Judge launches body to back marriage and prevent splits; Another traditionalist chosen for Chichester; Canterbury reps on CNC elected; Some Southwark evangelicals rebel on finance; Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales 2012 – a multimedia pilgrimage; Anglican world marks 350 years of the Book of Common Prayer; Pope donates $250,000 for disaffected Anglicans and the Guardian questions why
Judge launches body to back marriage and prevent splits
Church Times – A High Court judge, Sir Paul Coleridge, launched a foundation this week to “champion” marriage as the “gold standard”, and to tackle the breakdown of family life.
At the launch of the Marriage Foundation, held at Middle Temple Hall, in London, Sir Paul, who sits in the Family Division, said that he had seen first-hand “the awful pain and suffering attendant on splitting up families.
“The fundamental concern which drives the establishment of this foundation is in relation to family breakdown and its destructive effects, particularly on the lives of children. We aim to reduce the number of children caught up in the family-justice system and the misery which they experience and which we see so often.”
Sir Paul said that the foundation would not be campaigning on the question of same-sex marriage, but focusing instead on the issue of family breakdown. The foundation’s website (www.marriagefoundation.org.uk) would be a “one-stop shop . . . promoting marriage and enabling easy access to marriage support and enhancing services”, he said. The foundation would “have a pro-active engagement in public debates, which will be informed by original research which we intend to commission”. It also planned to “develop and promote a practical programme for young people”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/02/pope-donation-disaffected-anglicans?newsfeed=true
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.campaign.to.champion.marriage/29810.htm
Another traditionalist chosen for Chichester
Church Times – The new Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, has praised the diocese for being “brave and bold” in nominating a traditionalist.
Dr Warner said that his appointment, announced yesterday, would give the diocese “an opportunity to model how we live with difference, finding a place for everyone within the life of the diocese, without any detriment to the strongly held theological views and consciences of people who could appear to be opposites”.
Describing the “mixture of terror and huge excitement” he felt upon learning of his appointment, the Bishop said he hoped to make a contribution to the national scene in the Church of England, which “perhaps needs to recover a voice that is a little bit more generous . . . more compassionate . . . more confident about proclaiming God’s love for everybody”.
Dr Warner, aged 53, arrives from the diocese of York, where he has served as Suffragan Bishop of Whitby since 2010. He was ordained in 1985 in Exeter Cathedral, and worked Assistant Curate of St Peter’s, Plymouth, before moving to be Team Vicar in the Parish of the Resurrection, Leicester. From 1993 to 2002, he was Priest Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, before being appointed a Residentiary Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Canterbury reps on CNC elected
Thinking Anglicans – The Canterbury Vacancy-in-See Committee met yesterday, and as part of their business elected the following six diocesan representatives on the Crown Nominations Commission responsible for the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The Reverend Canon Clare Edwards Mr Raymond…
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005491.html
Some Southwark evangelicals rebel on finance
Thinking Anglicans – Last week’s Church Times carried a report by Ed Thornton Evangelicals warned on cash. (This earlier report gives the background.) …Some Evangelicals in the diocese are setting up an alternative parish-share scheme, which will be a registered charity.
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005489.html
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales 2012 – a multimedia pilgrimage
Guardian – Inspired by one of the English language’s seminal works, 24 modern-day pilgrims – including two from China and one from Bermuda – braved piercing April ‘shoures’ to undertake a full-scale re-enactment Chaucer’s masterpiece, acting out the tales as they travelled on foot to Canterbury in aid of the National Literacy Trust.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/may/04/chaucer-canterbury-tales-2012-multimedia?newsfeed=true
Anglican world marks 350 years of the Book of Common Prayer
ENI – Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” “All the deceits of the world, the flesh and the devil.” “Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.”
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5638
Pope donates $250,000 for disaffected Anglicans and the Guardian questions why
Guardian – The pope has donated $250,000 to the Personal Ordinariate, the body set up by the Vatican for disaffected Anglicans, which may be used for buying property and paying stipends.The cash represents a big boost for the body, which was established in January 2011 and has drawn Anglican worshippers opposed to the Church of England’s policy on female clergy.”I am very grateful to the Holy Father for his generosity and support,” said Monsignor Keith Newton, the ordinary of the ordinariate. “This gift is a great help and encouragement as we continue to grow and develop our distinctive ecclesial life while seeking to contribute to the wider work of evangelisation in England and Wales.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/02/pope-donation-disaffected-anglicans?newsfeed=true
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/may/06/pope-anglican-ordinariate?newsfeed=true