 |
| "Fabiano Da Silva Duarte, left, and Father Lee Taylor were blessed by the Bishop of St Asaph" Source: BBC |
From BBC News: "Father Lee and his partner Fabiano Da Silva Duarte have become what is thought to be the first same-sex couple to be officially blessed by the Church in Wales."
Unofficially a former archbishop is rumoured to have performed at least one same-sex blessing for one of his diocesan clergy and same-sex partner.
Commenting on the official "landmark" blessing delivered by the bishop of St Asaph, bartender-turned-vicar Father Lee Taylor said with a choir, bell ringers and family and friends attending, the ceremony had the "look and smell" of a traditional wedding.
No surprise there, especially given that the Welsh bishops regard the new service merely as a stepping-stone to gay marriage in Church.
So why is the bench hell-bent on pursuing a policy that puts them at odds with the Church of England in particular and the wider Anglican Church in general, risking suspension from the Anglican Communion?
Having lost all credibility and most of its membership, perhaps the bishops have calculated that by becoming the queer Church in Wales they can avoid its predicted collapse and save themselves from the ranks of the unemployed.
In doing so the bench of bishops claim to be caring for the 'unloved and rejected' which is clearly a nonsense.
They show no regard whatsoever for others who fit bishop Cameron's description of "real disciples of Jesus Christ...vulnerable, fragile human beings" whom the bishops have chosen to leave without any of the pastoral care they lavish on those who worship under the LGBTQ+ banner.
As the Apostle John said when he encountered Cerinthus, a Gnostic heretic in the bath-house at Ephesus: "Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within." The hirelings are beyond help because no-one is going to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd through them. They are deceived themselves, and they now go on to deceive the nation; whilst convincing themselves that they are enlightened.
ReplyDeleteSeymour
There's absolutely nothing traditional about this parody.
DeleteIt's the sight and stink of corruption.
The plank sitters have undermined the foundations, replacing the rock of ages with the sand of secularism.
The collapse of the Church in Wales hastens on.
No surprise - it's two people who love each other standing before God and promising to take care of one another. It's going to look and feel like a traditional ceremony. We should rejoice at the seemingly ordinary nature of it all. We'll only find offence here if we're looking for it. Lots of people I spoke to over the weekend remarked on how welcome a move this was - to be honest, they were shocked this wasn't happening already. And don't they look smart.
ReplyDeleteRuthy
It may seem like love in terms of their feelings, but love is also about our actions. Dedicating oneself to a life of sin with someone is not loving them. I'm sorry that the wolves on the bench and in the world have deceived you Ruthy.
DeleteMr. E.
The greater sin - the one beyond the pardon of the Holy Spirit - is to see evil where there is goodness. There's a lot of that to be found on here. These two human beings have found love in each other. What would you prefer - that they go through life without a partner? Or that they entered sham marriages?
DeleteRuthy
That's precisely the point untRuthy.
DeleteGay "marriage" is a sham.
I have no axe to grind over them choosing to make their life together. If they also choose to imagine that God is fine with that, then that's between them and their God, whichever God(s?) that may be.
But I object to them trying to force their beliefs or points of view on me and others.
Rather than queering 🌈 the Church in Wales, the "vicar" should have the courage is his convictions and do a Rev Maynard.
The hypocrisy is rank and made all the worse by the Gluttonous false prophet.
The problem Ruthy is that I don't see new people joining the church as a result of this, only existing members cancelling their standing orders.
DeleteJon
The gay marriages that I am aware of are far from 'shams' as you put it. The fidelity, love and sacramentality of such relationships is equivalent to those I have experienced in the heterosexual world (including my own).
DeleteTake your axe of the grinder.
Ruthy
Instituted by God...., between one man and woman..., for the procreation of children.
DeleteFidelity and love there may well be but certainly no sacrament.
@untRuthy.
DeleteSee Contented from Cardiff, below.
Read, Mark, learn and inwardly digest.
@untRuthy
DeleteThe greater sin is to see goodness where there is evil.
All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
PP. The interesting fact is that the Reverend's congregation appear to accept him and his partner as do the wider community. They were aware of his sexuality, Civil Partnership and would have been able to veto his appointment. If his own people accept the situation, why the concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe church is not queering it's pitch, it's been queer for decades, silently accepting those who were marginalised in other churches. This latest break with traditional views may cause some ruffled feathers, but, in the main it's welcomed.
The theological debate is another matter, as some will see this as a step to far, but, do we not think that the bench, the theologians, liturgists have not combed through the biblical/doctrinal foundations, or, consulted with other denominations, who have taken this step?
The fact that citation to the demise of CiW, with the liberal bench taking rather bold decisions, is fact. But, so is the wider churches in Wales, who are also seeing significant closures.
The solution? That's the crux of the issue, the church needs to not become a secularist body, as this and other recent moves seem to imply; but, to "be Christ" outside it's doors. Covid has shown many new ways to "do church" that needs to be explored more fully. But, with some carful restraint. The proof stands out in the use of the evangelism fund. The new Cathay's, Wrexham projects or, as we know commonly as the "HTB projects". Then their are the Church Army projects in St David's and Monmouth which are working with churches, not dictating agenda as the HTB seem to do.
It is strange how no Anglo-Catholic project were considered? Were their any bids for such projects? Why have they not been seen? Was the rejected projects available to be known to the wider Church?
The demise of the new monastic communities in two diocese are worrying, why?
If we go back to Glyn Simon's, strategy, he called the bluff of city priests and despatched them to the valleys, and the result was visible as priests, brought the depth of richness in liturgy and community cohesion to those mining villages. Today some hold to that, but is their not a need to revialise this agenda?
The LGBTQ+ agenda is in appearance a huge break with traditional church, but, not a means to save it! What saves the church is a huge connundrun - the answer was not women, neither was it new rites and neither is it inclusivity. These moves are all driven in our human thinking and secularism - the church is not secularist, it is the Body of Christ, it's time we acted like it! What is missing is a return to spirituality, the sacredness of being Christ. If we look to the past, we can see that, the pioneering priest who took church into the inner cities, valleys and mission areas, had the right idea, if we take just a grain of their faith, wisdom, ideology and sense of mission, without the funds we have now, we might see some shoots of new life.
Being "hit and miss" as things are now, will only continue to dissolve this beloved institution.
What a very sad sight, to see an Anglican Bishop blessing a gay relationship, prelude to gay marriage. Love and respect have always been accorded to gay clergy and laity. For the bench to now use this way to justify gay partnerships is sickening.
ReplyDeleteThey sow discord and dissent by their deviancy.
Wick
Life long member of The Church ( in Wales). Gay. In a long term relationship - 34 years I've never felt unwelcome by my church. I've always been accepted by the congregations I've been with. I would certainly not want to be 'married' - that is not the teaching of The Church. I think God has blessed our partnership - we don't need all of the fuss and publicity that some Gay folk seek, even demand! Somebody on this site suggested we leave it to the THEOLOGIANS on the Bench. There aren't any. May I quote an email from from a retired 'Archdeacon' -such a nasty, vile, lying woman. 'There's more than one way to skin cat' !
ReplyDeleteContented from Cardiff.
Well said CFC.
DeleteThe retired Archdeaconesse is everything you describe and much more.
Thank you CFC. What you set out so clearly has been my experience of the Church in Wales, including among gay friends.
DeleteI had to do a double take of "THEOLOGIANS on the bench" as I thought I read "THEHOOLIGANS on the bench".
DeleteThen I continued, realising I was right the first time.
Many thanks for that CFC.
Whatever your point of view on this one has to honestly admit that Christ's Apostles would never in a million years sanctioned this. Do we follow their teaching or do we make it up to suit?
ReplyDeleteThe end of the matter is that the Scriptures do not, have never and will never teach this is okay.
WHAMAB
Time for people to admit the idea that the Cin W was the ancient faith of Wales was a delusion.
ReplyDeleteQuite right.
DeleteWe Druids are the ancient faith.
It's about time ritual human sacrifices were reintroduced and we have our eyes on a few plump oven-ready specimens.
For all the Christianity in them, the current plank of hirelings might just as well be druids!
DeleteSeymour
Druids V2.2.17.1
DeleteWe have incorporated tree hugging, aroma therapy, Wicca, Yoga and Crystal healing in order to be relevant to our originally Celtic but socially engineered modern multi-culturally enriched diverse everyone-must-have-prizes everything-goes non-judemental Metrosexual Godless society.
Another false prophet and hypocrite is hard at work today.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59320140