Everett Episcopal priest suspended after report of sexual misconduct

An Episcopal priest was permanently suspended from his position at an Everett church last week.

Father Lawrence Perry, who has served as head of Trinity Episcopal Church since 2000, was asked to leave after two adult congregants accused him of sexual misconduct, said Norah Joslyn, a spokeswoman for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, which governs the Everett church. Perry did not dispute the accusations, she said.

Perry could not be reached for comment.

Church leaders don't know whether the two congregants plan to pursue the matter with police or in the courts, she said.

The suspension was effective Thursday, when Bishop Gregory Rickel met with members of the church to explain the situation, Joslyn said. The church has about 400 members, based on numbers from a few years ago, Joslyn said.

Further discipline is likely, Joslyn said. Perry likely will be suspended from serving in any role at the Episcopal Church, she said.

The Rev. Wayne Bond and the Rev. Robert Dunn, who both served under Perry at Trinity, are expected to preach and perform other duties until the diocese finds a permanent replacement.

http://heraldnet.com/article/20090512/NEWS01/705129884

New Episcopal bishop says he'll make visiting reservations a priority

The new bishop-elect for the Episcopal Church in South Dakota says he’ll make visiting reservation congregations a top priority.

“A priority of mine -- and this is not meant as an assessment or judgment of the past, because I live in the present, not the past – but a priority of mine is to be among the congregations,” the Rev. John Tarrant said.

Tarrant, 57, was elected May 9 to succeed Bishop Creighton Robertson as the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota. He has been pastor of Trinity Church in Pierre since 2005 but spent the majority of his ministry career in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Robertson, who suffered health problems during his 15-year tenure as bishop, including a kidney transplant in 2005, was criticized by some Native American Episcopalians for a lack of visits to their parishes over the years, as well as his recent decision to close nine small churches on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Robertson, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux tribe, was the first Native American diocesan bishop in the church.

Although defending the closure decisions as “not taken by Bishop Robertson alone,” Tarrant promised a “ministry of presence” to the people of Pine Ridge and elsewhere. “One of my first priorities would be to visit congregations and do a whole lot of listening,” he said. “That’s no commentary at all on Bishop Robertson. That’s my style and what I perceive to be a need.”

More-

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/05/12/news/top/doc4a08adb51ef4e220425879.txt

Confusion Reigns as ACC Postpones Covenant

At the end of a hectic day of often confusing debate and parliamentary maneuvering in which Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams personally intervened four times, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) on May 8 postponed sending the third draft of the Anglican Covenant to the Communion’s provinces for adoption.

The Anglican Communion Institute has issued a statement decrying the proceedings as “an embarrassment to Anglicans everywhere, and a sad display of procedural confusion.”

The ACC had been asked to send the entire text to the provinces for adoption. However, some members considered allies to The Episcopal Church raised objections to the processes outlined in Section Four regarding dispute resolution. Their first motion to remove Section Four for review was voted down, but the main provisions of the defeated motion were then inserted into a separate resolution already under consideration. The ACC’s chairman, Bishop John Paterson of New Zealand, initially ruled this re-introduction out of order, but Archbishop Williams, who had called for a vote on the first motion, then challenged Bishop Paterson’s ruling and it was reversed. The pending resolution was amended to include the previously defeated provisions. After a break, Bishop Paterson announced that the resolution had passed.

“Evidence indicates that members did not understand what they were voting on, what the Archbishop of Canterbury was proposing, or why he was proposing it,” the ACI argued. “Amid much confusion, the chairman announced that the entire resolution had passed, even though there is no evidence it had even been voted on, the previous votes having been to amend the resolution, not pass it.”

As adopted, the resolution now asks Archbishop Williams, in consultation with the ACC’s secretary general, the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, “to appoint a small working group to consider and consult with the provinces on Section Four and its possible revision, and to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee” of the Primates and the ACC in late 2009, and asks the JSC to approve a final form at that meeting.

The Rest-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/5/11/acc-postpones

The Networks of the Anglican Communion Podcast 7

The word family evokes a wide range of emotions. For some it is a very loving and supportive word that is the centre of their being. For others it is a place of distance anxiety and frustration with people who are closely related failing to talk or listen to one another. We use the term in many ways, thinking of the Church as a family and even the Anglican Communion as one family under our Lord and Saviour.

In every province of the Communion there are joys and difficulties faced by families. The Church is present and with them- at times of great happiness and of profound sadness. The International Anglican Family Network is one of the networks of the world wide Anglican Communion. It began at the Mission of St James and St John in Melbourne, Australia, in 1987 and produced an important resource document on families for the 1988 Lambeth Conference.
Since 1991, IAFN’s work has focused on the production of three newsletters per year on issues affecting families. The aim of the newsletters is to set challenges and problems in an international context and to give information about practical projects and work being done by churches and communities to help.

Articles are written by men and women, lay and clerical from many different countries. The range of topics covered in the newsletters: eg Street Children, Fathers and Families, HIV/AIDS, Children and War, Community Families, demonstrate the many areas where individuals and groups, often linked with churches, are active in responding to families in need. The newsletters provide an educational resource for both the developed and the developing world, helping all to learn more about the resources and dedication of the many women and men within the worldwide Anglican family whose work is often unknown. Their stories provide a stimulus for greater understanding and further action.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/11/ACNS4623

Orombi protests over Jamaican meet

Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi has written to the Archbishop of Canterbury, over the blocking of a Church of Uganda delegate from attending a meeting in Jamaica.

Uganda is entitled to three delegates; a bishop, a priest and lay person to the Anglican Consultative Council meeting.

The Rev. Philip Ashey was rejected by the organisers who said nominating an American reverend to represent Uganda was against the constitution of the consultative council.

“If Ashey’s appointment is unacceptable, then we will be forced to bring this unbiblical, unjust and unconstitutional precedent to the attention of the rest of the communion,” read the May 2 letter to Dr. Rowan Williams.

Ashey, who had earlier registered for the conference as a journalist, was also rejected because he joined the Rwenzori Diocese in 2005 after he opposed a decision by the US bishops to consecrate a self-confessed homosexual as a bishop.

Although a reverend of the Rwenzori Diocese, Ashey resides in Atlanta in the US.

“We are content for him to resume his press accreditation, if he so wishes,” said the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary of the Anglican Communion.

Orombi warned that the committee was playing double standards, adding that the appointment of delegates was not subject to a review by any institution.

More here-

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/681009

Good Friday footy: Melbourne bishops protest

For you baseball fans out there its really rugby.

Melbourne Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart and Anglican Bishop Philip Huggins, who is Vicar-General of the city's Anglican archdiocese, have rejected any proposal to play AFL games on Good Friday.
Archbishop Hart and Bishop Huggins said that any proposal to play games on Good Friday showed a crass disregard for the spiritual needs of people in our community, the bishops said in a statement.

Archbishop Denis Hart, a keen Hawthorn supporter, said that Good Friday is a public holiday because it is such a sacred day for Christians.

"The Christian churches have provided much to the culture of the great country of Australia. They have provided sacred spaces through architecture, think of the spires of St Patrick's and St Paul's Cathedrals in Melbourne. Amidst the hurly burly of daily life people are reminded that there are other values than those of business and work," Archbishop Hart said.

Archbishop Hart and Bishop Huggins said the recent tragic bushfires and the spectre of tragedy and poverty remind us that we need time to grieve and sacred times to be still.

More here-

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=13613

Ecumenical partners stand firm with Anglican Communion

Love the hat but what's he doing to the guy kneeling at the altar?


The ecumenical representatives of the Orthodox church and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have expressed their “firm and serious commitment” to continue their dialogues with the Anglican Communion, which have been experiencing tensions worldwide over the issue of human sexuality.

Metropolitan Nikitas, (pictured) ecumenical delegate representing the Orthodox church, told a press briefing at the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) here that his church’s commitment to dialogue with the Anglican Communion is one that is based on “equal understanding and mutual respect” and is “built upon a firm and solid foundation.”

The bishop of the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), Michael Pryse, who is representing the LWF at the ACC meeting, said he had been “moved and inspired by the stories that we’ve heard” about Anglican mission worldwide. He said that Anglicans and Lutherans “share much of a common history, theologically and liturgically,” and are facing similar issues and challenges.

More-

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/ecumenical-partners-stand-firm-with-anglican-communion/?cHash=120ab0bf5e

Nigeria: Anglican Priests in Court for Defamation

Trouble in Nigeria. From All Africa News. (For those of you who are geographically challenged, Benin is to the west.)

Three Anglican priests and another member of the church have been arraigned before a Benin Magistrate's Court on a five count charge of defamation. The accused persons were alleged to have conspired to publish defamatory matters that the Anglican Bishop of Benin Diocese, Rt. Rev. Peter Imaseun impregnated and thereafter procured an abortion on one Gladys Adetokhai, an offense likely to cause the breach of peace and punishable under sections 516, 375, 249(d) of the criminal code. The case with charge No. MEV 714 2009 had as accused persons, Rev. Akhere Oriakhi, Evangelist Victoria Lawani, Rev. Nosa Omeregie and Mercy Oriakhi, all of the Anglican Communion in Benin city. The 4th accused person, (Mercy Oriakhi), standing trial on one count charge, was said to have conspired to prevent and defeat the cause of justice by removing printed defamatory documents from the house when the police came to conduct a search with a warrant, an offense punishable under section 126(1) of the criminal code. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to any of the charges. The case which was first filed in 2008 with only one accused person arraigned in the court, was however substituted by the Prosecutor, O.S.Oga , who now brought four accused persons for trial before Magistrate Willy Aziegdemwin on a five count charge.
More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/200905110817.html

Bishop Tengatenga elected Chair of Anglican Consultative Council

Malawi’s Rt Rev James Tengatenga has been elected as the new chair of the Anglican Consultative Council beating four candidates who had been nominated.

Mrs Elizabeth Paver of the Church of England came second in an election which took place on May 8, 2009.

Bishop Tengatenga has a wide variety of experience in the communion and most recently served as a member of the Design Group for the Lambeth Conference in 2008. He was born in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe on 7th April, 1958.

Bishop Tengatenga did all his pre-college education in Zimbabwe. In 1979 he began theological training and priestly formation at Zomba Theological College after which, in 1982, he continued theological training at The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest at Austin, Texas in the USA.

In 1984 he married Jocelyn at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin Texas. They have three biological children, Susan (21), Cecil (19) and Alinafe (14) and six inherited from deceased sisters, Eunice, Misozi, Edith, Caroline, Prince and Henry.

On graduating with a M.Div. degree in 1985 he returned to Malawi and was ordained deacon at St. Thomas Church in the Diocese of Lake Malawi by Bishop Peter Nyanja.

In addition to parish ministry, he was also the diocesan youth worker and diocesan training chaplain. In 1989 he went to Birmingham England to train as a youth/community worker.

After 8 years of parish ministry he joined the faculty at Zomba Theological College. And, after four years there, he joined the faculty of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Malawi.

The rest-

http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/3414.html

Popular Priest Missed At Mass

More on the Cuite scandal. (Could you make up a better name given the issue?) Video with "scandalous" pictures at the link

Father Alberto Cutié Was Caught On Camera Kissing And Hugging A Woman.

There were no problems this Sunday -- just hurt for so many as they said they sensed the void at mass.

"We pray to God that he has peace in his heart and that he's happy and God has a hand in everything. Sometimes we don't know why things happen," one parishioner said.

Despite his absence at Sunday's mass, Cutié has remained in the spotlight. On Friday, Univision aired excerpts from a sit-down interview with Teresa Rodriguez.

Cutié has said he's in love with Canellis and he regrets having hurt people, but doesn't regret the relationship. He will also share his story with CBS' The Early Show Co-Anchor Maggie Rodriguez on Monday beginning at 7 a.m.

Meanwhile, Cutié has not made a formal announcement about his future, but a bishop with the Espiscopal church in South Florida told CBS4 that he believes Cutié will make a decision to become an Episcopal priest.

More here-

http://cbs4.com/local/Father.Alberto.Cutie.2.1006312.html

Good Stuf in TEC: Ohio

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Senior Menu

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 197 E. Center St., provides a free meal, which is open to the public at 5:15 p.m. each Tuesday.

These meals are provided by seven local churches – Emanuel Lutheran, St. Mary Catholic Church, Trinity Lutheran, Epworth United Methodist, First Presbyterian and First United Church of Christ – with all meals being served at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Nutrition sites

Nutritious meals are offered each noon Monday through Friday on weeks with no holidays to anyone older than 60 who makes a reservation a day in advance, or by 8:30 a.m. for same day service.

Reservations may be made by calling 740-375-0202 between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for meals served at Community Action Center, 1183 Bellefontaine Ave. Menus are subject to change.

Transportation is available if requested when reservations are made. All meals are served with milk, coffee, bread and unsweetened fruit. The meals are subsidized, and voluntary donations are requested. Here is the menu for this week:

Court ruling is setback for US traditionalists

The third province movement in the United States may have received a severe setback this week after a California court issued a tentative ruling holding that dioceses are creatures of the national Episcopal Church and may not secede.

On May 4, Judge Adolfo Corona of the Fresno Superior Court issued a preliminary opinion, stating that he would likely issue a summary judgment on behalf of the Episcopal Church against Bishop John-David Schofield (pictured) and the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin.

As a matter of law and fact the judge argued, the Episcopal Church was a “hierarchical church is one in which individual churches are organized as a body with other churches having similar faith and doctrine, and with a common ruling convocation or ecclesiastical head vested with ultimate ecclesiastical authority over the individual congregations and members of the entire organized church.”

“In a hierarchical church, an individual local congregation that affiliates with the national church body becomes a member of a much larger and more important religious organization, under its government and control, and bound by its orders and judgments,” he said. Under this principle, a parish is a subunit of a diocese, which is itself a subunit of the national Episcopal Church, the Judge Corona reasoned.

As the Episcopal Church held that Bishop Schofield had been deposed and that it recognized Bishop Jerry Lamb as Bishop of San Joaquin, the assets and property held by the Anglican diocese should revert to the loyalist group, the judge argued. The actions of the San Joaquin synod to amend its constitution to secede from the Episcopal Church were “ultra vires”, unlawful and void.

Judge Corona scheduled a hearing for May 5 for the parties to respond to his tentative opinion which accepted at face value the opinions of the Episcopal Church’s expert witness as fact, but rejected the diocese’s expert witness testimony as opinion.

More here-

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4420

Breakaway Episcopalians seek dismissal of lawsuit by national church

A group that split from the national Episcopal Church has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit that would give millions of dollars in endowed funds and several pieces of church property to the national organization.

The local group, led by Bishop Jack Iker, says the court has no jurisdiction because it would require the court to solve an ecclesiastical dispute in order to grant an award.

But Katie Sherrod, spokeswoman for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, which is recognized by the national organization, said she expects the court to make a decision favorable to the national church.

"We grieve over this," Sherrod said. "We were forced into this by the actions our former bishop [Iker] took. We welcome them home anytime they wish to come home."

The petition for dismissal is a response to a lawsuit filed April 14 in a Tarrant County state district court by the national church, which also asks for exclusive use of the name the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. The name is being used by the group recognized by the national church and by the Iker-led group.

The lawsuit followed a bitter break-up between the two groups over the national church’s acceptance of a gay bishop, same-sex unions and its ordination of women as priests.

More here

http://www.star-telegram.com/religion/story/1367907.html

ACC-14 Press Briefing 9th May 2009

An important part of the Anglican Consultative meetings being held in Kingston Jamaica is the opportunity for Ecumenical conversations. In times past our ecumenical partners came as guests and often kept silent during the meetings and offered a reflection at the end. At the Lambeth Conference 2008 Archbishop Williams invited our ecumenical partners not as guest but as members. That same invitation has been extended here- they as members are invited to participate in bible studies, prayer, worship and speak on the matters before the Council.

The Anglican Communion is engaged in significant conversations with a wide body of denominations. Few would doubt that we have learned much from our sisters and brothers in other traditions as they have from us.

There are 6 ecumenical guests present at ACC-14. One of the unique features were four ‘ecumenical streams” where members choose which dialogue they would participate in:

Orthodox and Roman Catholic dialogues

Protestant dialogues

Regional Agreements – the experience of United Churches and Churches in Communion
Practical local ecumenism

Two of our ecumenical members Metropolitan Nikitas, the director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley California and Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada spoke at press briefing on Saturday May 9 about the importance of Ecumenism.

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/9/ACNS4621

Anglican Consultative Council reaffirms two-state solution for Israel, Palestine

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) on May 9 unanimously re-affirmed its desire for a "robust peace process" in the Israel-Palestine conflict and a two-state solution.
The members passed a resolution that calls Israel's West Bank policies "a physical form of apartheid."

Anglican Church of Southern Africa Archbishop Thabo Makogba told the council that he supported the resolution "having lived under apartheid and knowing the pain of apartheid."

He described having seen "the brutality" in the West Bank and Gaza that "segregates God's people."

"If we vote for this resolution, we will be doing our Christians duty of ensuring that peace abounds in Jerusalem," he said.

Diocese of New York Bishop Suffragan Catherine Roskam told the council that "the average American thinks that the conflict in the Middle East is even … I think it falls to Christian minds and to this communion to point out that it is not 50-50." She said Israel uses tanks, automatic weapons and bulldozers against people who fight back with stones.

"It should not cause us to be surprised when as a last resort people strap explosives to themselves and use themselves as human bombs," she said. "I decry all violence, but unless we are willing to speak for justice … these tensions will continue to increase."

More-

http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_107457_ENG_HTM.htm

Struggling congregations look to change and grow

From Louisville-


There are other examples of revitalization efforts in churches throughout the city:

On South Watterson Trail, a declining Baptist church acknowledged it was no longer reaching its neighbors and merged into a growing church from nearby Jeffersontown, which has used such innovations as a dirt-bike track for teens to attract people who might otherwise not bother with church.

On Southern Parkway, an aging Episcopal church began welcoming refugees from Myanmar and Sudan, and for the first time in a generation, it has found its nurseries crowded with young families.

On Baxter Avenue, a declining Episcopal church began attracting visitors with a weekday meditative service.

On Dixie Highway, the historic Valley Christian Church was on the brink of folding before agreeing to become a branch campus of the larger Middletown Christian Church, which is bringing in volunteers, finances and a passion to reach single parents and others who don't fit the traditional churchgoing mold.

Some of the pastors trying to radically reorganize their congregations are quick to point out the parallel to the central Christian story of Jesus' death and resurrection.

"Do you love this enough to let the church you know die to let the church Christ wants to have here be born?" said the Rev. David Emery of Middletown Christian Church.

Oftentimes, "congregations that have been around a long time lose the ability to discern the world around them and lose the ability to touch their community," Emery said. But as a merged congregation, "we began to imagine and dream about what was possible."

More here-

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090510/NEWS01/905100393/Struggling+congregations+look+to+change+and+grow

Happy Mother's Day

Mom (& Dad)

Pierre man elected bishop of Episcopal Diocese

The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota has elected a Pierre man to be its 10th bishop.

The Rev. John Tarrant is rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Pierre and was elected Saturday on the second ballot at a special convention in the capital city.

Nearly 200 delegates from the state's 80 churches took part.

Tarrant grew up in Michigan and served parishes in Massachusetts and Connecticut before moving to Pierre in 2005.

The bishop-elect must be ratified in July at the general convention of the Episcopal Church. He'll be consecrated as bishop Oct. 31 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

http://www.kmeg14.com/Global/story.asp?S=10333503&nav=menu609_2_4

Signs, signs everywhere signs #19

Aaah!

A house of worship divided

This reporter get's it right with regard to which of the competing "Dioceses" is "new".

A dispute over women priests and same-sex marriage that sparked a legal battle over property ownership among higher-up Episcopal church leaders has trickled down to a personal level for a small Tracy congregation.

The fight split in half St. Mark’s Episcopal Church — which has since dropped the “Episcopal” from its title. It has strained friendships, some of which have only recently begun to heal. And it played a part in one man’s decision to convert to Catholicism.

“I got tired of all the fighting,” said Marvin Barth, 78, who enrolled in catechism last year and since Easter has attended St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. “I just wanted to be part of a church with a more conservative theology.”

So did Bishop John David Schofield, who led the ecclesiastical divorce, calling the U.S. Episcopalian Church too liberal.

The Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori in 2006 was voted into a nine-year term as presiding bishop of the entire U.S. Episcopal denomination. For Schofield — who had never in his decades of church leadership appointed a woman to a high rank in the church — Schori’s election was the last straw.

When Schofield broke off from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin around Christmas in 2007 because he opposed the denomination’s decision to appoint women as bishops and support of same-sex marriage, a handful of churches split with him.

They called themselves Anglican after the schism and claimed membership with a newly formed Fresno-based diocese led by Schofield. Church leaders deemed too liberal by Schofield within the separated diocese were slowly replaced with more conservative leaders.

More here-

http://www.tracypress.com/pages/full_story?page_label=home&id=2530575-A+house+of+worship+divided&article-A%20house%20of%20worship%20divided%20=&widget=push&instance=home_news_lead_story&open=&

Delegates vote to delay distribution of latest draft of covenant

The Ridley-Cambridge draft of the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant will not be sent to member churches for consideration, pending consultation and possible revision of a controversial section dealing with dispute resolution and the definition of which entities can sign on to the covenant.

After a long, drawn-out debate, and what some delegates referred to as a “confusing” process, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) on May 8 asked that a “small working group” be appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to “consider and consult with the provinces” on Section 4 of the Ridley-Cambridge draft, “and its possible revision.” That group was asked to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee of primates (senior bishops of each Anglican province) and the ACC, which will meet before the end of the year.

The ACC had, by a vote of 47 against, 17 in favour, and one abstention, defeated a section of the resolution that sought to detach the draft’s controversial Section 4, Our Covenanted Life Together, “for further consideration and work.”

More here-

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/100/article/delegates-vote-to-delay-distribution-of-latest-draft-of-covenant/?cHash=38336849b9

ACC rejects proposed moratorium on litigation over property

The 14th Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) by a tight vote on May 8 rejected a move to add a fourth moratorium on issues related to divisions over human sexuality that would have asked for a “cessation of litigation” among member churches of the Anglican Communion involved in disputes over property.

The ACC, however, said it “affirms” the recommendations of the Windsor Continuation Group (WCG), which included not just moratoria on the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of persons living in same-sex unions, and cross-provincial interventions, but also “relational consequences” for those who breach them. The original text of the resolution had used the word “notes,” instead of “affirms.”

The word “notes” had been used to reflect the “range of views” expressed by delegates in discernment groups, said Anthony Fitchett, chair of the resolutions committee and a lay delegate. Opponents said, however, that using a “more neutral” word was not useful, since the ACC “needs to give an indication of how it feels” about the WCG recommendations.

More here-

http://www.anglicanjournal.com/world/anglican-communion/017/article/acc-rejects-proposed-moratorium-on-litigation-over-property/?cHash=a66e65ff98

Resolutions of ACC-14 from 8th May

Resolutions about the Windsor Process, proposed Covenenat and Anglican Church of Brazil can be found here.

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/8/ACNS4616

Episcopal Church Would Welcome Embattled Priest

For the second time, supporters of Father Albert Cutié gathered in front of St. Francis de Sales church in Miami Beach, where Cutié used to lead mass. They are demanding not only that the Archdiocese of Miami reinstate him, some are also demanding changes to the entire Catholic religion.

This Friday evening rally looked more like a sermon, with the 50 people gathered to urge the Archdiocese to forgive Father Albert Cutié for possibly breaking his vow of celibacy. The rally and march were peaceful. That's a far cry from Thursday's rally that turned violent, leaving a counter-demonstrator on the ground.


Many who came to the rally were emboldened after seeing a Spanish-language television interview with Father Albert. In that interview with Univision's Teresa Rodriguez, Father Albert said he asked for time away from the church since this scandal broke, but he said, "I'm a priest and I will be a priest until I die."

(snip)

Meanwhile, the spiritual leader and head of the Episcopal church in South Florida tells CBS4 he believes that popular Catholic priest Alberto Cutié will make a decision soon to become an Episcopal priest.

The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench he's spoken twice with Father Cutié at length since the provocative photos surfaced in TV NOTAS Magazine, showing Cutié kissing and caressing 35-year-old Ruhama Canellis on the beach.

"I think the issue for Father Cutié is one of celibacy," said Bishop Frade. Celibacy is required of Catholic priests. It is not required of Episcopal priests.

More here-

http://cbs4.com/local/Father.Alberto.Cutie.2.1004984.html

Breakaway Fort Worth group responds to Episcopal Church lawsuit

From the Dallas Morning News. Notice how in each of the four dioceses that claim to have left that they refer to the continuing TEC Diocese as being "new". Didn't work in San Joaquin.

Late last year, clergy and lay leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth - led by Bishop Jack Iker - voted to withdraw from the Episcopal Church and realign with a more conservative, Argentina-based province of the Anglican Communion. A handful of Fort Worth area churches remained with the Episcopal Church, and parts of other congregations also remained loyal, choosing to meet separately. The Episcopal Church then reorganized the Fort Worth Diocese, with new leaders chosen. And recently the Episcopal Church filed a lawsuit against Iker and other leaders of the breakaway contingent, over church properties and other assets. Confusingly (at least to this reporter) both the seceeding and loyalist groups go by the name Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth.

Here, from the Rev. Dr. Thomas Hightower, president of the Standing Committee
of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth - the one that broke from the Episcopal Church - is a response to the lawsuit.

Statement here-

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/05/breakaway-fort-worth-group-res.html

Episcopal Pastoral

From Time Magazine 1953. It would seem that there was a bit of the prophetic in the hysteria.

From Williamsburg, Va.. where they had met in special session, the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church issued a pastoral letter to their 2,545,000 church members reviewing "the state of the church today." First, said the bishops, there are some causes for thanksgiving. Among them: the "steady and continuous" gain in the number of Episcopal communicants (1.72% in the U.S. between 1951 and 1952); the general increase in church membership in all denominations. But most of their words were devoted to Christian grounds of concern. Despite church gains, they warned, "the outlook for Christianity and for the world from a Christian point of view has rarely been more serious." "Communism, with its philosophy of materialism." the bishops said, is Christianity's greatest avowed enemy. But equally dangerous is "another form of totalitarianism which deifies the state, expressing itself in various forms of national state socialism." The bishops suggested that the U.S. might have some unwitting state deifiers behind recent "broad generalizations and accusations" against the churches—presumably those made by members of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Said the bishops, quoting a speech by Presiding Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill: "We are against trial by uninformed public opinion, against accusations by hearsay . . . The church is equally opposed to what may be described as 'creeping fascism.' "
The rest-

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,860154,00.htmlv

EJ Thribb or JC Flannel?

From the London Guardian-

In general, this paper is pretty liberal and definitely supports gay rights, within churches as well as outside them. But there has to be a line drawn somewhere, and the Anglican Communion has crossed it. At the opening of their meeting in Jamaica this week, a hymn was sung, to the tune of "Ode to Joy", which may well have the most completely god-awful opening verse ever written. Here it is:

Lord of our diversity,
unite us all, we pray;
welcome us to fellowship
in your inclusive way.

Can any reader surpass this?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2009/may/08/religion-anglicanism

Uganda People News: Rev. Gideon Byamugisha wins Niwano Prize

A Ugandan AIDS activist has won an international prize for his role in fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest received the 26th Niwano Peace Prize on Thursday in recognition of his work to uphold the dignity and human rights of people living with AIDS.

In 1992, Rev. Byamugisha became the first African religious leader to publicly announce he was HIV positive. He has since been engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities in the country.

Makoto Uematsu, primate of Nippon Sei Ko Kai, received the prize on behalf of the Anglican priest.

This was done following an advice not travel because of bird flu. Also advised not to travel was with Norway's Gunnar Stalsett, chairman of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee.

http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?about=Rev.+Gideon+Byamugisha+wins+Niwano+Prize&ID=10079

More on the Niwano Peace Prize is here-

http://www.npf.or.jp/english/peace_prize_.html

ACC-14 Press Briefing 7th May 2009 with Canon Phil Groves

At the ACC-13 meeting in Nottingham a resolution was passed that asked the Secretary General to do a number of things in connection with the Listening Process. They included:
To collate relevant research studies, statements, resolutions and other material on these matters from the various Provinces and other interested bodies within those Provinces
To make such material available for study, discussion and reflection within each member Church of the Communion

To identify and allocate adequate resources for this work, and to report progress on it to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the next Lambeth Conference and the next meeting of this Council, and to copy such reports to the Provinces.

As a result of this motion The Revd Canon Philip Groves was hired as the facilitator of the Listening process to work within the Anglican Communion Office. Philip is a canon of All Saints’ Mpwapwa, Tanzania and continues his parish ministry in England. Following his presentation at ACC-14 and the announcement of The Continuing Indaba and Mutual Listening Project. In the podcast that follows he talks about the challenges and opportunities of the listening process and the role the new project will play in assisting people to hear and listen to God and to one another on the subject of human sexuality.

Podcast here-

http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/5/7/ACNS4613

Red Sox great Dom DiMaggio, Joe’s brother, dies

Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe’s spectacular career, died early Friday. He was 92.

DiMaggio was surrounded by his family at his death at his Massachusetts home, according to his wife, Emily. She did not give a cause of death but said that DiMaggio had been ill lately.

“He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man,” his wife of 61 years said. “He adored his children, and we all adored him.”

DiMaggio was a seven-time baseball All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history.

Known as the “Little Professor” because of his eyeglasses and 5-foot-9 (1.75 m), 168-pound (76 kg) frame, DiMaggio hit safely in 34 consecutive games in 1949. The streak was broken on Aug. 9 when his big brother caught a sinking line drive in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the New York Yankees.

The younger DiMaggio also had a 27-game hitting streak in 1951, which still ranks as the fifth longest in Red Sox history. Joe set the major league record with a 56-game hitting streak with the Yankees in 1941 and was elected to the sport’s Hall of Fame.

The oldest of the three center field-playing DiMaggio brothers was Vince, who had a 10-year major league career with five National League teams. Joe died in March 1999, while Vince died in October 1986.

Dom DiMaggio spent his entire career with the Red Sox, 10 full seasons plus three games in 1953. He was teammates and close friends with Red Sox greats Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.

While Dom did not have the batting numbers of Joe, he was generally regarded as a better defensive player with a stronger arm.

More here-

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-obit-domdimaggio&prov=ap&type=lgns