Send for the men in white coats: a C of E cathedral offers a choice of wafers consecrated by a man or a woman

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department- (and the London Telegraph)

Do you believe Jesus is present in a Communion wafer consecrated by a woman? Then have one of these. You don’t? Then you’ll want one of those over there.

Seriously: Blackburn Cathedral is offering worshippers a choice of wafers consecrated by its new residentiary canon, Dr Sue Penfold, or by one of its male clergy. That way, traditionalists who can’t accept women priests don’t have to consume a host that is (in their view) just a piece of bread because Dr Penfold’s orders are invalid. (And yes, Catholic readers, I know that our Church teaches that all Anglican wafers are as transubstantiated as a slice of Hovis. Though it doesn’t put it quite like that.)

Canon Andrew Hindley from the cathedral has defended the arrangement. “It was agreed by all the clergy and cathedral chapter that this was the best way to handle what we call a mixed economy,” he said. Mixed economy? Is that the new euphemism? When I was religious correspondent of this paper in the 90s it was “two integrities”. (By the way, I’ve just noticed that my colleague George Pitcher has had a go at Blackburn Cathedral over this. He says: the Church of England ordains woman priests, and soon women bishops. Get over it. He’s quite right.)
Meanwhile, Dr Rowan Williams has come up with a fresh piece of doublespeak, this time relating to the gay issue. The Churches of the Anglican Communion now teach that homosexual relations are (a) sinful or (b) not sinful, depending on which province you’re in. Archbishop?

“Perhaps we are faced with the possibility rather of a ‘two-track’ model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage …”

You can read +Rowan Cantuar’s full argument here. It’s actually very ingenious. And very silly.

The link to the ABC's remarks is in the article below-

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100004972/send-for-the-men-in-white-coats-a-c-of-e-cathedral-offers-a-choice-of-wafers-consecrated-by-a-man-or-a-woman/