Pat Ashworth has a detailed report in the Church Times ‘Sadness’ at events that led to Algarve split.
The All Saints website mentioned in this article is here.
There is also a further report in the Algarve Resident this week, Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.
Earlier reports are here.
My only comment is that the attempt to reform the church from within is probably going to see this kind of problem repeat itself. The people who try to build networks within the Communion will be seen as agents of the “evil one” and the church will take steps to minimise the spread of their corruption to other parishioners and dioceses. This is why I think the reforms will happen around the church, with the church coming kicking and screaming when it no longer has credibility to justify internal abuse. Where possible, I pray that alternative congregations can develop to… Read more »
“Mr Britt….had requested the episcopal oversight of the former Bishop of Recife, in Brazil, the Rt Revd Robinson Cavalcanti” OK, that led me to one interpretation of events. But the story continued: “Bishop Cavalcanti is said to have accepted the invitation in the first instance, but later to have withdrawn.” Huh: that’s curious, I thought. Should have been right up Cavalcanti’s non-geographic/boundary- nay, ocean-crossing alley? (I’m not sure a “+” before his name, is canonically appropriate anymore…) But then we got to this: “Mr Britt is a member of the pro-gay organisation Accepting Evangelicals.” Et voila! This sounds like personality-conflicts… Read more »
Speaking as a retired clerical ‘oldhead’ from the US, I would say that this whole thing is a prime example of a ‘bad fit’ between parish and priest. Mr. Britt apparently had a lot of gospel in his belly and wanted to do outreach to younger folk and to extend and build. Not everyone wants that. One of the jobs of senior clergy in supervisory positions is to tell newcomers ‘Here be dragons.’ Apparently this was not done. My father, when he was called to a parish, used to head immediately for the dragons and try to make friends of… Read more »
Interesting comments. If Mr Wilson saw the chaplaincy profile of 6 years ago, he would see they wanted (the Council of which some of my opponents were on) an open evangelical who could reach out to young people, teach on tithe and reducing the dependance on fund raising……etc. They actually got what they wanted and within the year I could be tick by all their requests as having been completed or in the process of. So far as being a member of Accepting Evangelicals since I worked for nearly three years with men and women who were HIV positive and… Read more »