Bishop of St Asaph to extend the hand of friendship

The Rt Rev Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, possibly the  next Archbishop.      Sourse: ITV

Traditionalists in the Church in Wales should not get too excited. The Bishop of St Asaph was addressing the need not to befriend 'traditionalist' Anglicans left leaderless in the Church in Wales but so-called 'terrorists' in an ITV discussion on "How we can tackle extremism?"

Observed taking refreshment after the funeral of Bishop David Thomas, the bishop of St Asaph then made time to give his views on matters Muslim rather than attempt with others present to put their own house in order. 

The three current Church in Wales diocesan bishops who attended the funeral ignored the family's invitation to robe in convocation dress and paraded themselves in cope and mitre in a gesture that once again appeared to be progressives thumbing their noses to traditionalists. Bishop David would not have been surprised given his treatment by Barry and his bench sitters during his time as Provincial Assistant Bishop. 

In the ITV discussion, listeners were led to believe that extremism results from Muslims being the victims. No mention of numerous verses in the Koran which command Muslims to kill infidels, Jews and Christians wherever they are found.

True, the hand of friendship should be extended but to draw Muslims to Christ by comparing His message of hope and forgiveness with instructions in the Koran to kill non-believers. However, when he speaks of love and friendship Bishop Gregory should remember that charity begins at home. His message would then carry more force.

"Be joyful and keep the faith!"

"A noble task"

The bishops of the Church in Wales, Llandudno 2012

 ‘The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he  desires a noble task.’  I  Timothy 3

In his Theology Wales paper 'A Noble Task' Bishop David Thomas reflected on his experience of ministry as Provincial Assistant Bishop and how this might change if the episcopate in Wales were opened to women.

Bishop David died suddenly last week in the knowledge that the first woman bishop had been enthroned in St Davids and the imported bishop-designate of Llandaff is to be consecrated in Brecon Cathedral next month. Neither of the women bishops is a Welsh speaker, a language dear to +David's heart.

One can imagine the pain and the hurt felt by this faithful priest, bishop and pastor as his noble task was pushed aside to make the Church more relevant to society, principally by prioritising sexual minorities and gender issues. 

Bishop David's paper makes interesting reading in retrospect. Listed alongside it on the Church in Wales site are back papers including one by the Rev’d Joanna Penberthy, now bishop of St Davids, 'Learn from the past and build for the future', illustrating just how much theology has been replaced by politics in the Church in Wales.

It remains to be seen if loyal Anglicans who have been encouraged against the odds to 'Be joyful and keep the faith' can any longer survive in the Church in Wales. There has been a deathly silence since the Credo Cymru 'Conference to Preserve the Breadth of Anglicanism in Wales'. The divisive 'Code of Practice in relation to the Ministry of Bishops following the Canon to enable the Ordination of Women as Bishops' has yet to be tested. 

This will be the ultimate test of sincerity by a bench of bishops who "unanimously committed to securing a continuing place in the life of the  Church for those who cannot in conscience accept the new situation created by  the ordination of women to the priesthood." For others it is already over.

"People sometimes ask me how I imagine my ministry as PAB might change in the event of women being admitted to the episcopate in the Church in Wales. The only honest answer I can give is that it would not change; it would be over."  - 'A Noble Task'.

+David Thomas RIP

The gentle art of persuasion or is it deception?

A BILL TO ENABLE WOMEN TO BE CONSECRATED AS BISHOPS

"WHEREAS the Law and Constitution of the Church in Wales has hitherto not permitted women to be consecrated as bishops

AND WHEREAS it is now appropriate in the Church in Wales that women be eligible for consecration to the Holy Order of Bishops

AND WHEREAS the Church in Wales intends to continue the ministry of the universal church in its threefold orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and to remain part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church 

AND WHEREAS the Church in Wales, subject to the provisions of the civil law relating to equality and other relevant matters, wishes to respect those who in conscience cannot accept that women be eligible for consecration to the Holy Order of Bishops ..."

The above preamble to the Church in Wales Bill to Enable Women to be Consecrated as Bishops reads as a statement of facts but only the first statement is true. The universal church does not consider it appropriate that women be eligible for consecration to the Holy Order of Bishop. This is an innovation based largely on secular principles of equality misapplied to the church for political reasons and have nothing to do with the Christian faith as handed down through the ages.

The Anglican Communion has been torn apart by separate provinces breaking with our traditional understanding of ordination. This and the related matter of Homosexuality and Anglicanism has resulted in many provinces representing about half of the 80 million practising Anglicans worldwide responding to these theological disputes by declaring a state of impaired communion with their counterparts.

The Catholic and Orthodox churches have made their positions abundantly clear, examples here and here. Ordaining women to the episcopate is in direct contradiction to the statement that 'the Church in Wales intends to continue the ministry of the universal church in its threefold orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and to remain part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church'.  As Metroploitan Hilarion observed, the future of ecumenism is in great peril with the gap widening between orthodox and progressives.

'Progressives' have shown themselves determined to plough their own furrows regardless of the cost to unity and to the fate of their brothers and sisters whose only 'error' has been to remain loyal to the traditional teaching of the 'One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church' in common with the vast majority of Christians including most Anglicans. The preamble to the Bill asserts that the Church in Wales...wishes to respect those who in conscience cannot accept that women be eligible for consecration to the Holy Order of Bishops" but on the evidence so far, this sounds as empty as 'the Church in Wales intends to continue the ministry of the universal church in its threefold orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and to remain part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church'.

Unlike the Church of England where alternative episcopal oversight is provided by Provincial Episcopal visitors, such oversight has been denied to worshippers in the Church in Wales following the retirement in 2008 of the Provincial Assistant Bishop (PAB) on the grounds that alternative oversight creates a church within a church. This argument is refuted in The Church, Women Bishops and Provision : "We have shown that authentic episcopal oversight can be, and has been, exercised in a variety of ways,  both historically and today" [p.77].

Under Section 3(2) of the Bill:
Recommendations made pursuant to the provisions of subsection (1) and agreed by the Bench of Bishops must be included in a Bill introduced into the Governing Body of the Church in Wales within two years of the promulgation of this Bill [My emphasis - Ed.]. But what sort of provision can possibly be made given Dr Morgan's outright rejection of anything acceptable to those for whom it is intended? Without a complete about face there cannot be acceptable provision. A PAB would no longer be appropriate because he could not with integrity be an assistant to a woman bishop so a duly consecrated bishop, or bishops, perhaps from outside the province, would be required which is unlikely given Dr Morgan's refusal even to replace the PAB.

The danger if this legislation succeeds is that having achieved their main aim of permitting women to be consecrated as bishops, the Bench of Bishops will find themselves unable to agree any proposals put to them, no doubt making full use of the proviso 'subject to the provisions of the civil law relating to equality and other relevant matters' if their conduct to date is taken as a guide. One only has to look to the manoeuvring in England and what has happened in the United States to be wary of this legislation. 

Feed my sheep!

St. Peter must be turning in his grave! The closing message of the York Synod is that "the Church of England could be virtually extinct in 20 years as elderly members die". We have also been told that "Christians should learn from Muslims how to exist as a 'minority' culture in British cities dominated by immigrants"!  

How does the church hierarchy feel about what they have done? Bending over anyway necessary to accommodate anything but the traditional Christian faith, "feed my sheep" has been replaced by 'shepherd please thyself' as the Anglican church becomes ever more secular by the day. So much for the ordination of women, sexual freedom and all the other politically correct introductions that have relegated traditionalists to the awkward squad.

However bad it looks in England though it is much worse in Wales based on this piece news I received:

 "Since Wales has neither a Provincial Episcopal Visitor (PEV) or Provincial Assistant bishop (PAB), and the Mission Society of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda (SSWSH) is based on a society model centred on the PEVs, it would appear that, contrary to the expectations of the remnant Anglo-Catholic faithful who look to Credo Cymru for support, SSWSH will have no mission agenda in Wales. Indeed when asked specifically at a SSWSH gathering to clarify this point it was suggested that SSWSH would only work in the CofE. The liberal Bench of Bishops in Wales are adamant that, being all things to all people, they are able to cater for the diverse needs of their church, so they will not permit the English PEVs to cross the border to administer the sacraments of Confirmation and Ordination. Consequently, there is no episcopal bed rock for the society model in Wales. Those traditionalist Anglicans in Wales who were pinning their hopes on being Credo-SSWSHed had better read the small print; it seems that by not appointing a replacement PAB the Bench have Credo-swotted them!"

 Following a recent protest against the closure of a church in the Rhondda, Archbishop Morgan complained that he could be accused of 'being a tyrant'. I have seen no evidence so far that it has previously bothered him. So it is to be lambs to the slaughter rather than feed my sheep. How long I wonder before a bishop recommends paying jizya for the privilege of living among our immigrant population? 

Bishops to Abandon the Faithful

Following the example of their close neighbours in Wales, Church of England bishops are preparing to welch on their promise to provide acceptable oversight for those who do not accept their church’s departure from traditional orthodox teaching.

In the Church in Wales there was no replacement for the highly respected Provincial Assistant Bishop David Thomas after his retirement. Not being a defender of the faith himself, their politically motivated Archbishop convinced himself and those around him that the Bench of Bishops could provide satisfactory pastoral and sacramental care for all, including those who thought that their bishops had erred in their ways and simply did’t care.

Today the Church of England has published the report of the Revision Committee which has been considering legislation to permit women to become bishops: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr4210.html . There are new provisions requiring each diocesan bishop to draw up a scheme in his or her diocese that takes account of the national Code of Practice and provides local arrangements for the performance of certain Episcopal functions in relation to parishes with “conscientious difficulties” - as if there were something abnormal about being orthodox.

In their proposals they demonstrate that they have no understanding whatsoever of the needs of those who expect the pastoral and sacramental care of a bishop who shares the faith of the majority of Christians in the wider Holy Catholic and Apostolic church. Any “difficulty” is of the Anglican church’s making and has nothing to do with being sexist or anti-women as is often implied.

As the once great ship of Anglicanism sails away to founder on the rocks it will be ironic if those whom the pirates abandon are saved by a Catholic lifeboat while the ship sinks into oblivion.