The Times Ruth Gledhill wrote yesterday about the forthcoming debate on re-organising many of the General Synod committees. Her news report was headlined Reform to hand Archbishop of Canterbury huge power. On her blog she added more information, including the whole text of a note by Philip Giddings. See General Synod: Laity asked to pay for loss of power.
Riazat Butt at the Guardian previews some other items, Church of England could cut number of bishops amid funding crisis.
Martin Beckford reports on yesterday for the Telegraph Church of England General Synod should talk more about wallets than people’s anatomy’ and Church of England bishops fear for ‘fragile unity’ of Anglicanism over new gay marriage moves.
Steve Doughty has two reports in the Daily Mail Church of England asks its flock for £1,000 a year and Church of England under pressure to accept gay marriage.
The letter about the Church of Sweden to which Steve and Martin refer can be found here.
There is a BBC report Synod to discuss boosting income.
I haven’thad a chance to read all the press comment, but I wonder if reporters noted the grumpy-ness of synd yesterday… Will we cheer up?
Um, isn’t Stockholm in Sweden, and have the writers of the letter to the Church of Sweden taken any note that Sweden effectively has its ‘Gene Robinson’ in the new bishop there?
The fact that the Episcopal Church (USA) appears to be moving towards a position on same-sex relationships more in line with that of the Church of Sweden than the one defended in the letter from the C of E suggests to me something about where the future lies… not in an “Anglican Communion” but in a (small-c) communion between churches that share basic committments. It is worth noting that one of the resolutions before the Episcopal Church General Convention is concerned with opening a process towards a full-commuion agreement with the Church of Sweden. Let’s do it, I say!
Um, I think looking north, and nearer than Sweden might prove illuminating for the C of E.