Updated Wednesday morning and evening
The Tenth General Synod of the Church of England was inaugurated this morning (Tuesday) with a service in Westminster Abbey, after which Synod members moved to the Synod chamber in Church House for an address by The Queen.
Report by the Abbey: HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh attend Synod service
Text of the sermon at the Abbey by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household
Archbishop [of Canterbury] welcomes The Queen to General Synod
Text of The Queen’s speech at the Inauguration of the Tenth General Synod of the Church of England
Speech of Thanks to Her Majesty The Queen from the Archbishop of York
Reports on the morning’s activities
Gavin Drake for the Anglican Communion News Service: Queen Elizabeth speaks on Christian Unity and Primates Meeting
John Bingham The Telegraph Queen tells CoE to learn art of peacemaking amid splits over sexuality
BBC News Queen calls for unity at Church of England general synod
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘Our persecutors already see us as one’, Papal official tells Synod
Sean Smith The Tablet Church of England should be bridge between Catholics and Evangelicals, Pope’s preacher tells synod
Reports from the afternoon
Text of Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address
Official brief summary of the afternoon’s business: General Synod November 2015 – Tuesday PM
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian Church of England could scrap reading of marriage banns
John Bingham The Telegraph Ditch the mitre? I’d look ‘underdressed’ in inner city, says bishop
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian How the mitres have fallen: bishops’ headwear is personal choice, says C of E
I am impressed with the theological insight and wisdom of your Queen.
How lovely to see a Franciscan Friar preaching the Good News to members of the Church of England General Synod – in the presence of the titlua Head of the Church of England! No doubt, his confessional Superior, Pope Francis, would have hade some sort of involvement in the composition of the sermon.
This could be a mile-stone of inter-Church koinonia that could have a lasting effect on the future of our relationship with Rome – even if the GAFCON provinces were to separate out from us of their own volition.
“I am impressed with the theological insight and wisdom of your Queen.”
Does anyone know the extent to which the Queen has any input to the speech at the opening of General Synod? Is it like the State Opening of Parliament speech where not a word of it is her own? Or maybe she’s allowed a freer rein with this one.
Laurence, I am pretty sure the Queen has a sincere Christian faith, but she is usually the epitome of discretion, and I imagine there are few people who really know the leanings and sympathies of her private beliefs.
It was most interesting to hear Our Queen speak of ‘putting our hand into the hand of God’ For those of us of a certain age, and good memory; it took us back to a Christmas message spoken H.M King George v1; her father. He spoke of the man at the gate of the year, putting his hand into the Hand of God. A time then when things were frightening and difficult for us all.
We are richly Blessed by our Queen, and all her family, past and present.
“I am pretty sure the Queen has a sincere Christian faith”
I agree with you. It comes across in her Christmas Messages which exhibit what used to be called ‘simple piety’ (that’s meant as a compliment).
I’m struck by how different Fr Cantalamessa sounds now, under Francis, than he did just few years ago, under Benedict (when he infamously compared *criticism* of the RCC’s handling of child sexual abuse, to anti-Semitic oppression of Jews http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/world/europe/03church.html ). Perhaps “Preacher TO the Papal Household” means, rather, “Mouthpiece OF the Current Papal Householder”? O_o
The Church of England is considering dropping rules concerning the wearing of clerical robes and vestments. Once again, lawlessness by some parishes in discarding any form of clerical vesture leads to a consideration of rule change. Do we really want our clergy to turn up to occasions of Divine Service looking like Bestniks and Teddy Boys?
The Synod needs their heads seen to; if they even consider such an idea, of discarding vestments. But nothing in this age seems sacrosanct, and it is not just being a retired priest
Fr John