No sign of compromise over women-bishops legislation; Assisted dying law change ‘would place vulnerable elderly at risk’; Campaign to block on-line pornography; Former gangster’s new life as Pastor; Called to Sing! Clergy performance of Messiah.
No sign of compromise over women-bishops legislation
By Madeleine Davies, Church Times – The House of Bishops will meet next Wednesday to discuss the next step in the legislation to allow women bishops. The response to a consultation in August suggests that opinion remains polarised.
The legisation, as it stands, contains Clause 5(1)(c), inserted by the Bishops before the July sessions of the General Synod in order to cater for traditionalist parishes. It stipulates that the Code of Practice should cover “the selection of male bishops or male priests the exercise of ministry by whom is consistent with the theological convictions as to the consecration or ordination of women” of the PCC. The clause was so divisive that a vote on final approval of the legislation was postponed until November (News, 13 July).
The steering committee proposed seven possible options in relation to the contentious clause (News, 27 July). A total of 120 submissions were received, it was announced on Wednesday. A third (41) were for simply deleting it; just under a third (35) were in favour of retaining it.
The committee had proposed five alternative compromise versions. Option 3 attracted “relatively little support”. It suggested replacing “consistent with” to selection that must “respect” or “take account of” the PCC’s convictions. Options 4 to 7 won “some support and also some criticism”.
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2012/7-september/news/uk/no-sign-of-compromise-over-women-bishops-legislation
Assisted dying law change ‘would place vulnerable elderly at risk’
The current law regarding assisted dying ought not to be changed, to avoid placing elderly people at greater risk, writes the Revd Dr Brendan McCarthy, the Archbishops’ Council’s National Adviser on Medical Ethics and Social Care Policy, in this week’s Church of England Newspaper.
Dr McCarthy writes: “…any change in the law will place vulnerable people at greater risk than at present. Society cannot afford to take an unrealistically optimistic view of human nature. The fact that each year, in England, more than 300,000 elderly people are abused, often at the hands of their close relatives, ought to alert everyone to the dangers of creating new areas of potential abuse.”
The article reminds readers that “the consistent position of the Church of England, reiterated in a motion passed by General Synod in February this year, is that the current law ought not to be changed”.
It also underlines the face that “any relaxation of the law is likely to have unintended negative consequences for society’s appreciation of the intrinsic value of human life”; and reminds readers that assisted suicide and euthanasia, once enacted, “do not permit any change of mind”.
Noting that “the Director of Public Prosecutions’ guidelines ensure that the law is applied in a compassionate and humane manner”, the full article can be read in full in the Church of England Newspaper and appears online at:
http://religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/?p=27802.
Campaign to block on-line pornography
Report on progress of Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Safetynet’ campaign to block on-line pornography, including reference to Archbishop of York’s support. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199467/MPs-fight-automatic-block-web-porn-No10-hand-petition.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Former gangster’s new life as Pastor
Reports of former gangster’s new life as Pastor to Braunton Coastal Community Community Church in Devon.
Called to Sing! Clergy performance of Messiah.
Archdeacon is organising and conducting a special clergy performance of part 1 of Handel’s Messiah.
www.manchester.anglican.org/news/1193/called-to-sing