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| Church in Wales bunch of bishops (l to r): St Davids (sick), Llandaff (Ret'd), Swansea & Brecon, Bangor (Abp), Bangor (Asst Bp & Bp elect of Llandaff), St Asaph, Monmouth (Source: Church in Wales) |
A comment dated 23 March 2023 under my entry An ACE Bishop for Wales referred to a letter sent to all clergy from the bishops of the Church in Wales following the decision of the Rev Stuart Bell, former Rector of the Rectorial Benefice of Aberystwyth to accept ordination to the episcopate from Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church of North America and others.
The letter as reproduced concludes:
"We would like to be as generous and open in our relationship with former colleagues and brothers and sisters in Christ in the future but we have to recognise the reality of the step which has been taken."
In short, the bench is introducing another ban to avoid any form of mutual flourishing.
'Generous' is not the word that springs readily to mind. 'Treachery' would be nearer the mark.
Referring to the decision of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales to permit same-sex couples to have a blessing on their civil unions they write: "although we have been clear that clergy, leaders and members of the Church in Wales have a diversity of opinions on this matter, [we] have sought to provide space in our common life for freedom of conscience and difference."
That is simply untrue.
Mutual flourishing in the Church in Wales died in 2017 along with bishop David Thomas. Society bishops are barred from entering Wales leaving 'traditionalists' to travel to England to exercise 'freedom of conscience and difference'. Only the right sort of 'bishop' in their view is allowed to officiate.
In their letter the Bench state: "No ministers affiliated with the Anglican Convocation in Europe should exercise ministry or leadership in a Church in Wales context, unless the explicit written permission of the appropriate Church in Wales diocesan bishop has been given."
That is generosity?
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Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE) bishops. (l to r), Bishop Andy Lines, Bishop Stuart Bell and Archbishop Foley Beach (Source: Source ACE) |
Postscript [26.03.2023]
ACE bishops reject claims of the Church in Wales’ bishops
"Contrary to what Archbishop John and his Bishops have said, it is the the Church in Wales which has placed itself out of communion with the majority of Anglicans worldwide by departing the historic, orthodox, biblical faith. Faithful Anglicans living under such failed oversight need a spiritually safe home and a hope for the future. We are grateful that Gafcon has provided this by authorising ACE as a genuine Anglican jurisdiction." Full story from Anglican Ink.
Would Yehoshua of Nazareth himself require "explicit written permission" from the Wunch of Bankers in Wales to exercise his ministry?
ReplyDeleteWhat are they going to do if a member of the ACIE chooses to work in Wales?
Report him to Dripford in Cardiff Bay?
To coin a phrase, b*ll*cks to them all and especially to the chocolate teapot.
Are there any Parish clergy left in Wales prepared to defy the impersonators posing as shepherds?
DeleteSomehow, I doubt it.
Can one say that with shepherds like these who needs wolves?
DeleteOne most certainly believes so.
DeleteWell done and congratulations to the ACE Bishops for calling out the heretic liars on the plank in Wales. The question now is which member of the clergy will be courageous enough to invite Stuart Bell to visit their Parish?
ReplyDeleteI hope it will be someone in the Bangor Diocese.
Hear hear.
DeleteThe chocolate teapot is terrified that it will be!
DeleteA few years ago, minus June invited Bishop Phillip North to conduct a confirmation for Orthodox Anglicans in the diocese. It was so successful, he was never asked again.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right.
DeleteTypical.
Caiaphas is not missed in the least.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65085987
ReplyDeleteFollowing receipt of messages from a few concerned wellwishers, I wish to report that news of my demise is both premature and greatly exaggerated.
Stuart should head off to Uganda where he will find an audience for his hateful theology. Not welcome in any Church in Wales parish for sure.
ReplyDeleteRhydderch
Bollocks.
DeleteComplete and utter bollocks.
He will be very welcome anytime in Llandaff especially if he would throw out the present money-changing heretics from our Cathedral.
Faith Militant's hope that Stuart Bell might visit the Diocese of Bangor and Exodus juxtoposition retort of 'Bolllocks' to another comment don't sit well together. The almost majority of ++Andrew John's appointees to positions of power and influence in the diocese are of the cough-cough 'gay' leaning and wouldn't know what Bollocks are truly for.
ReplyDeleteAs for 'plankers', the curate-sub-dean is apparently gutting St. Deiniol's cathedral of the buildings entire stock of ancient and polished wooden pews to replace them with - at cost of +/- £200,000 - modern benches of IKEA-like design. Thus ends any tourist perceptions that Bangor is UK's oldest cathedral of constant use by bums on pews. No consultation ... just another ap-Rhys Evans rainbow whim like painting the cathedral doors red or hoisting the LGBTQ rainbow flag on the flagstaff.
How sad.
Old Bill
I am disgusted with the comment from "Rhydderch" describing tradional orthodox anglo-catholic teaching as "hateful theology", not to mention the racist undertone concerning Uganda and the sheer arrogance of speaking for every Parish in the Church in Wales.
DeleteA rather crude response from Exodus but I have every sympathy with the sentiment expressed.
https://youtu.be/e2lP6WoHvw0
ReplyDeleteAnglican Unscripted episode 798.
The wunch and the cult in Wales get another roasting.
I'm not adverse to removing old, (Victorian) uncomfortable pews and replacing them with more comfortable and versatile seating. After all, there have not been pews at Bangor Cathedral for most of its history, rather, rushes on the floor - The rushes by the water, we gather every day - as the hymn tells us! However, the point should be made that there is a faculty procedure in place to undertake this type of alteration and, as far as I am aware, the intention has to be posted to the main door of the building to provide the good folk with a chance to read, learn, mark and inwardly digest the proposals. One would hope the faculty procedure has been followed, to the letter !
ReplyDeleteThere is a way around that if you have a tame Archdeacon
DeleteThere isn’t. Archdeacons have no authority to dispense with the requirement of a faculty granted by the Chancellor.
DeleteRB
https://youtu.be/e2lP6WoHvw0
ReplyDeleteGeorge Conger blowing raspberries at the letter from the plankers.
"Nobody cares".
🤣 🤣
Start listening from around 27 minutes.
The problem with Tedric and RB's comments above is that Bangor isn't very good at hanging on to their Archdeacons. No one has yet discovered the truth behind Ven Andrew Jones's surprise and sudden 'quitting' (still not even announced to the 'Pleb' parishioners or even diocesan clergy except through ever spiralling rumour); Ven Mary Stallard (aka Assist. Bishop) is packing her bags to head south to Llandaff and since +Andrew arrived at Bangor, he's accepted four other archdeacon 'resignations'; five if you add in the Ven. Michael West. Least of their problems I would have thought will be to check the bright-red painted cathedral doors to see if there's a note from curate-sub-dean Sion ref 'faculty' and bonfire disposal of the old pews. My hearing is that most Dioc. of Bangor keep as far away from their Mother Church cathedral as they can lest they have to encounter the Pontiff-Sion.
ReplyDeleteOld Bill
So let me get this straight. Any *clergy* receiving communion from Bishop Stuart Bell will be disciplined? But what about lay people? Has Andy Crap heard of the Reformation and, if he has, what does he imagine it was all about in terms of breaking the cordon sanitaire between clergy and laity?
ReplyDeleteAnd what happens if a clergy person of the Church in Wales attends a Roman Catholic Mass, or the Orthodox liturgy, or the Lord's Supper in a Baptist or an Independent chapel (these all being churches that are not in communion with the Church in Wales) and receives the sacrament? Will they disciplined, too?
What this points to is Andy Crap's inability to resist settling old scores. As his erstwhile wife once vouchsaved, he bears grudges for a long time. This has nothing to do with eccelsiology, otherwise someone with more brains (which must mean the rest of the Church in Wales) would have pointed out the inconsistency of Crap's position. he really is a very small person, with small ambitions and small sympathies.
Talking of grudges, the departure of the Lavatory Attendant (and lack of announcement) is indeed interesting, if not entirely novel for Bangor Diocese. Like Bob the Builder, he's hung on in there, partly because the rest of the Church wouldn't touch him with a barge pole, hoping against hope that he might get The Purple. In today's risk-averse and safeguarding-obsessed Church? I think not.