bishop’s critics of racism, saying their attacks are motivated by the bishop’s status as a Dalit, or untouchable.
Bishop Devasahayam is also embroiled in a lawsuit before the Indian Supreme Court over his continued status Bishop in Madras.
When appointed Bishop in Madras at age 50, Bishop Devasahayam agreed to remain in office for ten years. When he reached the age of 60, the bishop declined to retire citing church rules that set the age of retirement at 65. Lay members of the diocese brought suit against the bishop, backed by the Executive Committee of the CSI’s General Synod, that sought a court order forcing the bishop to retire.
Last year the trial court ruled in favour of the bishop, which held the CSI was a voluntary association under Indian law and was governed by its by-laws. No one could curtail, annul, amend or modify the canons, except in accordance with the terms of canon law, the lower court held, ruling the ten year term rule imposed upon the bishop was a “manifest illegality.”
However the Madras High Court on Sept 18 overturned the lower court decision, saying in 1999 the CSI Synod “made the appointment for only 10 years, and this was also approved subsequently and informed to Bishop Devasahayam. He also gave his consent in writing.”
“Having accepted the appointment for a period of 10 years, now he cannot be permitted to say that he would continue till 65 years of age,” the High Court held, affirming the dismissal of the bishop.
The bishop filed an appeal to the Indian Supreme Court and on Oct 30, 2009 it issued an order stating Bishop Devasahayam “shall continue as caretaker Bishop,” and ordered an “interim stay of any fresh election process,” pending the final disposition of the case.
As of July 5, 2010 the proceedings remain pending before the Supreme Court.
Mexico backs Anglican Covenant: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 5 July 17, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Covenant, Church of England Newspaper, La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico.comments closed
Archbishop Carlos Touche-Porter of Mexico
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Anglican Church of Mexico has become the first province to endorse the Anglican Covenant, adopting the pan-Anglican agreement on faith and order at its June 11-12 General Synod in Mexico City.
“We are delighted to hear that Mexico has agreed to adopt the Covenant,” ACC secretary general Canon Kenneth Kearon said, calling it a “significant step” for the communion.
“Provinces were asked to take their time to seriously consider this document, and we are glad to hear from recent synods that they are doing just that,” he said.
The adoption of the Covenant by Mexico comes as a surprise to many church watchers as the small province’s leadership has supported the Episcopal Church’s experiments with gay bishops and blessings. The primate of Mexico, Archbishop Carlos Touche–Porter became a patron of Inclusive Church in 2007 and his diocese permits clergy in same-sex relationships to serve in the ministry. “Mexican society is open and tolerant and our church reflects this,” he said.
The former Bishop of Mexico City, Sergio Carranza, who went on to serve as Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles, has also been an aggressive supporter of the gay agenda, and in 2008 said he would “refuse to accept the new religion crafted by some of the power greedy Third World hierarchs and the lunatic fringe of American conservatism” of those who oppose gay bishops and blessings.
Gay marriage has also sharply divided Mexican society. In March, Mexico City’s leftwing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) government allowed Latin America’s first gay marriage. The city’s PRD-dominated Legislative Assembly has recognized civil unions and no-fault divorce, legalized abortion in the first trimester and given terminally ill patients the right to refuse treatment. Gay marriages in Mexico City are recognized across the country but no other state permits them to be performed.
Gay marriage was enacted by the Mexico City against the strident objections of the country’s Catholic Church and the government of President Felipe Calderón and his conservative National Action Party (PAN). When the mayor signed the bill into law last December, Cardinal Norberto Rivera responded the “family is under attack,” and predicted the “perverse” law would cause psychological harm to “innocent children.”
Mexico’s attorney general has filed a challenge with the Supreme Court, arguing that the law violates the constitution. “The constitution of the republic speaks explicitly of marriage between a man and a woman,” Mr. Calderón said in February.
According to the constitution, “men and women are equal under the law,” and “this protects the organization and development of the family,” the president said.
Faith can overcome alcohol abuse, US study finds: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 5. July 16, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Health/HIV-AIDS.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Church attendance lowers the risk of alcohol abuse among teenagers, a study published in the United States has found, even for those who have a genetic pre-disposition for the disease.
In a paper that will appear in the September 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers at the University of Colorado found that “adolescents who are raised to value religious concepts are less likely to develop problems with alcohol use, even in the presence of a genetic predisposition for doing so.”
However, the prophylactic effect of faith on alcohol abuse does not extend to young adults, the study found.
Researchers have long known that neither nature nor nurture by themselves leads to alcoholism, but are influenced by phenotypes, measurable traits or behaviors for the disease that are products of environment and genetics. “Levels of alcohol-related phenotypes, such as frequencies of drinking and intoxication, can be dependent on social background,” explained Dr. Tanya Button, one of the authors of the study.
“For instance, people with a religious background may be less likely to express alcohol-related phenotypes than those from nonreligious backgrounds,” she said. “Furthermore, the influence of genes on these phenotypes also varies according to social background. We also know that genes play a more important role in alcohol-related phenotypes in people from urban backgrounds, unmarried women, and nonreligious individuals than those from rural backgrounds, married women, or those with a religious upbringing.”
The University of Colorado team examined 1,432 pairs of twins and found that “genetic factors could influence problem alcohol use more in nonreligious adolescents than adolescents with a greater religious outlook.”
Faith “exerted a strong enough influence over the behavior of religious individuals to override any genetic predisposition” towards alcoholism, Dr. Button said. However, this was not true for young adults “for whom the genetic influence was consistent across levels of religiosity.”
The Colorado study was “evidence that problem alcohol use in adolescents is subject to controlling influences associated with religiosity, even when genetic risks are present,” Dr. Button concluded.
Bishops asks for forgiveness for Japan’s conquest of Korea: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 6. July 16, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Korea, Church of England Newspaper, Nippon Sei Ko Kai.comments closed
The Most Rev. Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, Bishop of Hokkaido and Archbishop of Japan
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Bishops of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK), the Anglican Church in Japan, have agreed to issue a formal apology to their Korean brethren for their country’s conduct on the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea.
The decision came at the second joint meeting of the Korean and Japanese House of Bishops from June 28-29 on Jeju Island, South Korea. The 11 bishops of the NSKK and the three bishops of the Anglican Church of Korea (SHK) discussed the lingering hostility many Koreans and other East Asians feel towards Japan for its conduct during the Second World War and in its annexation of Korea, Formosa and Manchuria.
The bishops agreed the Japanese church would issue an apology on the occasion of the 100th anniversary. The Japanese bishops also agreed to make a pilgrimage in October to to South Korea’s Ganghwa Island in repentance for their country’s actions.
Japan occupied Korea in 1905 and formally annexed the province on Aug 29, 1910. At the start of the Second World War, English missionaries in Korea were imprisoned by the Japanese and the SHK was incorporated into the NSKK. A Japanese bishop was appointed by the government as Bishop of Chosun.
From 1945 to 1965 there was no communication between the two churches, but following the appointment of the first Korean Anglican bishop dialogue between the churches was opened, and formal relations were established in 1984.
Last year the Korean Mission Partnership, formally the Church of England Mission to Korea, reported that 19 Korean clergy were serving with the NSKK in Japan, both in expatriate Korean congregations and in Japanese Anglican congregations, helping the Japanese church respond to a growing clergy shortage. Three Korean seminarians are currently training in Japan as well.
The first joint meeting of the House of Bishops took place in Paju, near the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea, in 2007. The next meeting has been scheduled for October, 2011 in Okinawa. A joint meeting of clergy and lay leaders from the two churches meet each April
Kashmir peace plea from the Church of North India: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 6. July 15, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of North India, Terrorism.comments closed
Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of Amritsar
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Bishop in Amritsar has written to supporters in the West urging prayer for the people of Kashmir following weeks of anti-government rioting that have left over a dozen dead.
Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy writes that the situation in the disputed Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is grim.
A spokesman for the diocese’s John Bishop Memorial Hospital in Anantnag, the state’s second largest city, reports “the whole of Kashmir is burning. On 29th June two people were killed and two shops, buses, petrol stations were burnt. The situation here has become very serious. Non Kashmiri people have started leaving the valley.”
In Anantnag, hundreds of Muslims defied a police curfew to protest Indian rule over the disputed state, while in Srinagar a dusk to dawn curfew is being enforced by paramilitary police. A general strike has been called by Muslim separatists, closing shops and businesses across the Kashmir valley.
The state’s chief minister Omar Abdullah on June 25 urged calm. “We must work together to find a solution which can lead to lasting peace in Kashmir as per the aspirations of the people.”
At Independence in 1947 the majority Muslim state’s ruler opted to join India, prompting an invasion by Pakistani backed Pathan tribesmen. The ensuing war left the state divided, with the sparsely populated north and west in Pakistani hands, the northeast under Chinese control and the Kashmir valley and neighboring Ladakh under Indian suzerainty . Tens of thousands of Kashmiris have died in the decades old insurgency that has led to two wars between India and Pakistan.
The tempo of protests and violence has increased in recent weeks, the diocese reports. Indian government officials have blamed Pakistan for the unrest, saying its government is supporting the rebels’ bid to destabilize the state.
The valley’s minority Christians have come under the crossfire of both Muslim and Hindu extremists. “Please pray that people, the mob should not turn against us or against our hospital,” the diocese writes.
50 dead in Lahore terror bombing: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 6 July 15, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of Pakistan, Terrorism.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper
Church leaders in Pakistan have denounced the terror attack on a Lahore Sufi shrine that killed 50 and wounded over 200 people.
While no group has so far claimed responsibility for the triple suicide bombing, security analysts believe the attack was launched by Muslim hardliners to terrorize moderate Muslims.
On July 1 two men, whom police believe were in their early twenties, entered Pakistan’s most important Sufi shrine, the Data Ganj Baksh and detonated vests packed with ball bearings, while a third detonated his bomb in the shrine’s courtyard.
Pakistan’s Geo TV reported the first explosion took place at 10:48 pm. Surveillance footage broadcast by Geo TV showed the first attacker entering the main gate with a bag. As he passed through a metal detector, he triggered its alarm. The bomber then ran into the courtyard and set off his charge. The security camera recorded the second attacker entering during the confusion and detonating his charge five minutes later.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called upon the government to stamp out extremism. “It is a matter of grave concern that despite repeated official claims of breaking the back of terrorists, they retain the ability to launch vicious terrorist attacks across the country almost at will,” the commission said on July 2.
“The assault demonstrates the potency of militant groups that the government incessantly repeats operate from sanctuaries in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan,” the statement said.
“Equally frustrating have been clerics’ stock statement that no Muslim can commit such atrocities. Instead of living in denial, the clerics need to reflect on the reasons for religious extremism in Pakistan and the possible consequences and their own contribution to the promotion of intolerance and the cult of violence,” the Human Rights Commission said.
Bishop Alexander Malik, Moderator of the Church of Pakistan, condemned the bombings saying it “is wrong to target innocent people. We stand united as a nation against terrorism and pray for the victims and their families.”
“Targeting places of worship is pure evil and extremely cruel. The government must step up its efforts to maintain peace; it’s a total disaster here,” the Roman Catholic vicar-general of Lahore, Fr. Andrew Nisar told ucanews.com.
Islamists consider Sufism, a moderate sect of Islam, to be heretical, and have vowed to drive them, along with Christians, Hindus and Ahmadi Muslims, out of Pakistan.
Burundi archbishop reelected to second 5-year term: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 5 July 14, 2010
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The Most Rev Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of Burundi and Bishop of Matana
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Burundi has reelected Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi to serve a second five-year term as primate of the East African nation’s church.
At a meeting of the House of Bishops held June 23-24 in Gitega, Archbishop Ntahoturi received the unanimous endorsement of the country’s bishops. “This was a sign of appreciation for his leadership in collegiality with other brother bishops and the whole staff of the Province,” a press release from the church said. His second term will commence on July 17.
Educated at Lincoln College, Oxford, Archbishop Ntahoturi served as chief of staff to the President of Burundi before entering the ordained ministry. He has been active in promoting peace within Burundi and reconciling the warring factions in the Congo and across the Great Lakes region. He serves as a member of the WCC’s Central Committee and as chairman of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith and Order.
Swiss conservative appointed to head Vatican’s ecumenical office: The Church of England Newspaper, July 9, 2010 p 5. July 14, 2010
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Archbishop Kurt Koch of Basel
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has lauded the ministry of Cardinal Walter Kasper on the occasion of his retirement, praising the German cardinal’s unflagging commitment to reconciling Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
Dr. Williams has also extended a welcome to his successor as president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) Archbishop Kurt Koch of Basel.
“Working with Cardinal Kasper in recent years on so many matters of ecumenical concern has been an inestimable pleasure and privilege,” Dr. Williams said on July 1.
“We have been able not only to meet in the setting of official dialogue and exchange between our communions,” he stated, but have “shared platforms in many other contexts – among them Jewish-Christian dialogue, meetings of the L’Arche and Sant’Egidio communities, and on pilgrimage at Lourdes. In all these varied contexts I have profoundly appreciated the warmth and insight of a great theologian who is also a man of prayer and pastoral sensitivity.”
“Anglicans have always been made welcome by Cardinal Kasper in Rome. We have felt ourselves to be received as brothers and sisters in a common faith and mission, notwithstanding the many challenges that arise for ecumenical dialogues in our day. He will be greatly missed by his many friends in the Anglican Communion, not least myself,” Dr. Williams said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury also welcomed the appointment of Archbishop Koch as Cardinal Kasper’s successor, saying he looked forward to working with him.
The 60-year-old Swiss archbishop has been a member of the PCPCU since 2002, and has been part of the Vatican’s dialogue team with the Orthodox and Lutheran churches.
Born in 1950 in Emmenbrucke, Switzerland in 1959, Archbishop Koch was ordained to the priesthood at age 32 and elected bishop of Basel in 1995—three Swiss Roman Catholic dioceses have maintained the right to elect their bishops: Basel, Chur and Sion.
The Swiss archbishop has been a strong supporter of Pope Benedict, and in 2009 wrote a pastoral letter objecting to caricatures of the Roman pontiff made by liberal clergy and media. He rejected claims Pope Benedict sought take the Catholic Church “back to before the Second Vatican Council,” and chastised clergy, including theologian Hans Küng—a priest of the Diocese of Basel—for distorting Benedict’s teaching and the statements of Vatican II.
“Anyone who seeks to understand the Pope now—not just from the media—but also by reading what he writes, would come to the conclusion that he has oriented his entire magisterium on the council,” Archbishop Koch said.
“No office of the Church was given more significance by the council that that of bishop,” he said, asking: “How can we then understand the widespread diminishment in Switzerland of this office of the Church, which is justified by reference to the council? When, for example, Hans Küng denies completely the teaching authority of the bishops, allowing them only the office of pastoral leadership?”
Archbishop Koch admonished Küng and liberal catholic theologians and commentators to “look over their own books and reassess their own personal position on the council. Because not everything that was said and done after the council, was therefore done in accordance with the council,” he said.
Speaking to reporters on July 1, Archbishop Koch thanked Benedict, saying he was “conscious of the great honor and the great responsibility that the Pope has entrusted to me.”
Malmesbury Abbey welcomes returning Afghanistan veterans: The Church of England Newspaper, July 10, 2010 July 11, 2010
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A service of Thanksgiving was held at Malmesbury Abbey on June 29 for the men of 9 Regiment Royal Logistics Corp on their return from deployment in Afghanistan
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire played host to soldiers of 9 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) at a memorial service on June 29, welcoming the troops home following a six month deployment in Afghanistan.
At a ceremony in the town square, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire presented 150 men with campaign medals for their service in Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan, followed by the service of thanksgiving at the Abbey.
The Rev. Andrew Cooper, Senior Chaplain Cotswold Garrison and 2nd Signal Brigade, and the unit’s chaplain, led the service at the abbey church, assisted by the Vicar of Malmesbury, the Rev. Neill Archer, and his assistant, the Rev. Mike Noah, the local chaplain to the Royal British Legion.
“To come home and receive such a massive level of support from the local community is quite amazing, and unique in my twenty plus years service to date,” said Lt. Col. Simon Jordan, the unit’s commanding officer.
During their tour, 9 Regt RLC served with the Theatre Logistics Corp providing British forces with everything from bullets, body armour and medical supplies to fuel, rations, water and welfare facilities and were stationed in Kandahar and Camp Bastion in Helmand province. The Regiment returned from Afghanistan with few casualties, and no deaths or serious injuries.
Founded in 676, Malmesbury Abbey was in continuous existence as a Benedictine monastery until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. A local wool merchant who purchased the abbey lands from the crown gave the abbey church to the town, which continues to use it as the parish church for the community.
Cardinal Kasper retires: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 6. July 10, 2010
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Cardinal Walter Kasper
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Vatican’s chief ecumenical officer, Cardinal Walter Kasper has retired.
On June 28 Cardinal Kasper, the president for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity told a Vatican press conference that “on one hand, at 77 to be retired is something altogether normal, in fact, a liberation.”
“On the other hand, however, I leave a work that I have done with enthusiasm,” he said.
Appointed to head up the Vatican’s ecumenical office by Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Kasper has been a key and at times controversial figure in Anglican – Roman Catholic relations. A onetime assistant to Hans Kung, Cardinal Kasper was considered among Catholic circles to be found on the progressive side of that church.
However, he has warned Anglicans that their pursuit of women bishops, as well as introduction of changes in fundamental moral teaching on human sexuality introduced by the left were driving Catholics and Anglicans farther apart.
In a speech given on Jan 13, 2006 at Ushaw College in Durham, Cardinal Kasper stated that while traditional doctrinal differences were narrowing, the new approaches to ethical questions were pushing the churches ever farther apart such that “we are not able to speak with one voice on these issues to a world that needs to hear.”
“The dividing lines which have unfortunately become evident on ethical issues since the latter half of the last century are therefore not secondary or irrelevant for an understanding of the nature of the church,” he said, as in “touching on holiness, they touch on the essential nature of the church itself.”
The decision by some Anglican Churches to ordain gay clergy and bless same–sex unions was not in conformity with the faith of the Gospel and the early church, he said.
The goal of ecumenism, Cardinal Kasper told the Durham Conference was “a spiritually renewed church, in which the church in its concrete form becomes to the fullest degree that which in its undeveloped nature it always has been and always remains: the one, holy church we profess together in the Apostles’ Creed.”
If Anglicanism cannot add to the Catholic Church’s fullness by speaking with a common voice on hitherto universally agreed ethical standards, its value as an ecumenical partner was questionable, he said.
By the 2008 Lambeth Conference Cardinal Kasper warned that the Anglican Communion had appeared to answer this question as moves by the Church of England to introduce women bishops and the apparent laxity over gay clergy had effectively ended the quest for Roman recognition of the validity of Anglican orders, and closed down meaningful ecumenical dialogue.
The severe fragmentation of the Anglican Communion had also left the Catholic Church wondering “Who will our dialogue partner be?”
However, Cardinal Kasper told reporters this week that the Vatican had not given upon ecumenism. “Dialogue is life,” he said. “Dialogue is an integral part of the life of the Church.”
There is “a solid network of human relationships among Christians that, I am sure, will also be able to resist less favorable events” and represents “a secure basis for further steps forward.”
“The fulcrum and soul of such a vital ecumenism is spiritual ecumenism,” the cardinal said. “The unity of the Church cannot be planned or fabricated.”
“I leave the office with hope, which is not human optimism, but Christian hope,” he reflected. The torch now passes to a new generation that “will surely look at the dialogues undertaken with new eyes.”
Born on March 5, 1933, in Heidenheim, Germany, Walter Kasper was ordained in the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in 1957 and earned a doctorate in theology from the University of Tubingen.
As a graduate student he worked as an assistant to Leo Scheffczyk and Hans Kung, and later taught dogmatic theology and was dean of the theological faculty in Munster and at Tubingen.
In 1989, he was appointed bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart and in 1999 was made secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In 2001 he was made a cardinal and became the president of the Council.
No split in the Anglican Communion, Virginia Supreme Court finds: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 7. July 9, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Property Litigation, Virginia.comments closed
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Virgina Bishop Shannon Johnston
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling permitting congregations affiliated with the Nigerian-backed Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) to quit the Episcopal Church, holding the lower court misinterpreted the state’s “division statute” that allows congregations to quit their church and take their properties with them.
The court found that while a division had taken place within the Episcopal Church, no division had occurred within the Anglican Communion. As such, the move from Virginian to Nigerian oversight did not meet the terms of the state’s Civil War era law on church secessions.
On June 10 the Diocese of Virginia stated it was “gratified by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling.”
“This decision brings us one important step closer to returning loyal Episcopalians, who have been extraordinarily faithful in disheartening and difficult circumstances, to their church homes,” said Bishop Shannon Johnston.
A spokesman for the breakaway parishes said “we are disappointed with today’s ruling and will review it as we consider our options,” but noted “this is not the final chapter in this matter.”
Jim Oakes stated the court’s ruling addressed only “one of our statutory defenses,” and added that the properties in question “are titled in the name of the congregations’ trustees, not in the name of the Diocese or The Episcopal Church. So we continue to be confident in our legal position as we move forward.”
The Supreme Court focused on the language of the “division statute” which states that when a “division” occurs in a “church or religious society,” a majority vote by the congregation will “determine to which branch of the church or society such congregation shall thereafter belong.”
The court rejected the Diocese of Virginia’s contention that a division could only occur if authorized by the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, but found that by voting to join the Church of Nigeria, the breakaway parishes had not joined “branch of the church or [religious] society” from which they had seceded.
Canon lawyer Allan Haley noted that “under the court’s interpretation, the CANA congregations would have had to declare that they remained affiliated in some way with [the Episcopal Church] or the Diocese in order to avail themselves of the statute’s provisions. Under the current leadership” of the Episcopal Church, he noted, “such a step would obviously have been impossible.”
The “practical effect of this decision” Mr. Haley said, “will be to make the provisions of the statute largely inapplicable to divisions occurring within churches with central national structures, unless the split results in two self-governing, autonomous groups.”
On June 18 the breakaway group filed a motion for a rehearing. If the rehearing is rejected the case goes back to the trial court to ascertain and weigh the competing claims found in the language in the church deeds, the parish articles of association, and the relevant provisions in diocesan and national canons as to the ownership of the property. A final adjudication would likely take place in two to three years.
CMS College in India ransacked by Maoist mob: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 8. July 9, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of South India.comments closed
The CMS College in Kottayan
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Bishop in Central Kerala has written a pastoral letter to his Indian diocese denouncing the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) as a “terror outfit” after members of its Student Federation of India (SFI) ransacked the CMS College in Kottayan.
In a June 27 letter read across the diocese, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel called the attack by Communist militants a “challenge to Christian humanism.”
The SFI were a “gang of street goons,” he said, and should be banned by the government “considering its criminal culture”.
On June 16 a mob invaded the 193 year old college, India’s oldest university, breaking furniture, smashing windows and destroying the school president’s offices. Ornamental railings on the schools veranda installed in 1817 were also destroyed in the rampage.
The assault came after the school refused to reinstate a Communist student activist who had been expelled for misconduct during an examination. Party leaders asked the school to reconsider, but the administration refused, prompting retaliation from the student group. Citing police sources, the Times of India reported that most of the attackers where outsiders and known criminals. The SFI justified the attack claiming they were left with no option as the authorities refused to heed their demand even after 50 days of student protests on campus
The opposition Congress Party in the Kerala legislature has seized on the attack as a sign of government indifference to law and order. Political leaders of the Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) travelled to the college after the riot and pledged their support to the administration.
The Kerala diocesan secretary the Rev. Thomas Oommen explained that the college’s internal rules and regulations governed cases of student misconduct, and it was improper for the Communist Party to dictate how it should treat students.
The university rarely turned to the police when dealing with infractions of student regulations, but the attack by the SFI needed a firm response.
In his pastoral letter, the bishop said the that church-run schools, built by British missionaries to spread the “light of letters” could not be thrown into the hands of a few “thugs” in the name of campus freedom.
No decision on gay blessings from Canadian synod: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 6. July 8, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Canada, Church of England Newspaper, Human Sexuality --- The gay issue.comments closed
The Rt. Rev. Michael Bird of Niagara, bishop of one of the three dioceses in Canada where same-sex blesses take place
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Canada’s General Synod has voted not to make a decision on the issue of same-sex blessings. Meeting in Halifax last month, the 350 member triennial meeting of synod adopted a resolution that recognizes that same-sex blessings are being performed in the dioceses of New Westminster, Niagara and Ottawa, but declined to affirm or condemn the innovation.
“We are not prepared to make a legislative decision,” the resolution stated. “Despite all our differences, we are passionately committed to walking together, protecting our common life.”
Archbishop Fred Hiltz told a press conference at the close of the nine-day meeting that the resolution “recognises the reality for what it is in the church right now.”
“We’re not in a position of going back to dioceses where they have made a decision, one way or the other, and say, ‘You must change your mind on this.’ … I can recognize that something has happened in another diocese (however) I may not approve of it,” he said.
In 2002 the Diocese of New Westminster under the leadership of Bishop Michael Ingham instituted gay blessings. The innovation did not have the sanction of the Province of British Columbia and Yukon or the General Synod, but no sanction has been levied against the diocese.
In recent years a number of Canadian dioceses have expressed a desire to institute gay blessings or gay marriage, while others have been steadfastly opposed. A number of congregations and retired bishops have broken away from the Anglican Church of Canada to join the Anglican Network in Canada—a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, while lawsuits over church property are underway in British Columbia and Ontario.
Archbishop Hiltz told the June 11 press conference that synod believed that “now is not the time to force the issue.”
“We’re not ready for that kind of a step. We’ve gone down that road before and we’ve always ended up in state of chaos.”
Police cancel Zimbabwe pilgrimage: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 6. July 8, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Zimbabwe.comments closed
Bishop Chad Gandiya of Harare
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) have broken up a pilgrimage to the shrine of Bernard Mizeki in Marondera by Bishop Chad Gandiya and members of the Diocese of Harare. On June 25, the ZRP blocked the road to the shrine, forcing Anglicans to worship in a field near the memorial to the Nineteenth century African catechist and martyr.
The police intervention comes after the government promised that Anglicans loyal to Bishop Gandiya would be permitted to worship at the shrine over the weekend of June 25-27, after supporters of former bishop Nolbert Kunonga used the shrine the previous weekend.
In a statement printed in the government-backed Harare Herald Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said “people have freedom of worship as enshrined in the Constitution and as a ministry what we can only do is to ensure that there is no violence.
“If anyone tries to disturb them we will intervene. The other group was allowed and they did it peacefully, so why should we not allow the other group to do the same?” the minister said.
However in an email to supporters in the West, Bishop Gandiya stated the ZRP had blocked access to the shrine “in spite of the assurances we were given by the government that we would not be disturbed or harassed by anyone.”
The Minister of Home Affairs was “on television” and assured “people that they would not be disturbed and that they would be protected,” Bishop Gandiya said.
But “all this is far from the reality on the ground in Marondera,” he noted, adding that he had been “given the rare opportunity to encourage pilgrims on television to come to the shrine and that they would be protected, but the assurances have not been honored.”
But on June 19, Dr. Kunonga said that he would ask the ZRP to block Bishop Gandiya and his supporters from visiting the shrine. “If you are not here today we will see you next year not on the 25th as scheduled by the [Church of the Province of Central Africa] because I will make sure that you will not be allowed on these premises. I will be there myself to see that they are not allowed in since they have refused to unite with us today,” Dr. Kunonga told local reporters.
Speaking to the Zimbabwe Sunday Standard, Bishop Gandiya said he hoped the government would explain the contradiction between its words and ZRP action. “I don’t know whether we are going to get any explanation, but would really appreciate it. It’s embarrassing to us. It’s embarrassing to all the pilgrims and its embarrassing to our government,” he said.
The Mizeki shrine was not the private property of Dr. Kunonga he said. “The shrine is not only important for Zimbabwean Anglicans bur for the whole Anglican Communion and even beyond, non-Anglicans too,” he said.
“For us the shrine as a provincial one. It does not belong to one diocese. It does not belong to Zimbabwe alone; even international pilgrims are welcome,” the bishop said.
Northern Malawi’s first African bishop: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 8. July 7, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of Central Africa.comments closed
Bishop-elect Fanuel Magangani of Northern Malawi
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Diocese of Northern Malawi has elected a new bishop to succeed the Rt. Rev. Christopher Boyle, who returned to Britain last year to serve as assistant Bishop of Leicester.
The June 26 election of the Rev. Canon Fanuel Emmanuel Chioko Magangani fills the last vacancy in the House of Bishops of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, and will now permit the province to elect a new primate to replace Archbishop Bernard Malango, who retired in 2007.
On Aug 1, 2009, the diocese elected the Rev. Leslie Mtekateka as its first African bishop. However, a petition charging the bishop-elect with moral turpitude was lodged with the Central African bishops, and following an investigation the election of Fr. Mtekateka—the son of the Rt. Rev. Josiah Mtekateka, the first African bishop of Malawi, who was consecrated in 1965 as Suffragan Bishop of Nyasaland, and in 1971 as the first Bishop of Lake Malawi—was voided.
Under the Central African canons, all of the province’s sees must be filled in order to elect an archbishop. Voided elections in Northern Malawi and Lake Malawi have held up the appointment of a successor to Archbishop Malango. In 2007 the bishops tossed out the election of London vicar Nicholas Henderson as Bishop of Lake Malawi, in the belief that his service as General Secretary of the Modern Churchpersons Union from 1991 to 2002 was prima facie evidence that he was theologically unsound. A Malawian priest was eventually elected bishop in 2009.
Canon Magangani will now be the first African to serve as Bishop of Northern Malawi. His predecessors were British, Bishop Boyle, and American, the Rt. Rev. Jackson Biggers. In June 2009, the Rev. J. Scott Wilson SSC of the Diocese of Fort Worth withdrew as sole candidate in Northern Malawi election, prompting the diocese to conduct an abbreviated internal search that produced Fr. Mtekateka.
Meeting at St. Peter’s Church in Lilongwe on June 26, twelve electors from the diocese and ten from the province, under the supervision of the Rt. Rev. Albert Chama, Dean of the Province, elected Canon Magangani with a two-thirds vote on the fifth ballot.
The 38-year old bishop-elect served as dean of St Peter’s Cathedral on Likoma Island for five years and was educated at Zomba Theological College and Mzuzu University. His election, however, will cancel plans for a two-year leave of absence from the diocese to begin advanced studies at Nashotah House, an American theological college.
The provincial court of confirmation is expected to confirm the election by the end of July, with a consecration date tentatively set for November.
Episcopal Church in Texas legal loss: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 7. July 7, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Fort Worth, Property Litigation.comments closed
The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker of Fort Worth
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
A Texas court has rejected the Episcopal Church’s contention that ecclesiastical policy trumps state law, giving the third province movement in the United States a major legal victory.
On June 25 the State Court of Appeals for the Second District of Texas handed down a unanimous decision rejecting the claims of the minority faction loyal to the national church that it was the lawful “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth” and could prosecute a lawsuit in that name against breakaway Bishop Jack Iker and his supporters.
While the Court of Appeals did not determine who the lawful Bishop of Fort Worth was nor address the question whether a diocese may quit the Episcopal Church, Friday’s decision was a significant procedural victory for the conservatives, as it rejected the notion that the views of the national church hierarchy supplanted state law.
Canon lawyer Mark McCall of the Anglican Communion Institute told The Church of England Newspaper this “decision resembled the one in South Carolina, which said that judicial determinations about change of corporate control are decided under state law without deferring to the self-proclaimed religious hierarchy.”
In the Texas case, the court held that there was only one Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and that the attorneys engaged by the loyalist faction could not hold themselves out as representing the diocese in legal proceedings. “It is “undisputed that there is only one Corporation and only one Fort Worth Diocese, regardless of how those entities are named or characterized,” the court said.
“There is a single Fort Worth Diocese and Corporation, which both a majority [Bishop Iker’s group] and a minority [the loyalists] faction claim to control,” the court noted, adding the attorneys [for the loyalists] whose authority is challenged are either authorized to represent those two entities or they are not.”
The lower court however held that a corporation cannot sue itself. The trial court had “barred [the loyalist attorneys] from representing only the Corporation and the Fort Worth Diocese associated with the Iker Group. We are aware of no statute or common law rule allowing attorneys to prosecute a suit in the name of a corporation or other entity on behalf of only one faction or part of that corporation or entity against another part or faction,” the court ruled.
The attorneys engaged by the loyalist faction “have not established their authority to represent or appear on behalf of the Fort Worth Diocese and Corporation as required” by Texas law.
The Court of Appeals issued a conditional writ, that would take effect if the lower court did not “strike the pleadings” filed by attorneys for the loyalists in the name of the diocese and barred “them from appearing in the underlying cause as attorneys” for the diocese.
Following the secession of the Diocese of Fort Worth under Bishop Iker in 2008, US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori gathered the rump group loyal to the Episcopal Church and in the Spring of 2009 called a “special convention” for the diocese to elect new officers. The special convention proceeded to elect new officers and invited the Bishop of Kentucky, Edwin Gulick to serve as interim bishop.
The loyalist group then initiated suit in the name of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth seeking to gain control over the assets controlled by Bishop Iker and the majority faction. Bishop Iker’s group was granted a partial victory last year, but filed a writ of mandamus with the Court of Appeals seeking clarity on the underlying issue of whether the minority could bring suit.
The June 25 decision by the Court of Appeals in favour of Bishop Iker effectively repudiates the legal strategy adopted by the national church and the loyalist faction in Fort Worth that while people may leave the Episcopal Church, dioceses may not.
The Iker group’s attorney, Mr. Shelby Sharpe welcomed the decision saying it “simply follows the plain language of the law,” while Bishop Iker offered his thanks to the court and his attorneys for the decision.
He added that “while we realize that our opponents will continue to pursue litigation against us, this successful first step reinforces the soundness of our legal strategy to protect our identity, our property, and our assets.”
On June 28 the loyalist faction released a statement saying the fight was not over. The Court emphasized that “[t]he trial court did not determine on the merits which Bishop and which Trustees are the authorized persons within the corporation and the Fort Worth Diocese, nor do we. The question of ‘identity’ remains to be determined in the course of the litigation,” they argued.
Canon lawer Allan Haley observed the effect of the decision was that Bishop Iker’s group had “achieved its objective of requiring the pretenders to prove they had authority” from the diocese to bring suit. “As both the trial and the appellate courts found, they failed to carry their burden of proof on that point.”
He added that to prevail at this stage, the loyalist faction must now “show that [the Episcopal Church’s] Constitution and canons prohibit dioceses from voting to leave, and this they cannot do.”
A petition for relief from the loyalist faction to the Texas Supreme Court is expected.
Parachute Regiment honoured: The Church of England Newspaper, July 2, 2010 p 8. July 4, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
The Parachute Regiment was honoured on the occasion of its 70th anniversary by a memorial service at the Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
A service of Thanksgiving commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Parachute Regiment was held last week in the Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
On June 22, HRH The Prince of Wales, Baroness Thatcher and the Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup joined serving and former members of the 16 Air Assault Brigade to honour Britain’s airborne forces.
On June 22, 1940 Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the War Department memorandum calling for the creation of a 5000-man parachute force. Its successor, the 16 Air Assault Brigade, is based in Colchester and contains two battalions of paratroopers as well as signals, medical, logistics and artillery units, along with three helicopter regiments.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is nursing home built by Charles II and is home to 310 retired ex-soldiers, known as in-pensioners. The Hospital’s chapel was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and consecrated in 1691. The 42-foot high apse is decorated with a painting of the Resurrection by Sebastiano Ricci and was a gift from Queen Anne in 1714.
Calcutta caning leads to calls for school reform: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 8. July 4, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of North India, Education.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Church leaders in India are scrambling to control the media fallout sparked by the suicide of a 13 year old boy at one of the country’s premier church schools after he was caned by the headmaster.
On Feb 12, Rouvanjit Rawla took his own life, four days after he was caned by the headmaster of La Martiniere School for Boys in Calcutta. Rawla’s father has filed a lawsuit against the school, while Calcutta police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
On June 14 the school released a press statement saying “As a School, we deeply regret the loss of a young life. Attempts being made to hold the school entirely responsible are certainly misplaced. There are times, when children need to be corrected and helped. The idea has always been to inculcate a sense of values amongst them. It is also important for the School to ensure that there is an environment conducive to learning and often corrective measures have to be taken to ensure this environment is not vitiated in the interest of the larger student community of the School.”
Headmaster Sunirmal Chakrabarthy stated that he had “apologised to the school board and for this I am ready to face the consequences.”
However, school authorities have stated they will not act against Mr. Chakranbarthy at this time. “There is no question of sacking the principal. He is innocent unless proved guilty,” the secretary of the Board of Governors Supriyo Dhar said.
However, school authorities have stated they will not act against Mr. Chakranbarthy at this time. “There is no question of sacking the principal. He is innocent unless proved guilty,” school secretary Supriyo Dhar told the Calcutta Telegraph.
India’s private Anglican and Roman Catholic schools have reared the country’s elite for over a century, and the 175-year old La Martiniere School and its sister academy for girls have educated many of Calcutta’s and India’s government, business, military and social elite. However, only a minority of the students at these schools are Christian. Hindu nationalists have attacked their influence and called for an end to their links to the church.
The death of Rouvanjit Rawla also comes in the wake of a February 2004 Calcutta High Court ruling that held that caning in state schools in West Bengal was unlawful and ordered a halt to its use.
In 2007 the Church of North India banned its schools from using corporal punishment and announced that teachers who caned students would be dismissed.
“Incidents of a student being subjected to corporal punishment are rare in our schools,” Bishop PSP Raju of Calcutta told The Statesman in 2007. “The recent decision was undertaken by the board of governors of the schools to handle the issue more strictly” and give firm guidance to teachers, he said.
The rule does not appear to have been enforced at the church’s elite schools however. On June 9 the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights inspected La Martiniere and found that it continued to use corporal punishment to discipline students.
In May the new Bishop of Calcutta, the Rt. Rev. Ashok Biswas—who serves as chairman of the school’s board of governors—sacked board members Neil O’Brien and K.S. David after they called for the headmaster to be dismissed for caning the boy.
The Rev. Sukhen Biswas, a member of the diocesan executive council told the Press Trust of India the death was an “eye opener for us. We are priests and value every life. We are really shocked by what happened to a budding child.”
“Caning has been a traditional practice in this country, but things have changed with time. Now, we have to orient our teachers to win the confidence and respect of the children. In future, we can assure that there will be no such incident,” said Mr. Biswas.
The bishop was abroad, Mr. Biswas said, and had not had an opportunity to review the lawsuit or the charges made by school inspectors, however, the diocese would wait upon the final police report before it acted. “Until the principal is found guilty, [the headmaster] should be given a fair trial. He should face the probe rather than go on leave or resign,” he said.
However, the diocese would act immediately to increase the number of school chaplains and seek to promote a stronger Christian ethos among the students and faculty, he said.
Political assassination at Anglican Church rocks Nigeria: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010. July 3, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of Nigeria, Politics.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
A Nigerian politician was murdered on the steps of an Anglican church on Sunday in what police are calling a politically-motivated ‘contract killing’.
On June 20, Mr. Paul Inyang, a former regional secretary of the People’s Democratic Party was killed in a gunfight on the steps of Ebenezer Anglican Church in the Diocese of Uyo in the oil rich coastal state of Akwa Ibom.
Witness reports printed by the Nigerian press conflict in their accounts of the murder, but all are agreed that six gunmen drove up to the church on motorcycles while the 11:30 morning Eucharist was underway.
Suspecting trouble after catching sight of their drawn weapons, the parish verger closed the doors of the church to the six men and warned Mr. Inyang, who exited the church from a side door.
The vicar of the church, Archdeacon Christopher Bassey Ndon told the Daily Independent the gunmen with guns drawn marched up to the pulpit where he was preaching and demanded to know where Mr. Inyang was. Archdeacon Ndon told the gunmen he did not know where their target was, as pandemonium broke out in the church.
Instead of fleeing, Mr. Inyang went to his car to arm himself and was shot to death in an exchange of gunfire. The state police commissioner, Walter Rugbere, told the News Agency of Nigeria that “Chief Inyang’s attention was drawn to the assassin and was advised to run, only for him to come back with his gun from his car to fire at the suspects.”
As shots rang out, Archdeacon Ndon ran to his office and telephoned the police, who quickly arrived on the scene and exchanged gunfire with the killers. A police corporal was wounded in the exchange and one of the assassins was taken prisoner, Commissioner Rugbere said, adding that the leader of the gang had been identified and a police dragnet for the gang was underway.
The number of kidnappings and assassinations at churches has risen sharply in Nigeria over the past year due to the country’s political instability—and because churches are one of the few unguarded public venues where Nigeria’s political and business elite can be found. Last year the former director general of the National Youth Service Corporation and the dean of the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Uyo were kidnapped after church services, while a former member of the State House of Assembly was murdered as a left Sunday services earlier this year.
Archdeacon Ndon described the victim as a “committed member who loved God,” whose passing would be deeply missed.
New archbishop for New Guinea: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 8. July 3, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
Archbishop Joseph Kopapa and Mrs. Wasita Kopapa at Canterbury Cathedral
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Provincial Council of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea has elected the Bishop of Popondota, the Rt. Rev. Joseph Kopapa, to serve as primate and archbishop of the province. Meeting on June 11 in Port Moresby, the province’s bishops, clergy and lay leaders elected the British-educated bishop to succeed the Most Rev. James Ayong, who retired in November.
Joseph Kifau Kopapa was born in New Guinea’s Oro Province on Sept 9, 1947. Educated in local schools, he received a Diploma in Tropical Agriculture from the Vudal Agricultural College in New Britain in 1968 and a Postgraduate Diploma and Master’s Degree in Agricultural & Rural Sociology from the University of Reading. From 1969 to 1985 he worked for the Papua New Guinea Department of Agriculture rising to the rank of deputy secretary.
In 1987 he left government service to study at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, and was ordained deacon and priest in 1990. After ordination he served in parish ministry in the Dioceses of Port Moresby and Popondota and in 1999 was named lecturer and acting principal of Newton Theological College. In 2002 he was named chaplain to the Martyrs Memorial School and elected Bishop of Popondota in 2005. The new archbishop has also been active in the councils of the Anglican Communion serving from 2001 to 2005 as a member of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism.
Battle over ACC Standing Committee looms: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 7. July 2, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Consultative Council, Church of England Newspaper, Connecticut.comments closed
Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut, addressing ACC-14 in Kingston in 2009
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Bishop in Iran has quit the Anglican Communion’s ‘Standing Committee’.
Bishop Azad Marshall’s decision to stand down will come as a blow to the Archbishop of Canterbury who has sought to vest an unprecedented degree of authority in the new entity—formed by the merger of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Standing Committee of the Primates Meeting.
The vote of ‘no confidence’ by yet another leader of the Global South group of Anglican churches serves to isolate Dr. Williams from the conservative and liberal wings of the Communion—diminishing his authority as the political centre collapses from under him.
Bishop Marshall’s withdrawal also comes the same week as the Episcopal Church presents Dr. Williams with a new crisis over the legitimacy of the standing committee, with a fight over the seating of Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut on the committee likely to loom large at its next meeting.
The Church of England Newspaper was unable to contact Bishop Marshall, who is traveling in Iran, to confirm his reasons for withdrawing from the standing committee, but those familiar with his decision say it follows in line with the Jan 30 announcement of his primate, Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
Dr. Anis said that after having served for three years on the standing committee he had come to the belief that his continued presence had “no value whatsoever and my voice is like a useless cry in the wilderness.”
The Primate of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Orombi has also absented himself from the meetings of the ACSC for the past year. The African’ primates representative has not resigned his seat, but has stated he has no confidence in the integrity of the organization and will not attend meetings if representatives from the Episcopal Church are seated.
However, on June 21 the director of communications of the Anglican Consultative Council confirmed to CEN that Bishop Marshall had tendered his resignation from the standing committee.
On June 18 the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church elected Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut to succeed Bishop Catherine Roskam as its episcopal representative to the ACC. Bishop Douglas had been a clergy representative from the Episcopal Church to the ACC and at last year’s ACC meeting in Kingston Jamaica was elected to the Standing Committee.
Asked by CEN in March whether he would continue as a member of the ACSC following his April 17 consecration to the episcopate, Bishop Douglas said “election to the Standing Committee by the ACC is irrespective of orders. Therefore, if I am elected the episcopal ACC member from TEC by the Executive Council in June, then I remain on the Standing Committee.”
However, the Anglican Communion Institute (ACI) has objected to Bishop Douglas’ continuing membership on the ACSC, noting it violates the language of the ACC constitution and bylaws.
In a paper released last week, the ACI argued that Bishop Douglas gave up his clergy seat on the ACC when he was consecrated a bishop. His “membership on the ACC ended on April 17 when he retired from his presbyterial office and was ‘translated’ to a new order” of ministry, they said.
The ACI further stated that the ACC bylaws require a member of the Standing Committee to be a member of the ACC, and due to his consecration and subsequent loss of clergy seat on the ACC he “also ceased to be a member of the ACC standing committee at that moment,” under Article 2(f) of the bylaws.
Even assuming that Bishop Douglas could be re-appointed to the Standing Committee after he changed his clergy seat for an episcopal seat, the ACC bylaws require a replacement member be drawn from the “same order” of ministry as his predecessor. Bishop Douglas could not, under the ACC bylaws the ACI said, replace the Rev. Douglas.
The ACI further noted that Bishop Douglas “is not eligible in any event to replace retiring Bishop Roskam as [the Episcopal Church’s] episcopal representative to the ACC,” as clause 4(c) of the ACC constitution states that upon termination of office, “no member shall be eligible for re-appointment nor shall he or she be appointed an alternate member until a period of six years elapses from the date when such original membership ceased.”
“Bishop Douglas may not serve again on the ACC until 2016,” the ACI said, adding even if the ACC were to ignore all of the above, Bishop Douglas’ new term does not begin until the start of the next ACC meeting under and “would not be qualified to serve on either the ACC or the standing committee under any circumstances until that time.”
The ACC’s “credibility has been badly damaged” by actions “that are widely seen as favoring [the Episcopal Church] over wider Communion convictions and sentiments. And this harm has only been highlighted by resignation and principled absence from the ACC’s standing committee,” the ACI said.
“Restoration of the ACC’s credibility can only begin by enforcing its rules in the case of Bishop Douglas’s attempt to hold onto a standing committee seat that became vacant under the rules on April 17,” it argued.
Ballarat bishop out: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 7. July 2, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Australia, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
Bishop Michael Hough
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The embattled Bishop of Ballarat has resigned.
On June 19 Bishop Michael Hough told his diocesan synod that he would step down from office effective Dec 20. The Assistant Bishop of the Northern and Western Region of Melbourne, the Rt. Rev. Philip Huggins will serve as vicar-general of the diocese until a replacement has been named.
Bishop Hough was under investigation by the Anglican Church of Australia’s Episcopal Standards Commission for allegedly bullying members of the clergy in his small rural diocese west of Melbourne.
Opponents of the bishop had planned to present a petition to the synod calling for the bishop to step down, and on June 6 Bishop Hough took sick leave and appointed Bishop Huggins to lead the diocese in his absence.
Details of the agreement reached by the bishop and the diocese over his departure have not been revealed, however, it is understood that the agreements includes a pledge not discuss the details of the settlement.
In a statement released by his chaplain, Bishop Hough stated that he had “come to this decision with a heavy heart, and after much prayer and reflection on the unity of the Diocese and its mission.”
He hoped that “in his stepping aside, the People of God in the diocese will commit with fresh vigour to make known the transforming mystery and love of Christ to all people in the diocese of Ballarat,” the bishop said, adding that he hoped the diocese would “continue with its mandate for mission, enlivening our traditions and liturgies throughout the diocese in all kinds of faith communities, bringing those outside the Church into a relationship with God; with the poor and marginalised continuing to be a priority.”
While his resignation does not automatically end the investigation into charges of bullying, the Episcopal Standards Commission will likely not recommend further action in light of the bishop’s retirement, sources tell CEN.
US church anger over Southwark snub of presiding bishop: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 6. July 1, 2010
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Bishop Jefferts Schori with mitre in hand at Southwark Cathedral
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has taken as a personal affront the Overseas and Other Clergy (Ordination and Ministry) Measure 1967, saying the request by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff that she conform to English law was “bizarre.”
On June 16 Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told members of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council that a “statement” from Lambeth Palace had requested she “not to wear a mitre at Southwark Cathedral,” when she presided at the Eucharist on June 13.
“This is apparently a requirement of one of their canons about the ministry of clergy from overseas,” she told the church’s press office, the Episcopal News service, adding that the Act’s requirements were “nonsense.”
“It is bizarre; it is beyond bizarre,” she said.
The Presiding Bishop’s umbrage with Lambeth Palace comes amidst a whirlwind tour of the Communion, with visits this month to the General Synods of the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, the USPG’s annual conference, and visits next month to New Zealand and Australia.
Bishops attending the Episcopal Church’s College of Bishops training programme last month, tell The Church of England Newspaper that in a late evening session the chancellor to the Presiding Bishop, Mr. David Booth Beers, said the trip would help build a coalition amongst the liberal-leaning provinces of the Communion in opposition to the Dr. Williams’ policies.
A spokesman for the Presiding Bishop declined to comment on reports the Presiding Bishop was seeking to build a rival American-centered communion, saying she would not comment on “speculation and conjecture.”
Supporters of the Presiding Bishop protested that the request by Lambeth Palace that she conform to the laws governing the Church of England were a “snub” and “sexist”.
However, a spokesman for Dr. Williams told CEN that “all that happened was for the agreed approach of English bishops – that women bishops presiding at a service in the Church of England do so without insignia – was communicated after permission was sought, and readily granted for Bishop Katherine to preside at the service at Southwark Cathedral.”
In protest to this request, Bishop Jefferts Schori brought her mitre to the service, but did not wear it, merely carrying it with her as she processed down the aisle.
American canon lawyer A.S. Haley has argued the controversy is a false one, as Dr. Williams has no discretion in this matter to accommodate the presiding bishop’s feelings about her status as a bishop in England.
While Bishop Jefferts Schori preached at Salisbury Cathedral before the 2008 Lambeth Conference, her visit to Southwark was the first time she had both preached and presided at a Eucharist in the Church of England, Mr. Haley noted. The act of officiating at a Eucharist, rather than assisting or preaching, required her to seek the permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
A “license to officiate under the Archbishop of Canterbury is a license to perform an ecclesiastical function at a service within the Church of England, and neither the Archbishop nor Queen Elizabeth II has any legal power to license a woman to preside as bishop over a Eucharist within the Church of England,” Mr. Haley said.
To have allowed Bishop Jefferts Schori to” wear her mitre” in Southwark Cathedral would have made her “indistinguishable in function, in celebrating the Eucharist, from a bishop of the Church of England,” he said, adding that “not would it have signified an authority in the Cathedral which she did not have and could not have.”
Bishop Jefferts Schori’s embarrassment followed a polite but pointed dressing down by the Archbishop of Cape Town at the USPG conference at Swanwick on June 10.
In his address entitled “Spirit and Culture at the Foot of the Cross”, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba chided the Episcopal Church saying that while the Episcopal Church claimed to be listening to the Holy Spirit, “within your Province there has not been enough listening to the rest of the Anglican Communion.”
Moving ahead with gay bishops and blessings has been “unhelpful” for the rest of the communion. “There are times when it seems that your Province” acts in “ways that communicate a measure of uncaring at the consequent difficulties for us. And such apparent lack of care for us increases the distress we feel. Much as we understand that you are in all sincerity attempting to discern the best way forward within your own mission context, we ask you to be sensitive to the rest of us,” Archbishop Makgoba said.
One bright spot on her British excursion for Bishop Jefferts Schori, however, was the pledge of support from the Dean of Southwark, the Very Rev. Colin Slee. Speaking at the evening service on June 13, Dean Slee foresaw a split in the communion as “some Anglicans will decide to walk a separate path.”
Southwark had decided where it would go, he said. “I believe the Chapter and congregation of this church will walk the same path as the Episcopal Church of America, the links are deep in our history, especially here.”
Egyptian Christians clash over divorce: The Church of England Newspaper, June 25, 2010 p 6. July 1, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
Egypt has invited the country’s Christian Churches to revise the country’s “personal status” law governing divorce and remarriage following a Supreme Court ruling that required the Coptic Orthodox Church to permit remarriage after divorce.
The court on May 29 held that the Coptic Church must permit remarriage for its members, rejecting an appeal by Pope Shenouda III who argued that church law does not permit remarriage after divorce, except in the limited circumstances.
“The Egyptian constitution guarantees that anyone may remarry and form a new family,” said Judge Mohamed El-Husseini, head of the Supreme Administrative Court. “The appeal made by Pope Shenouda III to prevent Copts from remarrying is accordingly rejected.”
The Coptic Orthodox Church, which is the Middle East’s largest Christian community with over 12 million members, allows remarriage only in cases of adultery and after the death of a spouse.
“Although we respect the judicial system it is not binding on the church. Marriage is one of the church’s seven sacraments. Nothing on earth will oblige us to abide by anything that contradicts with Biblical teaching,” Shenouda told reporters on June 2.
Egypt’s personal status law does not recognize civil marriage, and requires a religious ceremony to give legal status to a nuptial union. Copts who wish to remarry after a divorce must either obtain a dispensation from the church showing they were the innocent party in a case of adultery or convert.
Last week the Justice Ministry invited the church representatives to propose a new law for the regulation of marriage. “The law must not contravene God’s orders in this regard,” Justice Minister Mamdouh Marei said. “No one has the right to interfere in a person’s faith.”
