The Archdeacon of Carmarthen, Dorrien Davies, is to be the 130th Bishop of St Davids Source: Church in Wales
There is a glimmer of hope for the Church in Wales following the announcement that the Ven Dorrien Davies has been elected to be the 130th Bishop of St Davids.
There were many expressions of delight following the announcement which are summed up in the response: "The right person to bring healing and allow the Diocese to move forward together."
A former St Davids Canon Residentiary, the bishop elect asked for the Diocese and the Province to pray for him as he begins the difficult task of rescuing the diocese of St Davids from mistakes of the past and for bringing back some credibility to the Church in Wales. Of that he can be assured.
Postscript [12.11.2023]
"Let's make this journey together" - The new Bishop of St Davids looks ahead to his forthcoming role and what the future holds for St Davids Diocese.
St Davids Cathedral (photo by Toby Pickard) Source: Church in Wales
This beautiful photograph of the sun setting over St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire was published in a Provincial News item, Election of new Bishop of St Davids. It is also symbolic of the sun setting on Christianity in the Church in Wales.
The election of the previous bishop of St Davids was all about politics. It ended in disaster.
In another Provincial News item, New team for Panel as it widens access to ministry, the Church in Wales announces that "A senior journalist and Lay Canon is the new chair of the panel which selects people for ordained ministry."
Their aim is 'to increase the number of vocations and for new priests to reflect the wonderful diversity of our communities'.
Diversity along with inclusivity and equality have come to supersede all else in the Church in Wales.
A commentator under my previous blog entry sarcastically referred to 'eccentric congregations in Pembrokeshire' which, given the context of the comment, implied that traditional, orthodox Christianity was eccentric.
That does not augur well for the election of the next Bishop of St Davids later this month.
Archbishop Barry Morgan at the 900th anniversary celebration of the Papal decree that two trips to St Davids were the equivalent of one to Rome. Source: Twitter
On Saturday, 22nd July 2023, St Davids diocese held an Extraordinary Diocesan Conference (EDC) to "canvass LMAs' opinions on the qualities they would like to see in the person elected as the new Bishop of St Davids".
Those qualities would been regarded as obvious based on faith and tradition before politics divided the Church in Wales.
The man regarded by many as responsible for the mess the Church in Wales finds itself in is archbishop Barry Morgan who is suspected of trying to influence opinion long after his retirement.
With the election of a new bishop approaching and a reputation for creating division Morgan made an ill-judged appearance at the special service to mark the 900th anniversary of the Papal decree that two trips to St Davids were the equivalent of one to Rome, something I would have thought would have meant little to him as a protestant.
Following his manoeuvring, St Davids was the first diocese in the Church in Wales to elect a woman bishop which would have been anathema to any pope.
Joanna Penberthy's episcopacy has been a disaster from her mean minded attempt to get rid of elderly male clergy to her political posturing which culminated in her “Never, never, never trust a Tory” comment which attracted widespread derision.
Described by Barry Morgan as the best person to be a bishop, she is another divisive figure who has advanced feminism over faith. She is reported by the archbishop to be "in good heart" as she prepares to retire to Cornwall following extensive periods of sick leave.
The retirement of Provincial Assistant Bishop David Thomas, author of 'A Noble Task', gave archbishop Morgan the opportunity to decree that there would be further provision over his dead body for faithful Anglicans who, on grounds of conscience, were unable to receive the sacramental ministry of women, thus reversing assurances which led to the ordination of women and their elevation to the episcopacy in the Church in Wales.
I am not clear what message the archbishop was trying to convey in his presidential address to the EDC other than a facilitator would be listening to the views of people in St Davids diocese.
Hopefully the errors of the past will be heeded by putting faith before politics. To that end, all Anglican views must be heard, including those excluded Anglicans who, in the words of St David, Keep the Faith.
Mary Stallard the new bishop of Llandaff follows Delyth Liddell, Methodist University Chaplain
and LGBTQI+ Gathering church leader at the Pride Cymru parade. Source: Twitter
Celebrating diversity at Pride Cymru, the new bishop of Llandaff lost no time in identifying with her LGBTQ+ promoting sister bishops, the former bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne, the retiring bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy, and the bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, patron of Open Table.
Diversity has become a euphemism for deviancy.
As the time approaches for appointing the next bishop of St Davids the Church in Wales needs to rethink its priorities.
"An Extraordinary Diocesan Conference is to be held on Saturday July 22nd., following the announcement that Bishop Joanna Penberthy is to retire on health grounds. The half-day conference will be chaired by the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, and will take place at Newcastle Emlyn Rugby Club when conference representatives will have the opportunity to discuss the future of the diocese and what they would like from their new bishop when he/she is elected in October."
Much has changed in the sixty + years since Church in Wales bishops held Oxford Firsts in Theology.
A return from deviancy to divinity is essential to restore any credibility to the Church in Wales if it wants to avoid being characterised as the queer church.
Announcing the retirement of the bishop of St Davids, the Archbishop of Wales said "I want to thank Bishop Joanna for her ministry in the diocese and province. She has contributed significantly to areas of church life in particular on environmental matters and with our Social Responsibility network." Quite!
Environmental matters and social responsibility are important but faith and worship still matter.
The Church needs bishops who win souls in a spirit of true equality and diversity.
BBC Sounds recently broadcast on the All Things Considered series a programme titled 'Gender and Identity'. University chaplain Delyth Liddell was joined by bishop Mary Stallard and Sarah Jones, a transgender Anglican priest and vicar of St. John's in central Cardiff.
From the programme notes: "... Pride is not just a celebration, it's also about protest, designed to get people thinking about acceptance, equality and deeper matters about identity. Today, we turn our attention to that very matter, considering gender. What does it mean on its most fundamental level? What did God intend? How does it make us who we are to ourselves and each other? And what of the interplay between biology, psychology and faith? Big topics and ones which can stir confusion, concern, and generate challenging questions."
Personally I have never encountered non-acceptance or unequal treatment in race, colour or sexuality in decades of church life. Quite the reverse, yet comments are often received from protestors. But that is all they do, protest and abuse others. There is no supporting evidence. No engagement or acknowledgement of other commentators' desire to protect the sacrament of holy matrimony. Difference of opinion is simply dismissed as phobia to silence any opposition.
After 2,000 years of scholarship and witness Anglicans are expected to believe that interpreting scripture to please oneself is the way to salvation. I think not.
Lesbian Methodist Minister and chaplain at Cardiff University, Delyth Liddell, says that "visible gay role models are key to changing attitudes about the LGBT+ community in churches". On 'All Things Considered' the bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, is to share his thoughts with the chaplain on his vision for an "inclusive Church".
That is selective inclusion of course because the bishops have decided that there is no place in the Church in Wales for Anglicans who keep the faith.
A statement posted on 31 August 2022 sent to all clergy in the diocese of St Davids announced that bishop Joanna is currently on sick leave. The three territorial archdeacons of St Davids, Carmarthen and Cardigan have been appointed by the bishop as her Commissaries. It is not clear whether her sick leave is related to her previous absence.
In June 2021 a call was made by a Conservative MP for her resignation over her 'divisive views'.
The bishop was earlier signed off on sick leave after apologising for a much criticised tweet that she had posted in which she had urged: “Never, never, never trust a Tory.”
Presumably she will miss the next meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales which is to be held on Wednesday and Thursday 7 and 8 September 2022 at ICC-Wales, Newport.
The Agenda and papers can be found here but say little.
Joanna Penberthy, the first woman Bishop to be consecrated by the Church of Wales, with archbishop Barry Morgan. Source: WalesOnline
Joanna Penberthy, the first woman to be appointed bishop in the Church in Wales, finds herself listed among some 'Incredible female icons through the ages' for being just that, the first woman to be appointed bishop in the Church in Wales.
Passed off by archbishop Barry Morgan as 'the best person to be a bishop', the achievement was his rather than hers.
Sandwiched between former World, Commonwealth and Olympic champion, Nicole Cooke MBE and Jess Fishlock MBE, a Welsh women's footballer who was the first Welsh player to earn 100 caps for the national team, the bishop of St Davids looks somewhat short of personal achievements by comparison with the 'incredible' female icons listed.
In response to her listing bishop Penberthy said, "God calls all of us to his ministry in a way which fits our own particular gifts and talents."
The bishops of Llandaff (left) and St Davids (right) with their TEC mentor Katharine Jefferts Schori Source: Twitter
It came as no surprise that archbishop Barry Morgan described his chosen candidate, Canon Joanna Penberthy, as 'the best person to be a bishop' after she was elected bishop of St Davids.
Likewise, Morgan's successor must rue the day when he welcomed the appointment as bishop of Llandaff of 'Pioneer English woman priest', June Osborne.
The then Church in Wales' senior bishop, John Davies said, “In June Osborne, both the Church in Wales and the Diocese of Llandaff will find themselves to be richly blessed. June’s track record admirably demonstrates her passion for Christian ministry modelled on the Gospel imperatives of love, justice, inclusivity and openness. All of these are qualities which I and my fellow bishops warmly support and welcome. She is known as a leader with clear vision, a pastoral heart and a strategic mind.”
In 2019 June Osborne's 'clear vision' led her to charter an aircraft to fly all active diocesan clergy to a clergy school in Santiago de Compostela during Christian Aid Week leaving others to get on with charitable work. Mercifully the plane did not ended up in the sea. Had it done so the diocese would have been left with a few retired clergy who could not afford to subsidise the cost of the flight or had better things to do than pay to go on one June's extravagant jollies.
June has also demonstrated her idea of love, justice, inclusivity and openness when she sacrificed faithful parishioners in another initiative.
From the Save St Teilo's - Save Our Community petition:
"In March 2019 the members of St Teilo’s church have been informed that a decision has been made by the Bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne, to give their church away to an evangelical church called Holy Trinity Brompton. The decision was made with no consultation with the clergy or members of the congregation and wider community and she says the decision is final."
I doubt that many of the St Teilo's congregation have found themselves to be richly blessed by their bishop but, then, her first love was sociology.
Featuring regularly of late in the columns of the Church Times and in the Western Mail there appears to be a never ending feud between the bishop of Llandaff and her dean which is constantly dragging the Church in Wales through the mire.
Another article in the Church Times today refers to alleged bullying and harassment by the bishop of Llandaff but, like her colleague in St Davids no doubt she will continue to regard any criticism of female behaviour as discrimination and carry on regardless.
Postscript [08.01 22]
For a devastating assessment of the current state of the dioceses of the Church in Wales and their diocesan bishops from across the pond go to Anglican Unscripted 709 starting at position 21.10.
The impotency of the Church in Wales became a little clearer on Sunday in an interview with the new archbishop of Wales, Andy John.
Questioned on the BBC radio programme All Things Considered the divorced father of four admitted his failure and 'messing up' as he put it.
So concerned was he with his failure that he had considered applying for a HGV licence or taking up teaching but some 'good friends' persuaded him to use his failure as a lesson for others. It would make him a 'better priest'.
This convinced him that there had to be 'a way back', something he has clearly applied to his own ministry and that of the bishop of St Davids in his comments on Joanna Penberthy's behaviour.
Archbishop John went on to say "that compassion has no boundaries, that compassion is a good thing. It is restoring. It is not that the Church shouldn't have proper boundaries. It should have standards and we should hold each other accountable. However, there has got to be a way back. Then if you never give people a way back into faith then you drive people into a cul-de-sac and you drive people out of the Church and that's true for people whether they have been divorced, re-married or people who are gay. Whether it is people who are trans or what-have-you.
"If you say there is no place for you in the Church I think you've done something truly dreadful and we must remember that Jesus called each and every part of society to come and to follow Him."
Asked about his stance on 'the gay issue' the archbishop said it was a bit of a shock to him to encounter gay Christians who displayed all the signs of goodness and godliness and kindness and righteousness that he thought was impossible. It made no sense. It created a kind of crisis in his theology. Here were all the fruits of the Spirit in these lives and yet the scriptures spoke against this.
That caused him to go back and ask serious questions about the extent to which moral theology can be undertaken purely on the basis of what was revealed and understood to be appropriate. An appropriate ordering of life in the first century after our Lord's death and whether or not we need to introduce other questions as well to have us form a way of ordering our lives, managing our affairs in a way that is appropriate and good but doesn't lock us into a kind of first century lifestyle or expectations which he didn't believe could be sustained in the 21st Century.
Challenged on what he had said Abp John acknowledged that he had had 'robust' conversations particularly with evangelicals who do not see things as he had described them but the Church had changed its position on a number of things whether it is divorce or the role of women. The arguments about that were very, very fierce indeed and we came to realise, not just because of scripture but we saw women exercising good and godly leadership and we realised that this was the clincher. This was what made sense when they saw it in action and when the Church in relation to the same sex issues sees that there are good people who are engaged and mutually belong to each other and the sky doesn't fall down we will move on and we will no longer have an issue to wrestle with.
Question on what he could do about two dioceses where senior staff have been at odds with one another Andy John admitted it had been "Challenging". There were two things that we have to bear in mind when dealing with such difficulties. First, in the Church in Wales like many Churches, we had not been very good or accustomed to dealing with things like job descriptions, competencies, the way in which grievances, complaints and so forth are managed and tended to rely on the relational aspect of life so we just expect to get along with people and it is a rude shock when all of a sudden you don't and people complain and they have grievances and they are really quite serious. We haven't been good at providing for ourselves, a way of managing our conflicts. He thought we were now suffering the consequences of that but the mistake was to think that you could run from this.
The archbishop said he was committed to changing the culture, running towards the challenges or conflicts, not away from them. His task was to make sure that culture shift takes place within the Church, making sure we have the proper protocols, the Rules and Regs that control our life, but that the culture of the Church is one in which we are both a safe, healthy, mindful organisation where ultimately, because we do believe totally in reconciliation. If we can't get this right, if we can't learn what it means to forgive and move on it undermines our witness. He was confident that the Church in Wales does believe in those things and it just needs to bring more energy and resolve to making sure that we don't 'duck the issues' but get them right.
So, getting things right means that discipline is for underlings in 'monarchical' bishoprics while errant bishops are to be shown compassion and forgiveness.
That the archbishop should point to women in the Church exercising good and godly leadership given the mess in St Davids and in Llandaff serves only to emphasise the impotence of the Church in Wales and its discredited leadership.
The archbishop says that compassion should be shown to those who break the rules, providing them with a 'way back' but, as the bench has hypocritically demonstrated over many years, there is no way back for Anglicans who keep the faith by sharing the beliefs of the majority of Christians in the wider Church. It is the cul-de-sac for them.
It seems to me as far as the archbishop is concerned, Nothing really matters... as zoroastrian Freddie Mercury used to sing.
“I think the question whether Bishop Joanna resigns is done and dusted”, Bishop Andy states. “She made clear that she regretted what she had to say… I think if we cannot provide a way in which people can acknowledge wrongdoing, learn from their mistakes, and come back, then it begs questions about whether we believe people can change. Whether or not we think the Christian faith is about second chances. To me, fundamentally, it’s about that. And those who are baying and frothing at the mouth seem to me to be part of what I think is quite pernicious in society: which is that we dress up in virtue – or in the language of virtue – a kind-of campaign to persecute.”
Looking markedly less thrilled were the bishop of St Asaph and his compatriot in the GB gay blessings saga, the bishop of Monmouth. Following their 'success' at GB perhaps they believed the Pink News article headline, "Cherry Vann, the Bishop of Monmouth, is in the running to be elected the Church in Wales’ first lesbian archbishop."
Cherry may have been led to believe that her election would be another Church in Wales stitch up, a foregone conclusion as apparently was the GB same sex blessings vote when she arranged a victory dinner in advance of the debate.
No doubt from his statements the "bullying" bishop of Llandaff and bishop of St Davids will feel more secure under archbishop Andy than they would have under their junior, Cherry Vann, but Andy could surprise everyone now he actually holds the reins of power, such as it is.
Next though should be the long awaited Bishop Graham Jones report of the investigation into the departure of the former bishop of Monmouth.
An August update claimed the bench expected "to make progress quickly over the summer period" and to complete their work "in the autumn". Presumably 2021!
I see the fulsome acclamation of the election to archbishop of the bishop of Bangor by the 'bullying' bishop of Llandaff has been rewarded with a personal archiepiscopal tweet to the diocese.
Perhaps June will now feel as secure as Joanna appears to despite their behaviour.
Bishop Joanna with some Halloween prop suggestions added Original photo: Christian Today/CiW
One facet of Halloween festivities that few of us can avoid regardless of our attitude is 'Trick or Treating'.
Given her penchant for matters secular the bishop of St Davids could enter fully into the festive spirit by swopping headgear and staff for something more suited to the expectations of trick and treaters.
More importantly for the Church in Wales and Anglicanism in general is whether Joanna would have chosen trick or treat.
'Away from work' until the end of October Joanna could have treated Anglicans by announcing her retirement rather than trick the Church again by returning to duties, such as they are given her devotion to party politics.
This is a problem not confined to the Church in Wales with their unaccountable bishops.
The Scottish Episcopal Church is in a similar position: "The Times reports the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church is in fear of being deposed by the members of the church’s College of Bishops over his handling of the Anne Dyer affair. An independent investigation recommenced the Rt. Rev. Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney be placed on a terminal sabbatical leave for mismanagement. The primus, the Most Rev. Mark Strange, is being blamed by his brother bishops for Dyer’s appointment and the public relations fiascos that have ensued."
Meanwhile, before the election of the next Archbishop of Wales can take place, the appointment the bishop of Swansea and Brecon is awaited with uneasy anticipation
Given the mess in which the bench finds itself after successively appointing like-minded individuals they should realise that they cannot afford another botched job. But I doubt it.
More likely they will have another trick up their sleeve to take the Church in Wales even further from its roots.
Postscript [29.10.2021]
The 'Away from work' link in paragraph 4 above has been removed. A new notice under the original absence date 'Posted: 21 June 2021' has appeared advising that "Bishop Joanna is to make a phased return to work following four months of ill health. She will return to her office on Monday November 1st."
Having abandoned her Twitter account on which she spent so much of her time, presumably her duties will be light. The nature of the bishop's ill health has not been disclosed.
Coinciding as it did with breaking news of her party political Twitter activities many will draw their own conclusions as she brazens it out without any sign of contrition other than being sorry for being caught out.
The whole episode stinks to high heaven but the Church in Wales carries on regardless.
Joanna's absence has not prevented her from adding her name to those of other bishops' joint statements, eg, Statement on COP26 .
"This is an historic occasion for the Church in Wales, as well as a being hugely significant moment for Canon Joanna. It is marvellous that it is possible for us to appoint women, as well as men, to all three Orders of ministry and to regard that as now being the norm. What matters is not gender, but suitability, character, gifts - and that was why Joanna was elected as Bishop." Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales
"Suitability, character, gifts - that was why Joanna was elected as Bishop."
Those words must be ringing in the ears of anyone who really cares about the Church in Wales as their spiritual home. It is no longer a laughing matter.
Once again the 'mushroom method' of management is being employed by the bench. Consequently worshippers remain in the dark regarding events in St Davids diocese as they were in the diocese of Monmouth which led to the departure of bishop Richard Pain.
In St Davids diocese the bishop should have resigned in June after her position became untenable but there is no indication of an acceptable resolution for those she has offended, just extended sick notes.
In June senior clerics in St Davids diocese issued a statement: "Bishop Joanna is unwell and, on
the advice of her doctor, will be away from work for the next month." The period of sick leave has been gradually extended. This time beyond the dates of the diocesan conference. On the advice of her doctor, bishop Joanna Penberthy will be away from work until the middle of October.
The September 2021 edition of Pobl Dewi has been published without a prayer for the bishop. Perhaps that says something in itself!
A comment on a previous entry indicates that congregations and giving in the diocese are shrinking as a result of bishop Penberthy's tweets which caused offense to so many.
There is now a wider problem for the Church in Wales. In a statement reported in Christian Today, the Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales (EFCW) claimed that there have been and will be "resignations from clergy, lay readers, worship leaders, church wardens, Sunday school teachers and parishioners. A number have withdrawn their regular giving to their churches."
The EFCW had been consulting their members and were calling for the appointment of a bishop to "give voice" to those who believe in the traditional Christian teaching on marriage and sexual morality.
Some hope given the treatment of traditionalists who were left with no pastoral or sacramental oversight after archbishop Morgan achieved his revisionist goals.
Offending worshippers appears to be all that the bench of bishops is capable of.
They have treated loyal worshippers like pew fodder as they rail-rolled their zeitgeist legislation through Governing Body, the latest of which is to permit same-sex blessings.
Bishops of Llandaff and St Davids with mentor, former TEC presiding bishop Source: Twitter
Is it any wonder that the Church in Wales is dysfunctional?
"Llandaff Diocese ✝️🏴@LlandaffDio Feb 7, 2018
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Communion’s first woman primate, visited the diocesan office while in the UK as part of the Bishop’s Training programme.She is acting as mentor to @BishopJuno and Bishop Joanna"
I wrote at the time: "Since we were led to expect so much from women bishops it is a bit of a mystery why they need mentoring". With hindsight they did but why choose Barry Morgan's heretical mentor? To hasten disaster?
The Most Rev Katharine Jefferts Schori is credited by US observers as having brought The Episcopal Church to its knees, not in prayer but in its demise, sinking into oblivion as is the Church in Wales.
As the problem with the bishop of St Davids lingers on, Andy John, the senior bishop in the Church in Wales pending the election of the next Archbishop of Wales, apologises for her behaviour while the leader of the Anglican Communion Justin Welby is 'embarrassed' by bishop Penberthy’s twitter comments.
No matter. As she seeks to 'recuperate' from her relentless party political tweeting, bishop Penberthy is on sick leave for a month while rumours circulate of her being translated to Swansea and Brecon. Even if true would they want her?
As absurd as the rumours appear, simply moving the problem is not uncommon as previously witnessed by the habit of moving predatory clergy before the whole issue exploded with dire consequences for the Church.
In Llandaff rumours abound following the prolonged absence of the Dean:
Bishop June, on the advice of the Greater Chapter, took action against Dean Gerwyn and lost. The Dean was exonerated.
The Dean is now taking action against Bishop June.
Dean Gerwyn recruited Archbishop Barry Morgan in his defence which has not gone down well with bishop June. She regards the former archbishop as being disloyal and are now in open warfare. Morgan now regrets June Osborne landing in Llandaff.
Head Verger Hoad was suspended on a minor (but unknown) charge, which is still being investigated.
The Cathedral has advertised for a Chief Executive Officer to work with the Greater Chapter. This is the de facto role of the Dean. This is being done whilst the Dean is still in post, but on extended leave.
The numbers attending the cathedral and the giving have collapsed.
What are the facts? Silence serves only to generate more rumours and speculation.
In the diocese of Monmouth the results of the Enquiry and Review announced in May 2020 into the departure of bishop Richard Pain is long overdue. It was hoped the Enquiry and Review would be completed within six months.
Meanwhile in Monmouth the Historic Episcopate has been further 'locally adapted' in the 'methods of its administration in the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church' to accommodate bishop Cherry and Wendy seen here at Holy Synod in the sanctuary of Brecon Cathedral:
Holy Synod Brecon Cathedral January 2020 Original Source: Church in Wales
"THE Bishop of St Davids, Dr Joanna Penberthy, apologised last week for a tweet that she had posted in March, in which she had urged: “Never, never, never trust a Tory.” This was her contribution to a debate in which some Welsh Tories were believed to be subverting the Welsh Assembly: a serious issue, and one on which a responsible bishop could well have an opinion.
"But the opinion here was hardly a measured contribution, merely a repeat of a well-worn banality. It left Tory-voting Anglicans (a majority among the laity) with the impression that she held them in contempt."
That is the view of the Rev Angela Tilby writing in the Church Times yesterday. She continues: "The public nature of episcopal office has been understood from antiquity. Bishops are meant to be visible, to be seen and known, to be a focus of unity in the Church, and a point of mediation between Christian communities and civic authority. “He must be well-thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace. . .” (1 Timothy 3.7).
Such comments are in marked contrast to the glowing tribute archbishop Barry Morgan paid to Joanna Penberthy when he struggled to justify his manoeuvrings to get her elected as the first woman in the Church in Wales. He said:
“What is really important to stress is that Joanna wasn’t elected because she was a woman but because she was deemed to be the best person to be a bishop.
“She has considerable gifts – she is an excellent preacher and communicator, can relate to all sections of the community, is a warm, charismatic, caring priest and someone who is full of joy."
Not so. After her appearance in the TV programme 'The Hour' I wrote: "Joanna Penberthy’s contribution was worse than I feared, aligning the Church with a political movement rather than the Kingdom of God. She was unbalanced, dishonest in her claims and blatantly sexist. I doubt that she brought anyone to Christ."
The TV programme was previewed on Twitter. The new bishop complained that, as the 129th successor to St David and the first woman to hold the office, it was 'hard':
While "all those men in my diocese who don't think that women can be bishops have treated me with respect, and so they accept my authority, they don't accept that I am able to to celebrate the sacraments so they wouldn't receive communion from me or be ordained by me. It's hard to have a group of people in the diocese who see women as that different."
It has been much harder for the many women and men who have been martyred to the political posturing of the Church in Wales, effectively un-churched by a Governing Body resolution that gave Joanna Penberthy the authority she claims but which is not recognised by the vast majority of Anglicans or Christians in other denominations.
According to commentators on another thread, clergy in the diocese of St Davids have received a letter of apology to be read to congregations without comment. It states that bishop Penberthy is taking time off to 'reflect, recuperate and respond appropriately'.
'Recuperate' implies she is staying put. Buying time, hoping the storm clouds will settle but the damage has already been done.
Bishop Penberthy shows contempt for those who do not agree with her. She is not a source of unity. For the good of the Church she should go and take her party political gospel with her.
Postscript [18.06.2021]
Another apology, no action.
"The Senior Bishop of the Church in Wales has apologised for offence caused by tweets published by the Bishop of St Davids concerning members of the Conservative Party.
In a statement, Bishop Andy John, the Bishop of Bangor, also reassures people of all political persuasion that they welcome in the Church in Wales.
Bishop Andy is the Church’s Senior Bishop following the retirement of the Archbishop of Wales in May."
"Church in Wales working to 'restore damaged relationships' after bishop's 'never trust a Tory' tweet" - Christian Today.
As did the former bishop of Monmouth when the going became tough, the bishop of St Davids is reported to be on sick leave, perhaps waiting for the dust to settle. It did not settle in Monmouth where the report on the investigation into the bishop's departure is long overdue. 'We do as we please' could be the motto of the Church in Wales.
Captain Alberto Bertorelli and Private Helga Geerhart in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo
In the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, Capt. Bertorelli's response to his latest faux pas was, "What-a-mistaka-to-maka", sentiments that could well be shared by the former Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, having done everything possible to ensure that his favoured candidate Joanna Penberthy was elected to the office of Bishop of St Davids.
A political appointment to advance the cause of feminism in Wales, Penberthy's 'election' was a disaster. Labour politician and LGBT+ activist, she unashamedly uses a sacred office to promote her own secular causes. Any hint of criticism is simply brushed aside as prejudice and discrimination.
Part of her antipathy towards Tories may result from her being placed bottom of the poll with 5% of the votes as the Labour candidate in the 2015 Blackmoor Vale election in Somerset. While the two Liberal Democrat candidates received 37% the two Conservative Party candidates were elected with 59% of the votes, a sizable majority 'never to be trusted'.
The bishop's position is untenable but she doesn't have the balls to do the honourable thing and resign to pursue her secular interests outside the Church.
Following an unprecedented wigging by the Church in Wales one would have thought that the bishop would have put the Church before her own self interests but there is no indication that she is considering her position.
The diocese of Winchester had a remedy. Will St Davids follow their example?
Postscript [06.06.2021]
"The Church in Wales is a joke within the Anglican world" - the Rev George Conger on Anglican Unscripted. Starting at position 37.20, George Conger explains that the diocese of St Davids has an average Sunday attendance about the same size as his Deanery in North Western rural Florida.
He explains how the 'aggressively, left wing' bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy has tweeted on average 20 or 30 times a day, over 40,000 times in the last few years, wearing her emotions and her politics on her sleeve in a Conservative area. Her one notable feat is that she is the first woman bishop in Wales. Click on the link for a withering commentary on the state of the Church in Wales today.
Rowan Williams preaches at Eucharist during a Sept. 24 clergy day in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Source: Diocese of Los Angeles/Janet Kawamoto
Addressing a gathering of clergy and laity in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican communion is "fractured but still a family":
“I am saying ‘Anglican family’ rather than ‘Anglican Communion’ because we’re a very fractured communion but we’re still family – like so many families, quarreling till the cows come home. What gives us our family solidarity is, of course, that dependence on God’s call, God’s welcome. We are, at the moment, in the middle of a period of colossal uncertainty in the life of our Anglican family. There is uncertainty, division, a measure of suspicion still and a sense that our conventional and inherited ways of being Anglicans together across the world have come under almost unmanageable strain."
In fewer words, we are no longer a body of Christians with a common faith and discipline. Our Anglican family is dysfunctional. It is dominated by expressions of intolerance and vengefulness. As the Archdeacon of Llandaff bluntly put it, anyone who could not accept the new order would have to make their own arrangements.
Wikipedia describes Anglicanism as "a Western Christian tradition which has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation."
In recent times the Church of England, instead of leading by example, has followed the 'madness' of the Episcopal Church of the United States ((ECUSA) endeavouring to make the Church more relevant to society's perceived needs, liberalism has replaced tradition as described in my previous entry.
Abp Williams acknowledged that as Archbishop of Canterbury he had to make 'uncomfortable adjustments at both ends of the spectrum, liberal and conservative, north and south' to keep everyone at the table but he believes a problem-solving-by-committee approach no longer effectively addresses current challenges.
Too late anyway. The damage has been done. Self governing Provinces like the Church in Wales have voted for disunity. Family members who, in common with the vast majority of Christians, strive to remain loyal to the faith of the Anglican Church as received have been marginalised or excluded, divorced from the Church they lovingly cared for before it was ripped from them.
The bride of Christ has been torn apart by those who would stand in the person of the Bridegroom. Rowan is right when he compares Western Anglicans to families, quarreling till the cows come home. But the quarreling is now amongst the liberal rump deciding how far the revisionists can go.
There are parallels with society. The nuclear conjugal family traditionally comprised a family group consisting of a (female) mother, a (male) father and their children. As a consequence of formalising same sex relationships and the acceptance of genders differing from the biological sexes of male and female primary school children are to be taught that some children have two mothers or two fathers.
This has gone so far as to compel a transgender man who gave birth with the help of fertility treatment to attempt to register himself as the child's father. Although he lost his court battle the ruling was attacked by campaigners and lawyers including the judge as a blow to the rights of trans parents and their children with calls for legislative reform.
An NHS A&E doctor for 26 years, he was forced out of his job working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after refusing to identify clients by their chosen gender instead of their biological sex as explained in this video:
One might have thought that the Church would stand for truth but Western Anglicanism has confounded the truth by supporting divergence. The family is fractured.
Not content with fracturing our own family, feminists are intent on fracturing the Roman Catholic Church to advance their political agenda.
The Llandaff Diocese of the Church in Wales is embarking on an 'ambitious Year of Pilgrimage' to reinvigorate its work and worship as part of the Church’s 2020 centenary celebrations. Traditionally the Cathedral Church of St David in Pembrokeshire has been a place of pilgrimage but it has been turned into a feminist enclave making it difficult for orthodox pilgrims to participate fully.
This WomensOrdinationConf tweet was 'liked' by St Davids Cathedral staff:
"They don't just want a seat at the table. They want to rearrange the seating, in sense, by reducing clerical privilege, by focusing on ordination as more a call to serve than a pathway to power". The Women's Ordination Conference describes itself as "A voice for women's equality in the Catholic Church".
Mutual flourishing in the Church goes out of the window after women take power. The Bridegroom and His bride become tools for revisionists to help overturn convention no matter who is hurt.
When mutual flourishing is allowed the results can be remarkable as illustrated by a tweet following a recent Confirmation service at Llandaff Cathedral presided over by the Bishop of Burnley, Philip North: "Standing room only in the Cathedral for a Diocesan Confirmation @LlandaffDio and the most candidates I think I have ever seen. What utter joy. Thank you @BishopJuno and @BpBurnley. God is good!"
Rowan Williams is reported to have said that as it is the Church in Wales has no future. The Church of England is not far behind.
Perhaps alluding to Brexit, in her latest reflection the bishop of St Davids, Barry Morgan's idea of the "best person to be a bishop", tells her listeners that "the God who kept His people Israel safe, even through the holocaust and beyond, who kept His Church safe through the centuries will keep us safe. And we are called simply, not to wave magic wands to make things better but to open the ordinary things of our lives that the Holy Spirit may rush in through the gaps and in us Christ's glory may be seen by our love for one another and our service of the community."
What Church is Joanna Penberthy talking about? Not the Church in Wales which, thanks to her and her colleagues on the Bench, is crumbling around them. A Church that has become totally irrelevant outside Wales. The Washed Up World of the Anglican Church of Wales is no longer considered when the state of Anglicanism is discussed. See Hey! Nobody Cares.
As for 'our love for one another', the excluded will take that with a pinch of salt. Traditionalist Anglicans in Wales have been deprived of sacramental or pastoral care since the late Bishop David Thomas retired in 2008. Provincial episcopal visitors (PEVs or flying bishops) have been banned from Welsh dioceses in a determined effort to stamp out traditional Anglicanism in Wales showing a distinct lack of love for one another from the bench of bishops .
Yes, 'His Church', the body of Christ, is safe in the hearts and minds of conviction Christians. But they have been left out in the cold. They no longer count in the Church in Wales, just like the Church in Wales no longer counts in the wider Church.
That is the realization of Archbishop Barry Morgan's vision for the Church in Wales.
Rev Sarah Jones spreading the word on gender and sexuality Source: Twitter
First transgender priest Sarah Jones must be gutted after securing only a brief appearance in the local news slot on BBC TV Breakfast time this morning.
I have been unable to find a recording of her interview but if I understood her correctly she was once again attempting to spread the message she has been hawking around the world, that all religions needed to be more inclusive. "Christian churches are not known for being wildly inclusive of this kind of diversity", she said, even taking her transgender message to school.
Coming after she told the reporter how wonderfully accepting and understanding her new congregation was, the alleged non-acceptance of LGBT people appeared to be exposed as a lie designed to further the cause of a minority group whose influence is out of all proportion to their numbers and something the bishop of Llandaff and her sister bishop of St Davids have been busy promoting.
The quote from Corinthians "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals' " sits uneasily under the hashtag link #BibleSunday in the photograph associated with this St Davids Cathedral Library tweet.
Baroness Eluned Morgan must have been keeping bad company according to a BBC News item.
She told the BBC that she will give up her peerage and title if she becomes first minister adding, "A difficult decision because I'm very proud of the work that I have done in the House of Lords: to help promote gay marriage...". [My emphasis - Ed.]
A curious message after viewing a display of ancient bibles in the Cathedral library. Perhaps she was searching for a reference in support of gay marriage in holy scripture after listening to errant bishops promote same sex marriage rather than the sanctity of Holy Matrimony:
"The introduction to the Church in Wales Marriage Service describes marriage as a gift from God. The Bible teaches that marriage is a life-long, faithful union between a man and a woman, and compares married love with the love Jesus has for his people – a love expressed in his willing sacrifice of himself on the cross."
St Davids has become a hotbed of feminist intrigue under the first female bishop to be appointed in the Church in Wales whose driving force is most noticeable when advancing her LGBT agenda along with the bishop of Llandaff.
More recently +Joanna has been condemned for her misandry after being caught out ridding her diocese of elderly male clergy after years of faithful service to the Church.
Such clergy have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel according to scripture and tradition, unlike many of the new breed of clergy who have 'come to faith' later in life with the notion that the Church has been in error for 2,000 years.
Sadly the baroness has been caught up in the whole sorry mess, another example of "Ministry and Equality in the Church in Wales" advocated by MAE Cymru voicing the values of a "fair and just society" as they see them. (Scroll down in the link to MAECYMRU NETWORKING LUNCH JULY 2018).
In the October issue of Forward in Faith's magazine, New Directions Fr Michael Fisher pays homage at the windswept chapel of St Non in Pembrokeshire - 'In the steps of pilgrims'.
Pilgrimage is a hot topic in the Church in Wales, particularly in Llandaff where Bishop June has decided that the Llandaff Clergy School in 2019 will take the form of a no expenses spared pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.
Perhaps +June was unaware that much closer to home St Davids Cathedral has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. In the twelfth century Pope Calixtus II declared that the shrine was so important that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equivalent to one to Rome and three were equivalent to one to Jerusalem.
The extract from Michael Fisher's article illustrates the harsh reality for traditionalist pilgrims in Wales. Given the increasing number of women clergy the chances are that pilgrims who are unable on grounds of conscience to receive the sacramental ministry of women will be denied the opportunity of receiving Holy Communion when visiting St Davids Cathedral.
Elevating secular issues above theology, Joanna Penberthy has said she finds it hard to take that a group of people see women as "that different". Either she has no grasp of the issues involved or she simply lacks any sense of charity by ignoring them.
If, as a bishop, she thinks it is hard for her she should spare a thought for those in her care who are suffering the results of feminist ambitions in the Church in Wales. Faithful women and men, often cradle Anglicans, have been left with absolutely nothing after years of Anglican devotion.
As bishop-elect of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy commented: "As someone who in the early years was at the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination, I have absolutely no intention of dishing that out so I think it's important that everybody feels free to be honest about their opinions and about their misgivings."
When challenged +Joanna was forced to admit that the alleged discrimination amounted to nothing more than a difference of opinion. Whether she has a short memory or has had a change of heart, the evident misandry in her attack on faithful, elderly male clergy under her care illustrates the 'couldn't care less unless you are one of us' attitude of the bench of bishops and many of the newly ordained clergy, echoing the infamous claim “There is no place for you in this church”.
The bench of bishops appear to be completely ignorant of the fact that within a generation there will be no Church in Wales for anyone to find a place in according to expert opinion here which confirms a conclusion reached back in 2015 here.
Doubters among the few remaining Anglicans who still regularly attend diminishing services should look around at the aging faces with no young families to provide future congregations for the new brand of clergy who committed to change, usually for their own benefit.
Whether they see it or not, former bishops have been heard to say that the Church in Wales is finished.
"Mr Jones' licence is due to be revoked at the end of the year" Source: BBC
LMAs are not a brilliant idea according to the bishop of St Davids. Well, she has her sponsor Barry Morgan to thank for that.
In her address to the St Davids diocesan conference she said, "Unfortunately we do not have the money to keep our normal, proper, well-tried, well-loved and best way of being local church which is having paid stipendiaries as near as possible to a few churches where they can get to know and love everybody. If we could do that. If God would supply us with the money then that is what I would do."
I don't know what the good people of in Cilcennin, Ystrad Aeron, Trefilan and Cribyn will make of that statement.
Their beloved priest, an 82-year-old retired vicar has been told that he can no longer carry out church services because he is "too old to be covered by insurance".
He has been voluntarily conducting services in the Aeron Valley because of a shortage of vicars. He believes the ruling will affect rural churches. "Two churches every Sunday will be short of a Minister to take a service" he said. "There are two of us that help out every Sunday. They will have to rely on lay people to take the service. I'm convinced it will close certain churches if they don't have a regular Minister."
The Rev'd John Emrys Jones who has already held 36 services this year said he was "disappointed" there was not a meeting between the Diocese and retired clergy affected by the decision.
One parishioner said churchgoers were "shocked" and "horrified" by the news. "We don't understand it. We feel they are one of us she said".
The Church in Wales has issued a statement saying: "There has now been further advice giving us hope a solution can be found, thereby allowing these people to continue their ministry within the Diocese."
St Davids is one of six dioceses in the Church in Wales with no sign of reduction as recommended in the Church in Wales (Harries) Review. All make use of retired clergy which makes the decision by bishop Joanna look personal. It has been suggested that it was her way of getting rid of traditionalist clergy.
Busily backpedaling after adverse publicity Joanna should have sought advice from her feminist friend in Llandaff. Bishop June is taking all her clergy on a jolly to Santiago de Compostela with all the insurance implications that involves.
Update
In an abrupt about turn the Church in Wales now says it is "confident" clergy are sufficiently insured "regardless of age".
BBC News reports that after receiving legal advice the church issued a new statement stating it was confident all clergy were sufficiently insured and would be able "to continue their valuable service, for which we are extremely grateful".
"We are writing to all those affected and we apologise for the upset and confusion caused," it said.
The Rev'd John Emrys Jones responded graciously. "I don't blame anybody... but there should have been a consultation by the diocese before sending out the letters," he said.
Quite right. A public relations disaster although it must be remembered that when the bishops consult they ignore the results if they don't like what they hear.
Without adverse publicity no doubt there would have been no change.
