Monthly Archive for February, 2007

Tanzania, Windsor and North America

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bcg
on 20 February 2007
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Last night the primates of the Anglican Communion issued the following communique:

Primates Meeting Communique

Many of us have been concerned about the future of the Anglican Communion, especially those of us who are going to be ordained into it.

I am encouraged by the communique, which I have just read in full. The Primates have not backed down from doing something about the situation in North America, where the recommendations of the Windsor Report have been implemented ambiguously, and openly, practising homosexuals are not barred from becoming a bishop.

They accept the apology made by The Episcopal Church for the tensions and strains caused in the Communion by their actions, and its request for forgiveness, saying, 'These words were not lightly offered, and should not be lighted received.'

Their recommendations are for a Pastoral Council to be set up to help oversee the implementation of the Windsor Report in North America, and to help heal the divisions in the Communion, taking into account both the autonomy from, and responsibility towards, the Communion of each member Church.

The Primates call for a moratorium on ordaining practising homosexuals, on the blessing of single-sex unions, and of legal action over church property.

They look forward to the covenant, which is currently being prepared, as a means by which meaningly unity might be asserted across the entire Communion.

It seems to me that this communique, if upheld, is extremely positive for the Communion. The difficult issues are addressed sensitively, but also I think firmly. We should be thankful for this careful, and prayerful response to the difficulties in which the Communion finds itself, and continue to pray that the process would go smoothly, and that (perhaps with the coming Covenant) there could be real unity across the Communion once again.

‘Churches back plan to unite under Pope’

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bcg
on 19 February 2007
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Today in The Times I was somewhat shocked to read the front-page headline: 'Churches back plan to unite under Pope. It seemed from the article that at some point in the next few months there was a real chance that the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches might unite.

This, of course, is not the case. The Anglican Communion News Service released the following statement:

Clarifications etc.

The statement makes clear that the document in question, Growing Together in Unity and Mission is 'an attempt to synthesize the work of ARCIC (the Anglican - Roman Catholic International Commission) over the past 35 years.'

So unity isn't imminent, then! The document 'identifies the level of agreement which has been reached by ARCIC, but is also very clear in identifying ongoing areas of disagreement, and in raising questions which still need to be addressed in dialogue.'

Today was obviously a slow day for the news men at The Times. But there is no excuse for such sensationalism. It's tabloid journalism, certainly not what you'd expect from The Times. It could even be seen as dishonest, deliberately mis-reporting (if that's a word) a fairly unsensational document.

I shall let the press release have the last word:

'It is unfortunate that [the] contents [of the document] have been prematurely reported in a way which misrepresents its intentions and sensationalises its conclusions.'