Here is the official report of Sunday’s business at General Synod.
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Monday 7th July 2008
It is being updated during the day and will include links to audio of each session.
0 CommentsThree recent items from Fulcrum
Further Thoughts on GAFCON and related matters by the Bishop of Durham, Dr Tom Wright
The GAFCON Movement and The Anglican Communion by Andrew Goddard
A briefing paper for PCCs. It is “against the resolution suggested on the Anglican Mainstream site: ‘We stand in solidarity with the Jerusalem Declaration and Statement on the Global Anglican Future’”
An interview on ABC Sydney with Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, the primate of Australia
This is reported in The Sydney Morning Herald as Aspinall warns Jensen.
General Synod will be debating Women Bishops later today. The debate was orginally scheduled for this afternoon, but because of the large number of proposed amendments it will now continue into the evening.
The order paper for this debate is online here and copied below the fold.
0 CommentsThe Archbishop of Canterbury preached at the 10 am Eucharist at York Minster yesterday. The service was attended by most members of General Synod as well as by the regular minster congregation. The text of the Archbishop’s sermon is now online here.
3 CommentsThe Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, spoke to the USPG conference last week on Holy Scripture and the Law of God in Contemporary Anglicanism in the Light of Richard Hooker’s “Lawes”. His address is online here and here.
Ruth Gledhill in the Times Archbishop of Armagh invokes scripture in defence of homosexuality
BBC We may allow gay unions: COI head
David Young and Alf McCreary in the Belfast Telegraph Church of Ireland may accept gay marriages
Belfast News Letter C of I may accept gay marriage – Harper
6 Commentsupdated at lunchtime
A mixture of articles looking forward to the debate on women bishops later today and back to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s sermon yesterday.
Riazat Butt in The Guardian Church of England to consider introducing ‘super-bishops’ to avert crisis over women
Martin Beckford in the Telegraph Anglican Church may create ‘super bishops’ to avoid splitting and
Church of England to debate women bishops
Ruth Gledhill in the Times Day of reckoning for Anglicans amid split over women bishops
Steve Doughty at the Mail Church of England plans male ‘superbishops’ for rebel clergy who refuse to be led by women
Alastair Beach in The Independent Anglican rebels ‘in Vatican meeting’
BBC Jesus ‘would feel Anglican pain’
BBC Synod set for women bishops vote
Jonathan Wynne-Jones in the Telegraph Dr Rowan Williams stands tall in the Church
0 CommentsHere is the official report of Sunday’s business at General Synod.
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Sunday 6th July 2008
It is being updated during the day and will include links to audio of each session.
1 CommentThe Church Times is publishing its usual daily reports from General Synod.
Alastair Cutting and Justin Brett, both synod members, are blogging from the floor of the synod.
0 CommentsRiazat Butt in The Observer Archbishop hits back at the evangelical rebels
The Archbishop of York condemned leaders of a breakaway global church yesterday for their ‘ungenerous and unwarranted’ scapegoating of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Jonathan Wynne-Jones at the Telegraph Anglican bishops in secret Vatican summit
Senior Church of England bishops have held secret talks with Vatican officials to discuss the crisis in the Anglican communion over gays and women bishops.
Mail on Sunday Church of England must go ahead with plans to create women bishops, says senior clergyman
A senior bishop urged the Church of England yesterday to ignore warnings that allowing women to become bishops would ‘shatter the unity of the Church’ – and to plough ahead with the historic reform.
Emily Dugan in The Independent on Sunday Church schism widens over women bishops
6 CommentsDivisions appeared to widen yesterday between senior Church of England clergy on opposite sides of the debate over the consecration of women bishops, as the issue dominated the agenda at the General Synod.
Will Hutton in The Observer Rebel bishops threaten the very heart of our liberal traditions
Anglicanism is a liberal tradition central to the very conception of Englishness, but it finds itself under mounting threat. Last Sunday around 300 Anglican bishops, largely from Nigeria, Uganda and Australia, but including at least one from England, issued the Jerusalem Declaration. They no longer accepted that the Archbishop of Canterbury led the Anglican Church.
Giles Fraser in The Independent on Sunday Enough is enough. The extremists must be confronted
Rowan Williams has been too compliant in the face of the Church’s conservatives and homophobes
Jane Hedges in the Telegraph Women bishops shouldn’t scare the Synod
“Church in crisis over women priests.” This is the kind of headline that was appearing in the press 30 years ago when the general synod of the Church of England began to debate the ordination of women.
Damian Thompson in the Telegraph Bishops plan conversion to Rome
0 CommentsThe Sunday Telegraph carries the news that senior Church of England bishops have met the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to discuss the apocalyptic crisis in Anglicanism and the prospect of converting to Roman Catholicism.
I’m glad that Jonathan Wynne-Jones has respected the anonymity of the bishops in question. We at the Catholic Herald have known for some time about these historic negotiations. I pray that they succeed.
Here is the official report of Saturday’s business at General Synod.
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Saturday 5th July 2008
It is being updated during the day and will include links to audio of each session.
0 CommentsSynod debated the report of the Women Bishops Legislative Drafting Group this morning. The debate was on a “take-note” motion (which was passed). There will be debate on what to do next on Monday afternoon.
Here are the early press reports.
Ruth Gledhill in the Times Church of England faces ruin over women bishops
Tom Chivers and agencies in the Telegraph Introduce women bishops, Synod told
4 CommentsThe Archbishop of York gave his presidential address to synod this afternoon. He spoke about the building blocks of the mission and ministry of Jesus. The press release from the Archbishop’s office concentrated on two points mad during the address: knife crime and support for the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Archbishop Calls For Church To Reach Out on Knife Crime
The text of the press release is copied below the fold.
When the Archbishop said “It has grieved me deeply to hear reports of the ungracious personalisation of the issues through the criticism and scapegoating of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.” synod members burst out in spontaneous applause.
0 CommentsHere is the official report of Friday’s business at General Synod.
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Friday 4th July 2008 PM
It includes links to audio of each session.
0 CommentsReaders will recall the Archbishop of Canterbury’s February lecture on sharia law. Now the Lord Chief Justice of England has given a lecture on the same topic.
Update
On the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website Welcome for Lord Chief Justice Remarks on Sharia Law
The Lord Chief Justice’s speech is online Equality before the Law
Patrick Wintour and Riazat Butt in The Guardian Sharia law could have UK role, says lord chief justice
Britain’s most senior judge reopened one of the most highly charged debates in Britain last night when he said he was willing to see sharia law operate in the country, so long as it did not conflict with the laws of England and Wales, or lead to the imposition of severe physical punishments.
Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of The Times Case dismissed: Lord Chief Justice lays down law on Sharia
Britain’s most senior judge declared last night that there was no place for Sharia courts in this country and insisted that all residents were governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Christopher Hope and James Kirkup in the Telegraph Muslims in Britain should be able to live under sharia, says top judge
Christopher Hope in the Telegraph Sharia will ‘inevitably’ become part of British law, says barrister
Comments on the Lord Chief Justice’s speech
Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian Lord Phillips: talking sense on sharia
Alexandra Fawcett in The Guardian We must have equality before the law
Inayat Bunglawala in The Guardian There’s a place for sharia
Matthew Parris in the Times The Sharia debate: we can’t all be equal under different laws
Charles Moore in the Telegraph Is cosying up to Muslim extremists the best way to defeat terrorism?
1 CommentMelanie McDonagh in The Times The Anglican wars are bad for all of us subtitled “If the pews of the Church of England empty, we’ll lose an army of public-spirited volunteers”
Giles Fraser in the Church Times When slaves turn on their oppressors
Damian Thompson in the Telegraph Women bishops? Just get on with it.
Robin Harris in the Times The disaster for Christians in Iraq subtitled “They used to live peaceably with other faiths but now they have been driven out and become refugees”
Andrew Brown in The Guardian Pennies for heaven subtitled “The Church of England relies heavily on its collection plate to fund each diocese – but a threat to solvency is threatening tolerance”
6 CommentsThe Church of England General Synod has the first of two debates on women bishops later this morning.
Ruth Gledhill in the Times Church faithful may block the move for women bishops to stop the risk of defection by clergy. She writes:
Proposals to consecrate women bishops in the Church of England could fall at the last hurdle as church members take fright at the prospect of mass defections among the clergy, The Times has learnt.
Tom Peterkin in the Telegraph Church of England urged to ‘disagree in love’ over women bishops
The Church of England has been urged to be an example of how Christians can “disagree in love” as it debates plans for women bishops that threaten to tear it apart.
Paul Vallely in the Independent Church in the lurch
Big words are being thrown around in the Church of England these days; words such as schism, with echoes from 1,000 years ago when the world divided between Rome and the Orthodox; words such as Reformation, with echoes of the split between Catholic and Protestant, which spilt a deal of English blood in the 16th century.
Paul Handley in the Yorkshire Post Where democracy works in mysterious ways
“OH, goody – it’s the General Synod this weekend.” I’m sorry to report that this is not a phrase I hear very often.
Judith Maltby in The Guardian’s page writes on the Face to faith page It is odd that the opponents of women bishops should now adopt the language of ‘pain’. The same article is on the Comment is free page How to solve the question of female bishops where it is subtitled “When ‘pain’ enters into arguments about the future of Anglicanism, we’re faced with an impossible conundrum”.
3 CommentsUpdated to include more Church Times articles
Today’s Church Times has three reports from GAFCON.
GAFCON draws a mixed reception
Paul Handley New fellowship to unite ‘confessing Anglicans’ is born
Ed Beavan Jensen: ‘sleeping giant is roused’
The Church Times has this leader Leader: Treat GAFCON with respect
Paul Vallely comments in the Church Times GAFCON’s thinking is out of date.
Barbara McMahon in The Guardian profiles Archbishop Peter Jensen He is a very astute, very intelligent and able man. He is almost worshipped – what he wants he gets – subtitled “Figure behind Anglican schism is a puritan who sees no room for compromise”.
7 CommentsThe Church of England’s General Synod will meet in York from this afternoon until Tuesday lunchtime.
Bill Bowder in the Church Times Tension mounts as women-bishop vote approaches
George Pitcher and Rev Dr Peter Mullen in the Telegraph Should women become Church of England bishops?
Robert Pigott at the BBC Church’s division lines drawn up
George Pitcher in the Telegraph Church of England campaign to target young priests at General Synod
15 CommentsAt the BBC Bishop attacks anti-gay movement. The bishop is Tom Wright of Durham and the article is about an interview that he gave to the World at One programme today. The article includes a link to audio of the interview. One quote from the interview:
“And to be told that I now need to be authorised or validated by a group of primates somewhere else who come in and tell me which doctrines I should sign up to is not only ridiculous it’s deeply offensive.”
Today’s Times has these two comment articles.
A leading article Crossroads for Anglicans: Rowan Williams must face down opposition on all fronts
George Walden Time to come out of the liberal closet on gay clergy, Archbishop: If Rowan Williams continues to claim moral superiority to politicians, he must be honest on this issue