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Thursday 2 February 2017

Purification

St Non's Holy Well, St Davids, Pembs                                                         Courtesy of TripAdvisor

Today, 2 February, the Anglican Church celebrates Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is an opportunity for clerics to preach about impurity and the unclean as the Archbishop of Wales did in his address in St John's Church Cardiff last Sunday.

The sick, the poor and women in childbirth were mentioned when physician heal thyself would have been far more appropriate. Under a previous entry a comment was made that "the Bench is still behaving like a Medieval papacy and treating the rest of us like we don't matter". It referred to a letter to the Church Times in which it was stated: "The Church in Wales Book of Common Prayer, enacted by various canons, declares that confirmation is a rite, and its rubrics provide that confirmation is generally necessary to receive holy communion. The Church's constitution provides that alterations to rites and discipline may be made only by canon."

The bishops of the Church in Wales decided 'after receiving legal advice', perhaps from the canon lawyers sat on the bench, that the change could be implemented by pastoral letter without any authorisation by canon.

This is the latest example of how the bench of bishops in the Church in Wales are a law unto themselves. Previously clear signals have been given to the bench by church members after expensive consultations that same sex marriage in church would not be approved and that a Code of Practice should make provision for loyal members of the Church in Wales who are unable in conscience to receive the sacramental ministry of women, a matter of theology, not equality. Both were ignored. The bishops simply did as they desired.

So where does the Church in Wales go from here now that Dr Morgan has retired? The presumption is that the next archbishop will be one of the canon lawyers on the bench. While Dr Morgan has taken a great deal of stick for placing his own interpretation on scripture he has been careful to explain that his views were those of the bench making the bishops complicit.

How can the bench have any credibility in their leadership of the Church in Wales without radical changes? They can start with an act of contrition in a process of purification of themselves.


7 comments:

  1. Enforcer. I have no means of replying directly so I shall use this means of replying to your last three comments. I have no knowledge of the matter you refer to but it seems to me that it is a matter for the police and the courts so comments in these columns may be inappropriate. I am sorry if this moderation disappoints you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What would Jesus say?4 February 2017 at 16:32

      That's a shame.
      Wouldn't judicial use of the word "allegedly" cover all eventualities?

      Delete
    2. The answer is, yes, it would 'What would Jesus say'. An allegation has not been proved.
      Furthermore, it is not necessary for the next Archbish to be a Canon Lawyer, simply able enough to wangle through the Constitution and move the 'tent pegs' around if and when required. Listen to Prof Thomas Watkyn, "Ecclesiastical law ceased to be law in Wales in 1920". And that's why he got the push at number 39, (Much disliked by the Grand Mufty). The CiW is simply a private club, and a denomination like any other. The cult image is over.

      Delete
  2. Now that 'he' is gone, our leaders, the Bench they must lead. We know they read this blog.
    The first thing that they must do is to convince us that powerful barbarians do not sit on episcopal thrones in Wales - but fulsome followers of Jesus who know that the Crucifixion is such a total victory that the Resurrection is inevitable. And in the glory of the power/dunamis of the anastasis, we live. Barbarians do not know this. The Body of Christ comes before anybody's body. (+ Cameron do you believe this?)
    Ancient Briton please delete any reference to that person's name (ex-arch. one) in any shape or form in all replies. Creative censoring. That is enough. He's gone. Any mention gives worth. Worth leads to worship. Ah! the perversity of it all. Lets move on. Hurry up please it's time.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. So Darth ++Insidious, His ++Darkness, His ++Irrelevance, Darth ++Superbia, bully boy ++Bazza, byzantine ++Barry, bullshitter ++Barry, Satan's Imp, Sauron, Morgan the Gorgon etc etc should now be referred to as "He who must not be named"?
      Ala Harry Potter?
      I would far rather continue to call a turd a turd.
      Let no-one forget in what contempt he has and continues to be held by the vast majority.

      Delete
    2. Thrupence, that sounds very much like 'conspire to cover up'. Does it not?

      Delete
  3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38878298

    FGM victims need medical attention 'every hour' says charity.

    No mention of this politically hot potato from any of the coven?
    They wouldn't want to upset any of Morgan's muslim pals.
    Even more staggering is the disgraceful lack of a single prosecution despite it being illegal.
    "Community relations" must still be more important than the law.
    Why aren't MAE and WATCH organising hundreds of thousands of women to march and protest about this?

    ReplyDelete