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| "There's somebody knocking at the door!" Source: Twitter/CinW |
Two tweets from the Llandaff Cathedral enthronement ceremony today:
1. "Bishop June knocks on the west door of @LlandaffCath and is welcomed inside by the Dean for enthronement service." - You can listen to a classic knocking commentary here.
2. "In her enthronement sermon @LlandaffCath Bishop June pays tribute to her predecessor Bishop Barry and says she will build on his legacy." But Barry's legacy is one of desolation. Numbers have plummeted. Churches closed. Parishes forced into Ministry Areas. Demoralised clergy and laity, those who are left.
Bishop June must have the cause of this mayhem in mind rather than the consequences because it fits in with her established agenda of more women and sexual licence apparent from the long-time buried Osborne Report.
Described as a 'Pioneer' English woman priest, "June Osborne’s ministry has been characterised by her passion for equality and diversity and she was a founder of the Church’s Leading Women programme".
No doubt there will plenty of gender equality clerics knocking at the door to reinforce bishop June's aim of parity. Building on Barry's legacy the door will be open to them, unlike marginalised, traditional Anglicans who continue to be punished for adhering to the catholic faith which is followed by the majority of Christians including Anglicans.
Bishop June must have the cause of this mayhem in mind rather than the consequences because it fits in with her established agenda of more women and sexual licence apparent from the long-time buried Osborne Report.
Described as a 'Pioneer' English woman priest, "June Osborne’s ministry has been characterised by her passion for equality and diversity and she was a founder of the Church’s Leading Women programme".
No doubt there will plenty of gender equality clerics knocking at the door to reinforce bishop June's aim of parity. Building on Barry's legacy the door will be open to them, unlike marginalised, traditional Anglicans who continue to be punished for adhering to the catholic faith which is followed by the majority of Christians including Anglicans.
The Good News tells us, knock and it will be opened to you. That Anglican bishops do not receive the message as they mutter between themselves like Minnie and Henry illustrates how far they have departed from the Christian faith.
Cards on the table. I think June Osborne's appointment as Bishop of Llandaff was/is a cynical act by the Bench of Bishops to disregard the wishes of the Diocese and further alienate the traditionalist constituency in the Diocese, without whom the ministry of the Church in Wales would have collapsed long ago in some of the most deprived communities we serve. Her inability to speak Welsh represents a further erosion of the public role of the Church in the cultural life of Wales - not least the media. And the involvement of Katherine Jefferts-Schori in the enthronement was both utterly provocative and completely unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThat said, if she is true to her word (and I have no reason to doubt that, based on previous form) June Osborne said some interesting things in her enthronement sermon that Barry the Byzantine Golfer would NEVER have said. For example, her longing for a Church that is "admirable, fair, transparent and just." Also that "our communities embody a mission which is both catholic in its broad perspective and long horizons, whilst also being passionately committed to personal liberty and the call to abundant life for every individual." Barry Morgan would NEVER (not in a million years) have uttered the first half of that sentence; and we know how selective he was about the second half, just as he was incapable of expressing it in such coherent language.
She also said "I believe truly, madly and deeply in pastoral ministry within a local context. You may hear me described as a ‘strategic leader’ but most of my strategies will be to empower and strengthen the impact of the local church in what the Church in Wales does best, sacramental life in the public and pastoral life of families and communities. That begins with shaping the imagination of our neighbours. It’s hard for our secular imaginations to conceive of what it’s like to live with God: to live in an enchanted world where our human knowledge is limited and flawed: to seek for the deepest meaning of life by sustaining a sense of mystery: and to touch ‘the better angels of our nature’ even during our worst of times."
This doesn't suggest to me that disbanding parishes and promoting 'Mission Areas' are likely to be at the top of her list of priorities. But, I sense, God is. To have a bishop who is not bored with God, who talks about 'mystery' and the provisionality of human knowledge, will be quite a shock to the Diocese of Llandaff. It will also be quite a shock to have a bishop who talks about sacramental and pastoral ministry in the ordinary day-to-day routine, without embarrassment or the need for it to be dressed-up in some costly hair-brained scheme that will further alienate the clergy.
By the way, don't you think photograph 13/28 on the 'More pictures from Bishop June Osborne's Enthronement' page of the C in W website would make a great caption competition? What is the Bishop thinking as she stares at the Dean?
She is rumoured to have been quietly humming to herself the song "So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye ; adieu, adieu, to you and you and you".
DeleteIf the looks of June, Peggy the Pilate and Jefferts Schori could kill, the dud in the Deanery would be a small mist of ash drifting on the breeze.
DeleteNote her enthusiasm for pastoral ministry. This usually translates into more female priests and fewer evangelical s .
ReplyDeleteSo bishop June will "build on the legacy of her predecessor bishop Barry"? What? More mouth watering hypocrisy and scandals such as Bangor, St Asaph, St Davids, not to mention sweet Benidorm itself?
ReplyDeleteAbercynon.
Whilst pondering Tom's response I must say that I do not share Laughing Gas and Ruth's optimism of a swift departure for the former golf caddy. Just think. If the appropriate talent still exists within the Anglican Communion then the calculation will have already been made that a move to Wales will hardly be a career enhancing move. The post Bazza C I W is nothing but a can of worms, as the charlady will soon find out. So severe is the level of destruction here that her options in finding a replacement are severely limited.
ReplyDeleteThe Watchman
On a lighter note before I nod off.
ReplyDeleteKnock knock
Who's there?
June
June who?
J you know where the key is?
G' night.
Three hours ago I woke up to a positive thought. The picture above encapsulates the present malaise of the Church in Wales perfectly. We appear to have an old lady attempting to break in to the asylum.
ReplyDeleteHark!
ReplyDeleteDid you hear that thud two minutes ago?
Llandaff Cathedral's accounts, quinquennial report, organ appeal accounts and book of acts have landed on the Sarum broom's desk.
A fitting end to a Diocese pretending to be Catholic and filled in its hey day with active gay clergy.
ReplyDeleteImpersonation is an art. The bench zitters do it well.
ReplyDeleteAs news of a previous failure by a former CinW cleric to secure a decanal appointment in England was posted here (Derby), I thought readers may be relieved (or not) to know that Peterborough managed to dodge a Welsh bullet, and that there will be no vacancy at a church in central Cardiff within spitting distance of St David's Hall and the Market.
ReplyDeleteI hear there is one near Bangor where yet another young energetic priest has been worn out and beaten down and fled back to England
DeleteI gather Bishop June is now on holiday. Any news about whether an appointment was made after the interviews, on Monday, for her new chaplain? Of course, the Bishop's office is now a good deal less leaky, so I have no idea who was on the shortlist. May be a new job for the disappointed Peterborough applicant. Now THAT would send everyone crackers!
ReplyDelete