Uganda's anti-gay bill causes Commonwealth uproar

From the Globe and Mail-

The Commonwealth convenes for a summit this week amid growing furor over a proposed law that would impose life imprisonment on homosexuals in Uganda, whose President is chairing the gathering.

The law, proceeding through Uganda's Parliament and supported by some of its top leaders, would imprison anyone who knows of the existence of a gay or lesbian and fails to inform the police within 24 hours. It requires the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” – defined as any sexual act between gays or lesbians in which one person has the HIV virus.

The controversy is growing because Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is the chairman of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, which opens on Friday with Stephen Harper joining the leaders of 52 other countries.

If it is raised at the summit, the issue has the potential to divide Commonwealth leaders, who hold deeply polarized views on homosexuality. A number of Commonwealth countries, including Canada and Britain, have liberal views on the subject, but many African and Caribbean nations are socially conservative and maintain laws on their books that criminalize homosexuality.

Activists are urging the Commonwealth to make it clear that it will suspend Uganda's membership if the law passes.

More here-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/ugandas-anti-gay-bill-causes-commonwealth-uproar/article1376503/

Bishop raises spectre of Anglican civil war

From Religous Intelligence-

The spectre of civil war breaking out among traditionalist Anglicans has been dramatically raised by a "flying bishop". But hostilities must be resisted and Anglo-Catholics need to "mutually help each other," pleads the Bishop of Beverley, the Rt Rev Martyn Jarrett.

He delivers the earnest call in a new edition, out this week, of the "Beverley Bulletin," an occasional paper distributed to traditionalist clergy and others in the 14 dioceses of the York province. The bulletin appears in the wake of the Pope's blueprint - details of which were released last week - providing for the creation of a section within the Roman Catholic Church for Anglicans wishing to retain parts of their heritage.

Bishop Jarrett dubs the pontiff's offer as "generous and gracious" but warns that there may now be a three-way split among Anglicans unable to accept women bishops and possibly considering going over to Rome. Some Anglicans, no matter what now happens within the Church of England, "have come to believe that there is no longer any real choice than to move into immediate full communion with the Holy Father," he says.

For others, a move into communion with Rome "would create theological difficulties perhaps as large as the difficulties they have with the prospect of women bishops." Then there are those Anglicans "who still believe there could be some theological integrity in remaining members of the Church of England," the bishop says. Bishop Jarrett, who is careful in the Bulletin not to reveal into which category he himself falls, admits: "There are no easy solutions. I only wish there were." The 65-year-old provincial episcopal visitor then warns: "We must resist, in the meanwhile, any kind of civil war breaking out within our ranks.

All three responses - and probably a number more - to my mind are honourable positions that can be held with integrity." The bishop adds: "I suspect that as each of us grapples with our present context, several of us will find ourselves moving in and out of the various groupings and even, for a while, not being quite sure as to where it is we should be. "This is a time for mutually helping each other - and not for point-scoring or for trying to take the moral high ground."

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=5307

Church Fights for Assets, Members and Legitimacy

From the Wall Street Journal-

When the members of St. Luke's of the Mountains Church in La Crescenta, Calif., voted in 2006 to leave the Episcopal Church, they never meant they wanted to leave their church.

But last month, they got notice they were being evicted from the 80-year-old stone structure that had been their spiritual home.

The congregants lost a long legal fight for their building when a court ruled that the national Episcopal Church, which represents the world-wide Anglican Communion in the U.S., and the local diocese were the rightful owners of the property -- not the breakaway leaders.

"For many of us, leaving here will be one of the most difficult things we have ever done for God," Rev. Rob Holman said in his last sermon in the building before renting the Seventh Day Adventist Church nearby.

In the past few years, individual parishes and four dioceses in the U.S. have voted to split from the Episcopal Church, which had about two million members before the split. In June, some of these groups officially founded a rival province, the Anglican Church in North America, which includes some 742 parishes.

The schism reflects arguments over church doctrine, such as the ordination of women priests and the elevation of an openly gay bishop in 2003. Each side argues it best embodies the values and beliefs of the Anglican Communion. The breakaway groups say they are holding true to the Anglican understanding of theology, as the U.S. Episcopal Church moves to the left. The national body says its positions may change over time, but the tenets of the denomination guide those actions.

More here-

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125909715655362891.html

Vatican official explains that Anglican conversions are fruit of authentic ecumenism

From Catholic News Agency-

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, explained last week that the entrance of Anglicans into the Catholic Church is the fruit of authentic ecumenism inspired by the Second Vatican Council.

On the eve of a scheduled meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the leader of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams, Cardinal Kasper commented on the openness of the Catholic Church to Anglicans who asked to be admitted into full communion.

Ecumenism is not an “option” that the Church can accept or reject but is rather “a sacred duty,” he said.

“Ecumenism is not an appendix of our pastoral obligations or a luxury. The principles of the Vatican II decree ‘Unitatis redintegratio,’ that is, ecumenism in truth and love, are also valid for the future. This decree is the magna carta of our ecumenical journey towards the future,” the cardinal said.

The decree "Unitatis redintegratio” states that “promoting the restoration of unity between all Christians is one of the main ends proposed by the sacrosanct Vatican Council II,” he added.

Cardinal Kasper added that the effort to reach out to Anglicans is in complete conformity with the decree, “which distinguishes between conversions and ecumenism as dialogue with the other churches for the purpose of full communion.”

He reiterated that the decree does not represent “a new ecumenism,” but rather the fruit of the ecumenical dialogue of recent decades, “a strong drive to move ahead in our ecumenical commitment.”

More here-

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17799

Episcopal group denounces anti-gay law in Uganda

From Religious News Service-

A U.S.-based group that includes several Episcopal bishops is challenging Anglican leaders to denounce a proposed bill in Uganda that would severely criminalize homosexuality.

"The Anglican Communion has committed itself to the pastoral care of gay and lesbian people," said the Rev. Lowell Grisham, co-convener of the Chicago Consultation. "At a time like this, we implore its leaders to speak out."

The Chicago Consultation, which includes several Episcopal bishops on its steering committee, is dedicated to the "full inclusion" of gay, lesbian, transgender and bi-sexual individuals in the Anglican Communion and its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church.

The consultation asked Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and Uganda's Anglican leader Archbishop Henry Orombi, to speak out against the bill.

Numerous human rights groups have denounced the proposed bill, which was introduced last month (Oct.). The bill would punish "aggravated homosexuality" by death and homosexual contact with life in prison, while outlawing groups that work with gays and lesbians. Under current Ugandan law, "carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature" is punishable by seven years in prison, according to Human Rights Watch.

Earlier this month, the Anglican Church of Canada condemned the proposed bill, saying it would impede human rights in Uganda and "impose excessive and cruel penalties on persons who experience same-sex attraction."

In a Nov. 6 statement the Anglican Church of Uganda said it "cannot support the death penalty," but that "homosexual behavior is immoral and should not be promoted, supported, or condoned in any way." The church also said it was studying the legislation and "therefore, does not yet have an official position on the bill."

The Anglican Communion is sharply divided on homosexuality, leading some national churches, including the Church of Uganda, to break ties with the Episcopal Church, which allows same-sex blessings, and the ordination of gays and lesbians as bishops.

More than 30 former Episcopal congregations have left the Episcopal Church to join the Church of Uganda.

http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=19115

Pope’s bid to win over Anglicans bruised my ego, says Archbishop

From The London Times-

The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted that the Pope’s offer for disaffected Anglicans to convert to Rome left him with a “sore ego” and put him in an “awkward position”.

But after meeting the Pope at the Vatican this weekend, Dr Rowan Williams insisted that relations between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches were back on track.

Dr Williams told the Pope of his embarrassment at the way the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced an Apostolic Constitution to set up Anglican Ordinariates for those who refuse to accept women priests and bishops. He had had only a few days’ notice, and made a late-night telephone call to the cardinal who heads the Council for Christian Unity, to find out what was going on.

Speaking to Vatican Radio yesterday, Dr Williams said: “Clearly many Anglicans, myself included, felt that it put us in an awkward position for a time – not the content [of the constitution] so much as some of the messages that were given out. I needed to share with the Pope some of those concerns. I think those were expressed and heard in a very friendly spirit.”

More here-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6927715.ece

At 150, Darwin's 'Origin' Stirs Even More Debate

From NPR-

One hundred fifty years ago, a book appeared in England that changed the world.

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species has been called the most important book ever written. Introducing the theory of evolution by natural selection, Darwin's book fundamentally altered how scientists look at the natural world, and continues to frame biological research today.

Since the day it appeared, the book has been controversial. But surprisingly, it may be more controversial today than when it first appeared. That's because by 1859, there had been several books on evolution published in Britain.

"The most famous example being a book that came out in Victorian Britain in 1844 — an anonymous best-seller," says Jim Endersby. "It was called The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation."

Endersby is a professor of the history of science at the University of Sussex and the author of an introduction to a commemorative edition of On the Origins of Species published by Cambridge University.

He says The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation may have captured the popular imagination, but it was lambasted by scientists for its multiple factual errors, and by the clergy for its affront to religious dogma. Darwin's book got a much more positive reception.

"What really impressed people with Darwin's work was not so much the idea itself, but the book," says Endersby. "It was the fact that there was so much detail, so much evidence."

More here-


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120692695

Executive Council members call for special meeting on Uganda legislation

From ENS-

A teleconference meeting of the Episcopal Church's Executive Council will take place on Dec. 7 to discuss a possible statement on Ugandan legislation that would imprison for life or execute people who violate that country's anti-homosexuality laws.
Sixteen members of the council requested the meeting with a handwritten petition that said a motion would be offered at the meeting "regarding the urgent human rights situation in Uganda."

Homosexuality in the African nation currently carries a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. If passed, the proposed bill would extend prison sentences for homosexuals up to and including life imprisonment and introduce the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which includes assault against people under the age of 18 and those with disabilities. It also would give Ugandan courts jurisdiction over Ugandan citizens who violate the law "partly outside or partly in Uganda."

The Executive Council, an elected group of clergy, laity and bishops that carries out the programs and policies adopted by the General Convention, according to Canon I.4 (1)(a), normally meets three to four times a year. The next meeting is set for Feb. 19-22.

However, the Presiding Bishop as president of the council may call a special meeting and a minimum of nine council members may petition in writing for such a meeting under Canon I.4 (4)(a).

The last special meeting occurred April 13, 2005 when then-Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold called a one-day meeting in Mundelein, Illinois near Chicago to formulate a response to a request of the Anglican Communion's primates that the Episcopal Church voluntarily withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council until the next meeting of the 2008 Lambeth Conference. The minutes of that meeting are here and the response is here.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_117289_ENG_HTM.htm

Episcopal Diocese Wants $205K From Lawyers

From New York-

The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island wants law firms to repay the $205,000 in legal fees that "dissident" parishioners allegedly paid out of church coffers after trying unsuccessfully to take over a church. The squabble erupted after the consecration of the church's first openly gay bishop, in 2003.

The Diocese says the dissidents voted to disaffiliate St. James Church of Elmhurst in 2005, then used church money to pay their legal fees as they sought control of the parish's 304-year-old property.

Citing "theological and moral decline," the St. James' dissidents fled the Diocese and affiliated with the Anglican Church of America, according to news reports at the time.

The Jakubik Law Firm and Silber Law Firm represented them in an action seeking control of the church's property, which was held in a trust created in 1871, but a court dismissed their claim in April 2008.

During the legal battle, the dissidents appointed an "unauthorized priest" and formed the St. James Anglican Church, according to the complaint. The Diocese says the dissidents wrote checks against the parish's bank and stock accounts to pay $205,000 in legal fees.

The church and diocese sued Mark Jakubik, Meyer Silber and their law firms, alleging unjust enrichment and conversion. They are represented by Jennifer McLaughlin with Cullen & Dykman of Garden City.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/11/24/Episcopal_Diocese_Wants_$205K_From_Lawyers.htm

Bode George - Conviction Good for Nation - Bishop

From Nigeria-

Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Egbu, Prof. Emmanuel Iheagwam has said the conviction of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, was a healthy development for Nigeria.

This is as he urged Nigerians not to despair over the present state of the nation, but to hope that the country would begin to experience changes for the better.

Prof. Iheagwam stated this Eucharistic Services of confirmation, admission and induction for Umuohiagu/Logara and Obike parishes both in Ngor Okpala local government council area.

The Bishop who lauded the ruling of Justice Joseph Oyewole of Lagos High Court, Ikeja, in sentencing George and five others to 28 years in prison which will run concurrently, said Nigeria was at the threshold of combating corruption in the land.

He commended the exemplary courage, boldness and firmness exhibited by Justice Oyewole and recommended that the trend be sustained.


He said with this development, Nigeria would have a new beginning, as rays of a better tomorrow were already manifesting, albeit at a very slow rate. He urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to dust up the financial records of government ministries and parastatals and treat all those 'bigmen' who had plundered the nation's wealth the way George was treated since he, he was not alone in the crime of plundering the nation's resources.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/200911230348.html

Pope Meets Head of Anglican Church

From CBS-

Pope Benedict XVI met with Archbishop Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican communion, at the Vatican Saturday. Everything was polite for the benefit of the cameras, but the growing rift between the two shows no sign of narrowing, reports CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar.

There were handshakes in public, but at a moment of increased tension between the Catholic and Anglican churches, the pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury spent barely 20 minutes in private conversation.

Rowan Williams presides over the worldwide congregation of Anglicans, about 80 million people, including more than two million Episcopalians in the United States.

His church is divided over issues of homosexuality and gender.

Some Anglicans object to the ordination of women and gay men as priests and recently their election as bishops.

Last month Pope Benedict offered disaffected Anglicans the opportunity to convert to Catholicism while still retaining some of their own traditions. For example, married priests can remain married under the pope's offer.

The Vatican has been accused of "poaching." Vatican officials insist the pope is merely "reaching out."


More here-

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/21/eveningnews/main5729200.shtml

What if the Archbishop of Canterbury tried evangelising Belle de Jour?

From The Telegraph-

The Archbishop of Canterbury, God love him, doesn't do showdowns. But he did, in his Anglican way, register a mild sense of grievance about the Vatican's decree making it easier for Anglo-Catholic communities to convert to Rome when he met Pope Benedict this weekend. "I wanted to express some of the concerns about the way in which the announcement had been handled, because clearly many Anglicans, myself included, felt that it put us in an awkward position for a time," Dr Williams said.

Well, if that's as near as we get to reliving the Reformation, I think we can breathe again, don't you? Mind you, in a speech before the event, Dr Williams did say the Catholic Church is not treating all baptised Christians equally by not ordaining women. That could have created a stir, but the Archbishop's knack for obfuscation means that it takes a while for his most inflammatory remarks to register. Anyway the meeting with the Pope was conducted "in a friendly spirit" and lasted all of 20 minutes, possibly because Pope Benedict was rushing off to meet some of the hundreds of artists he'd invited to the Sistine Chapel to talk about religion and art.

All fine and dandy; but I couldn't help contrasting this encounter with another meeting in Rome last week, presided over by our friend Colonel Gaddafi. He was there for a summit and got his minders to summon 500 "beautiful Italian girls" from an escort agency called Hostessweb for a reception. Not any old girls, either. They had to be aged 18-35 and no less than 5ft 7in – girls too short were turned away. What they got, instead of a few salty nibbles and a drink, was a lecture from Muammar Gaddafi about the merits of Islam and the deficiencies of Catholicism. Then they were sent off with a copy of the Koran and Muammar's Green Book of political thought.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6633722/What-if-the-Archbishop-of-Canterbury-tried-evangelising-Belle-de-Jour.html

Catholics set up a task force for huge Anglican exodus

From The Daily Mail-

The Roman Catholic bishops of England and Wales have set up a task force to help the possible exodus of tens of thousands of disaffected Anglicans into their church.

The move was announced as Anglican leader Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, protested to the Pope in the Vatican over its plans to receive Anglican converts en masse.

Pope Benedict XVI was last month accused of attempting to poach Anglicans unhappy about decisions taken in their church to ordain women and sexually-active homosexuals as priests and bishops.

In response to requests from about 30 Anglican bishops around the world for 'corporate reunion' with the Catholic Church, he has permitted vicars and their entire congregations to defect to Rome while keeping many of their Anglican traditions - including married priests.
In a 20-minute meeting on Saturday, Dr Williams complained to the Pope about the 'lack of consultation' over the move, saying it had left him in an 'awkward position'. But the pair failed to issue a joint statement.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230086/Catholics-set-task-force-huge-Anglican-exodus.html#ixzz0XgJHydQW

Church picks up the pieces

From Los Angeles-

The sanctuary at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Church in recent years regularly hosted around 100 worshipers for weekly services, but a change in congregations has left the site with a lot of room for growth.

Fourteen visitors came to the church for a brief service early Sunday, a month after the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles retook the property from the renamed St. Luke’s Anglican Church, which broke from the diocese three years ago.

While the turnout was light, with some members traveling ahead of Thanksgiving, the congregation is hoping to slowly grow and rebuild in a place with more than 80 years of history as a home for La Crescenta followers, the Rev. Bryan Jones said.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s an exciting opportunity,” Jones said.

Between 20 and 25 visitors have attended weekly services since the changeover, Jones said.

The church hopes to build a strong group of core members before it begins holding full Sunday services at 10 a.m., rather than its current 8 a.m. Eucharist, he said.

Although the new congregation has started small, its following of energetic members interested in shaping a new parish will be important in laying a foundation for the church, he said.

“The folks here are the folks who are really going to build the congregation,” he said.

Some visitors Sunday were new to the church, but others had been regular visitors at St. Luke’s long before its members voted to break with the Episcopal Diocese because of concerns about the appointment of a gay bishop in New Hampshire.

When the congregation made its decision to split from the Episcopal Church, many members left and went to other churches, said La Crescenta resident John Breckow.

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/11/23/religion/gnp-church112309.txt

Trust donates 5 tons of food to area pantries

From Florida-

An early-morning delivery had volunteers scrambling to unload $5,000 worth of groceries designated for a food pantry at Grace Episcopal Church.

For the second consecutive year, members of the Port Orange Family Days Community Trust presented church officials with approximately 11,000 pounds of boxed and canned food that will help provide meals for residents in need during the holiday season.

The groceries were purchased at cost from the Walmart Supercenter on Dunlawton Avenue with money generated by Family Days, an annual event that takes place at City Center Circle.

"The food we're giving today came from the nearly 70,000 people who turned out for the 2009 Family Days festival," John Evans, president of the Family Days organization, said Monday. "They made these contributions possible, and we want them to know that it is because of them that others in the community can get a helping hand in these hard times."

Members of Grace Episcopal Church, 4110 S. Ridgewood Ave., maintain the food pantry as part of its participation with Halifax Urban Ministries, which was started in 1980 by the Halifax Area Ministerial Association to assist the hungry, homeless and low-income people in Volusia and Flagler counties.

With a 2009 goal of providing 350 tons of food to qualified recipients, the food drive is supported by congregations and members from about 40 area churches, along with civic and veterans organizations.

More here-

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/South/evlNN02112209.htm

Investigation exposes influence of Religious Right on homophobia in Africa

From Ekklesia-

Sexual minorities in Africa have become 'collateral damage' in church conflicts as US conservative evangelicals and those opposing gay priests, ministers and bishops within mainline Protestant denominations woo Africans, a groundbreaking investigation by Political Research Associates (PRA) has suggested.

Globalising the Culture Wars: US Conservatives, African Churches, and Homophobia, a new report by PRA Project Director Reverend Kapya Kaoma, examines the US Right’s promotion of an agenda in Africa which aims to criminalise homosexuality and infringe upon the human rights of LGBT people while also mobilising African clerics in US 'culture war' battles.

The report comes as Christian church leaders in the UK are also being criticised for not speaking out about a proposed new law in Uganda which would introduce the death penalty for certain homosexual activity between consenting adults.

US social conservatives, who are in the minority in mainline churches, depend on African religious leaders to legitimise their positions as their growing numbers make African Christians more influential globally. The report says these partnerships have succeeded in slowing the mainline Protestant churches’ recognition of the full equality of LGBT people.

In the United States, Kaoma focuses on “renewal” groups in The Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church USA, and Presbyterian Church USA; US conservative evangelicals and the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a neoconservative think tank that has "sought to undermine Protestant denominations’ tradition of progressive social justice work for decades".

In Africa, Kaoma investigates the ties which US conservatives have established with religious leaders in Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya and the impact of homophobia exported from the United States to these Anglophone countries.

More here-

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10634

Episcopal convention delegates review missionary progress

From Missouri-

Delegates at the 170th convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri learned on Friday afternoon that one of the mission churches in Lake St. Louis had become a parish. About 75 members of the Church of the Transfiguration were on hand to provide a presentation of the mission's history and the work it took to become a parish.

"We started out with about a dozen members," said Mary Ruth, a longtime member of the newly established parish. "It moved from place to place, meeting room to meeting room, until we finally settled on our present building. Now we've added on rooms for Sunday school and meetings."

Building up missions was a large part of convention business as 300 delegates met to discuss and review the church's progress on missionary work, not only in Africa but also in Missouri. It was the ongoing theme emphasized by both Bishop George Wayne Smith, 10th bishop of Missouri, and the keynote speaker of the weekend, Dr. Dwight Zscheile.

During his homily at Mass Friday evening, Zscheile, an assistant professor at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., touched on the issues of the Episcopal Church.

"God calls us out of our doors to participate in healing and reconciliation," he said. The Episcopal Church cannot expect people to join the church, sing the songs and just stay. Members have to work at the mission at hand, promoting healing and peace by working with each other. We are confused by the idea of mission, we think it's somewhere else, but it's right on our doorsteps."

Christ Episcopal Church of Cape Girardeau was one of six congregations asked by the bishop to engage in an experiment of missional living.

"I have asked them to refocus their life around God's mission and to make it an organizing principle in their common life, not an afterthought or the thing to do after everything else is in order," Smith said.

More here-

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1589192.html

Dr Rowan Williams gets 20 minutes with the Pope. They both know it's all over

From the London Telegraph-

The leader of a billion Roman Catholics meets the leader of 80 million Anglicans at a moment of historic crisis between the two Communions and they send all of TWENTY MINUTES together. Here is the official communiqué from the Vatican:

This morning His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in private audience His Grace Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.

In the course of the cordial discussions attention turned to the challenges facing all Christian communities at the beginning of this millennium, and to the need to promote forms of collaboration and shared witness in facing these challenges.

The discussions also focused on recent events affecting relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, reiterating the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans, and recalling how, over coming days, the commission entrusted with preparing the third phase of international theological dialogue between the parties (ARCIC) is due to meet.

More here-

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100017476/dr-rowan-williams-gets-20-minutes-with-the-pope-they-both-know-its-all-over/

Rowan Williams and the Pope in historic meet

From The London Times-

The Archbishop of Canterbury has met with the Pope today in the wake of the Vatican’s move to 'poach' Anglican clergy.

Dr Rowan Williams held talks with Benedict XVI in Rome for the first time since the Pope approved a decree to accept Anglicans.

Pope Benedict is offering Anglican clergy the chance to transfer to the Roman Catholic Church, while maintaining many of their traditions and practices, including the right to marry.

The Vatican has been accused of exploiting divisions in the Church of England at a time when many Anglicans are angry over the ordination of women bishops.

More here-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6926720.ece

St. Luke's prepares 10,000 meals for the hungry

From North Carolina-

"Runner!" somebody yells. A small boy wearing a white hairnet comes flying across the Parish Hall and slams down a full plastic bin. He gathers up three empty bins and disappears.

I grab a bag from the bin — it feels heavy — and place it on the scale in front of me — 394 grams. I spoon a little rice out of the top —384. Great! I place the bag into another bin, and the woman across from me snatches it up, smooths out the air and sticks it into the heat sealer in front of her. There are 20 people working our long table, hurriedly weighing bags and sealing them shut.

Behind us at two other tables, 20 more volunteers scoop food into the bags. In front of us, other people are counting full bags, packing and sealing them into cardboard boxes, and loading them onto a large cart. Teens from our youth group push the cart towards the door where the truck is waiting outside. We're all wearing white hairnets. The gong crashes! We've just packed 1,000 meals!

"Hooray!" we shout. But nobody looks up from their work, nobody stops moving. We've got 9,000 meals to go.

- - -

On Friday night, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Salisbury, volunteers packed 10,000 meals in less than two hours. Under the Stop Hunger Now food packaging program, these meals will be sent to feeding programs in schools and orphanages around the world.

As we gathered in the Parish Hall, the Rev. Whayne Hoagland Jr., St. Luke's rector, introduced Mickey Horner, Charlotte Program Coordinator for Stop Hunger Now.

Horner, an intense man, a man on a mission, gave us the facts: Six billion people on the planet, one billion of them starving. That's 25,000 people dying of hunger every day, most of them children. It's like 125 jumbo jets, loaded with children, crashing — every single day. If actual jets were crashing, people would be crying out for a solution. But deaths from starvation happen more quietly, one at at time, in places most of us have never visited.


More here-

http://www.salisburypost.com/Lifestyle/copy-of-112109-Ten-thousand-meals

Thanksgiving race helps the homeless

From Tennessee-

St. George's Episcopal Church is gearing up once more for the 16th annual Boulevard Bolt, a 5-mile run/walk held on Thanksgiving Day that has raised more than $1.2 million to benefit the homeless in Nashville.

The race is a collaborative volunteer effort organized by St. George's, The Temple and Immanuel Baptist Church. Twenty-three local agencies that serve the homeless in Nashville will receive funding from this year's race proceeds.

Last year's recipient agencies used race funds to support a wide range of programs, from providing homeless youths with backpacks containing street-survival supplies to adding a hot breakfast program at a local soup kitchen.

The race will start at 8 a.m., Thursday, at St. George's Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Road.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091121/NEWS06/911210310/1023/NEWS01

Oregon elects Rev. Michael Joseph Hanley as bishop of Episcopal diocese

From Oregon-

Clergy and delegates from throughout western Oregon elected the Rev. Michael Joseph Hanley, 54, rector of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Roseville, Minn., as the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon Friday during their 121st diocesan convention.

Hanley was elected in a second round of voting, with 104 of the 132 clergy votes and 146 of the 198 lay votes cast. A simple majority is required in both categories. The Rev. Anne Bartlett, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Ashland and vice president of the standing committee, made the announcement at about 10:20 a.m., evoking cheers from the electing convention.

Sharon Rodgers, president of the standing committee, had called Hanley, who was at home in Minnesota waiting for the phone to ring.

"This may have been the most significant phone call I've ever made," Rodgers said. She informed Hanley of his election. "Quite honestly, we were both choked up," she said. "What would you like me to tell the people of Oregon?" she asked him.


More here-

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2009/11/oregon_elects_rev_michael_jose.html

Lincecum's the one; that makes two Cys

From MLB-

From now on, when Tim Lincecum steps onto the pitcher's mound, he'll stand alone in more ways than one.

Many pitchers have recorded more victories and strikeouts than Lincecum. Several have earned more Cy Young Awards. None, however, thrived to the extent that Lincecum has during a career that has been as brilliant as it is brief.


On Thursday, Lincecum became the only pitcher to capture the Cy Young Award in each of his first two full Major League seasons. The Giants right-hander was named the National League's repeat winner Thursday in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

"It's a tremendous honor for me," said Lincecum, 25. "To be up there and do what I've done means the world."

Several aspects of Lincecum's triumph combined novelty with history:

• This was one of the closest Cy Young votes ever. In balloting that assigned five points for a first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place nod, Lincecum totaled 100 points and 11 first-place votes. He edged St. Louis right-handers Chris Carpenter (nine first-place votes, 94 points) and Adam Wainwright (12 first-place votes, 90 points).

"Both the guys I was going up against had tremendous seasons," Lincecum said, calling Wainwright a "workhorse" and praising Carpenter's speedy comeback from injuries.

More here-

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091115&content_id=7669426&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Archbishop-presses-ecumenical-questions-in-rome

From The Living Church-

The Archbishop of Canterbury asked on Thursday whether the differences between Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism are sufficient to prevent Rome’s deeper recognition of Anglican orders.

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams spoke at the Gregorian University at a conference in honor of the late ecumenical leader Johannes Cardinal Willebrands. The archbishop’s office has released a text of his remarks.

The “ecumenical glass is genuinely half-full,” the archbishop said. “For many of us who are not Roman Catholics, the question we want to put, in a grateful and fraternal spirit, is whether this unfinished business is as fundamentally church-dividing as our Roman Catholic friends generally assume and maintain.”

Archbishop Williams quoted ten times from a newly published book, Harvesting the Fruits: Basic Aspects of Christian Faith in Ecumenical Dialogue, by Walter Cardinal Kasper, whom he called “our greatly loved and respected friend.”

When announcing the book in late October, Cardinal Kasper called it “the result of two years of intense efforts I undertook with officials of my pontifical council, in collaboration with our … ecumenical partners.”

Archbishop Williams described Roman Catholics and their ecumenical partners as essentially united in their understanding of basic Christian faith.

“The links from trinitarian doctrine straight through to the meaning of the Lord’s Supper are strongly affirmed on all sides,” he said. “The whole discussion of sacramental life is centered upon how the believer is established in filial communion through the act of the triune God; there is little to suggest that outside the Roman fold there is any ambiguity over this priority of the divine act, or any separation between the act of God in salvation and a purely or predominantly human activity of recalling or expressing that act through human practices.”

Instead, he said, there is continuing disagreement about the nature of authority (specifically Roman Catholicism’s magisterium), about papal primacy and about the nature of the universal Church itself.

Is the universal Church, Archbishop Williams asked, “an entity from which local churches derive their life, or is it the perfect mutuality of relationship between local churches — or indeed as the mysterious presence of the whole in each specific community?”

Citing a sermon that Cardinal Willebrands delivered in Cambridge in 1970, the archbishop described a theory of primacy as a “community of communities” and a “communion of communions.” He cited the Anglican Communion’s proposed covenant as an example.

“The current proposals for a covenant between Anglican provinces represent an effort to create not a centralized decision-making executive but a ‘community of communities’ that can manage to sustain a mutually nourishing and mutually critical life, with all consenting to certain protocols of decision-making together,” he said.


More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/11/19/archbishop-presses-ecumenical-questions-in-rome

Africans suffer from ‘collateral damage’ in US culture clash

From The Church Times-

RIGHT-WING organisations in the United States are cultivating African religious leaders as part of a strategy to undermine the social witness of US mainline Churches and promote homophobia in Africa, says an in vesti gative report by an Anglican priest and scholar, the Revd Kapya Kaoma.

The report, Globalizing the Culture Wars: US Conservatives, African Churches, & Homophobia, was commissioned by the progressive think tank Political Research Associates. It argues that African bishops and other leaders are being used as proxies in an internal US conflict.
The report charts how neo-conservative groups, such as the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), have presented the denominations’ commitment to human rights as an imperialistic attempt to manipulate Africans into accepting homosexuality — which they characterise as a purely Western phenomenon — and an attempt to destabilise and corrupt African morals.

Such groups have characterised the denominations — the Episcopal Church in the US, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church USA — as opposed to family values, the report goes on. Their rhetoric has fomented homophobia in Africa with disastrous conse quences, such as the proposed anti-gay Bill in Uganda, it suggests. Sexual minorities have become “the collat eral damage” of US domestic conflict.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=84974

Committee revises its view on women bishops — again

From The Church Times-

THE draft women-bishops legislation may not be ready for the February Synod, after the revision committee failed to agree last week on which powers should be given by law to bishops who would oversee traditionalist parishes.

At their previous meeting, in October, members of the committee revived the idea of vesting such bishops with legal rights, which the General Synod had rejected in July 2008. The move drew approval from traditionalists, but accusations of betrayal from WATCH (Women and the Church) (News, 16 October).

But at last week’s meeting, when it came to deciding which functions should be vested, members voted each one down in turn, leaving nothing. Sharp exchanges reportedly took place across the table as the work of the two previous meetings was, in effect, undone. Staff are left with the task of rewriting the legislation. “The timetable is now extremely tight” for February, the committee has acknowledged.

In a statement, it said: “The effect of the committee’s decision is there fore that such arrangements as are made for those unable to receive the episcopal ministry of women will need to be by way of delegation from the diocesan bishop rather than vesting.

“There remain important issues for the committee to determine at its forthcoming meetings over the shape of the proposed legislation in the light of this decision, in particular whether to retain a statutory code of practice or adopt the simplest possible legislation.”

The committee goes on to state that it will “report to the full General Synod at the conclusion of its work”. Thereafter, the Synod will debate its proposals and has the option of approving, amending, or sending the legislation back to the revision committee for further consideration.
Voting figures will not be released until the committee makes its final report to the Synod. In anticipation of the question why it issues statements at all when the decisions keep changing, a C of E clarification said: “Synod members coming to speak to amendments they have submitted have the right to know when there has been a major change affecting their proposals. Since such decisions will quickly become widely known, the committee concluded it was best to put the facts on public record.”

Committee members are not free to comment on discussions. Prebendary David Houlding, of the Synod’s Catholic Group, who was an observer at the October meeting, said on Tuesday that the issuing of a press statement just before the Archbishop of Canterbury went to Rome for a meeting with the Pope was extraordinary.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=84976

New view of conserative America's influence on church in Africa

From Washington Post

Another salvo in the battle in mainline Christianity over sexuality and scripture.

Some of you may be following the litigation and infighting in many mainline denominations - Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian, among them - over the rights of same-gender couples. As advocates for sexual minorities have pushed harder for equality, conservatives have pushed back with a powerful narrative that intertwines sex, race and power. It says that Christianity in the West is dying, in part because of new ways of interpreting Scripture that allow equal rights for gays and lesbians, and that the new frontiers of Christian power are Africa and Asia.

Hard data on the views of mainline Protestants in these areas isn't known, but conservatives have argued that these Christians are more socially conservative and reject homosexuality.

Now a new report featuring a cover photo with Northern Virginia Anglican Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader of the conservatives who broke away from the Episcopal Church, argues that it's the Western conservatives who are pushing the anti-gay line into Africa -- not the other way around -- resulting in anti-gay legislation and homophobia that wasn't there before.

It will be interesting to see if this report makes any splash. The arguments aren't new but the mainline churches seem to be getting more organized in recent years and fighting back harder.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/11/by_michelle_boorstein_another_salvo.html

Priest Accused Of Misconduct Offered State Job

From Deleware-

An Episcopal priest who was relieved of his duties because of alleged misconduct with a female parishioner has been offered a state government job.

The Rev. Robert Broesler, pastor of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Wilmington, is scheduled to start working Monday for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Meanwhile, a hearing is scheduled Wednesday in a lawsuit in which Broesler, who denies any misconduct, claims church officials have wrongfully denied him pay and benefits and have indirectly tried to dissolve his pastoral relationship without following the required process.

Broesler, 54, is asking a Chancery Court judge for a restraining order to prevent church officials from taking further steps to jeopardize his position as a tenured pastor pending the outcome of church proceedings, or using his acceptance of the state job against him.

According to the lawsuit, Broesler was forced to seek other employment after the vestry at St. Barnabas voted in June to stop paying him. He was last paid in mid-August, and his home is subject to foreclosure, according to court records.

"Reverend Broesler is in dire financial straights (sic) because his contract has been breached and his compensation has been wrongfully terminated," his lawsuit reads.

DHSS spokesman Carl Kanefsky said Broesler has been offered a job with the Division of State Services, which provides individuals and families access to a variety of DHSS programs and services. Kanefsky did not have specifics of the job description but said the position was posted, and that Broesler emerged as a top candidate after his application was vetted and references checked.

More here-

http://cbs3.com/wireapnewsde/Episcopal.priest.accused.2.1323056.html

Episcopal group demands return of tsunami funds

From Christian Today-

In its civil suit against the Church of South India, the US-based Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) has demanded a full return of 18.78 crore given for the relief and rehabilitation of tsunami victims.

The case filed at the Madras High Court sought the return of all monies with 24 per cent interest, given between March 2005 and January 2006.

ERD president Robert W Radtke has accused the former CSI leadership of swindling Rs 7.5 crore from the tsunami relief fund.

Pointing that it was a breach of the terms and conditions of the memorandum of understanding, Radtke demanded all funds be returned in compliance with the terms.

According to the MoU, the CSI must fully cooperate in the auditing of the financial activities and also funds not spent on activities must be returned within 12 months after the end of the project.

Earlier, in a statement, the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church, explained that the legal action was taken to "ensure funds are properly used to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami."

"The sole objective of our ongoing efforts to recover the tsunami relief funds is to fulfill our original intent to faithfully administer the funds that are received on behalf of vulnerable people," it stated.

The major fraud in the handling of the overseas fund was uncovered after an investigation by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai police.

More here-

http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/episcopal-group-demands-return-of-tsunami-funds/4832.htm

USA Today ad welcomes all people to the Episcopal Church

From ENS-

An advertisement focusing on the welcoming nature of the Episcopal Church that ran in the Nov. 20 edition of USA Today is being made available to dioceses and congregations for local media use.

The church's core beliefs and practices, including those related to Christ, the Bible, women's ordination and relationships, are featured in the ad on page 9A of the newspaper and on the Episcopal Church's website, Anne Rudig, director of communication, said in a Nov. 20 news release.

"We want to herald and share our welcoming message," she said.

"In the past few weeks, news about various religions has focused more about who's excluded from certain practices than who is included," Rudig noted. "We follow Christ and believe that he's very clear that all are welcome. We strive to 'love our neighbors as ourselves.'"

The Rev. Canon Charles Robertson, canon to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, said in the same release that "we are celebrating the fact the Episcopal Church recognizes that God doesn't differentiate between the gifts of men or women, lay or ordained. We want people to know who we are and to make their own, informed decisions."

The ad is the first in a series of materials that will be made available to dioceses, congregations and provinces as an overall communication strategy for the church is developed, Rudig said.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_117096_ENG_HTM.htm