Bangor farce moves to Monmouth diocese

Church in Wales bishops                                                                                                                   Source: Church in Wales

1 Timothy 3

"Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money."

On 29th of July the Church in Wales Bangor charade moves to the diocese of Monmouth, the see of the second most senior bishop after the bishop of St Asaph, for the election of the 15th Archbishop of Wales.

Concerns have been expressed over the venue for the election but that the pantomime takes place in Monmouth appears curiously appropriate give the obsession of the bench with sex and same sex marriage and firsts. The bishop of Monmouth is a partnered lesbian who uses the Holy Eucharist to promote her sexual preference under the banner Beware! Our God welcomes all.

All, that is, who share the views of the bench. Believers in biblical orthodoxy are not welcome. There is no longer a pretense of twin integrities. Those promises were broken years ago.  

Despite the elaborate electoral college procedure, Buggins' turn usually prevails but given the advancing age of the three most senior bishops who knows.

The choice beyond Buggins' turn is lamentable. It could have been avoided had the bishop of Bangor not delayed his retirement until after the new archbishop is appointed but there is no transparency, only rumour and speculation indicating self interest rather than the interests of the Church. 

Given their penchant for 'firsts', the second most senior bishop, the bishop of Monmouth, would as archbishop give the bench two more firsts but a very long way from those of the past when firsts were in Theology,

Postscript 29.07.2025

 

New Archbishop of Wales to be chosen amid cathedral concerns BBC News

Archbishop attracts further criticism

The Archbishop of Wales (right) and gay pride supporters, the sub-dean of Bangor
 and former Mayor      Source: Twitter

Martin Shipton writes in Nation Cymru:

 "Questions are being raised about the judgement of Archbishop of Wales Andy John after the emergence of concerns relating to potential financial irregularities in his home diocese of Bangor.

"Several Church in Wales sources have independently contacted NationCymru to criticise the Archbishop for creating a situation where one cleric – the Rev Canon Siôn ap Rhys-Evans – was effectively running both the diocese of Bangor and its cathedral. He has been on gardening leave since February 29."

Continuing their mushroom method of management the church remains silent about the absence of the sub-dean of Bangor.

Shipton continues, "One Church in Wales source told us: 'The Church is doing its best to keep a lid on this and make sure it doesn’t become a public controversy. But the fact is that the Archbishop made a serious mistake when he appointed Sion Rhys-Evans as the Sub-Dean of Bangor Cathedral in 2021. The fact that he’s in charge of both the cathedral and the diocese is a major problem and he may live to regret it'."

The archbishop's judgement has already been called into question for ignoring the teaching of the Church having remarried after his divorce form his first wife. Also for appointing an assistant bishop who is engaged to another man implying future marriage which contrary to the teaching of the Church in Wales.

Not the symbol of unity his flock expects.

Archbishop's Rwanda judgement

After the arrival of the refugees from Ukraine at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing in Medyka, they wait for a place
 in one of the buses that will take them to large sites or collective shelters. Source: Westport Presbyterian Church

The Archbishop of Wales, who represents less than 1% of the population of Wales, has welcomed the judgement on Rwanda asylum plan.

In doing so, the Provincial News item included the above photograph without attribution. 

The photo has nothing to do with the Rwanda judgement. It actually shows refugees from Ukraine arriving at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing in Medyka in 2022 according to its source, Westport Presbyterian Church. 

The picture was used to illustrate the plight of Ukrainian refugees in a Church Mission Project in the United States.

This photo published by the BBC more accurately illustrates the problem.

More than 100,000 people have come to the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats since 2018.

That is more than the population of Rochdale.

The cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels costs around £8 million a day. 

Government projections put the cost of dealing with illegal migrants plan could cost £6bn over two years.

A solution needs to be found but it is unlikely to come from the Church in Wales.

In 2022 the archbishop said he would not make any apologies for pointing out the "deficits" within the government's Rwanda policy. "It's the duty of all people, Christians and those of no faith to speak up for those who are marginalised..and for what is right and proper."

The archbishop would be better employed considering the plight of the many Anglicans he and the bench have marginalised in the Church in Wales by reneging on the promised twin integrities and leading the remainder into secularism.

Lowlights: GB September 2023

Governing Body voting                                              Source: Church in Wales

The Church in Wales goes green is the main message to come out of the meeting of the Governing Body (GB) earlier this month.

Attendance may be in crisis but was not mentioned, apart from a brief reference to decline in one of the reports. That is despite the GB's guiding notes which state:

"Every year, a report on the current membership and finance statistics of the Church in Wales is presented to the meeting. This covers key information such as: church attendance, the level of financial giving towards the work of the church, details of what parishes are spending their money on."

Session Three was about 'Priorities, Growth and Resilience'. One of the items covered in discussion groups was "What stops us from growing?"

The Church in Wales, like the Church of England, The Episcopal Church in the US and others have become self-centred rather than God centred, using the name of Jesus as a passport to earthly desires. - Jesus loves me, therefore I do as I please.

The secularisation of the Church in Wales was made obvious by the archbishop of Wales when he commented on the recently announced 'historic appointments of Canons at Bangor Cathedral'. 

He said, "It is a real joy to be able to announce the appointment of eight new Canons to the Cathedral, five Honorary Canons and three Foundation Canons. .... Together they bring with them an enormous breadth of skills and experience to their new roles, enabling the Cathedral’s common life and witness to be a place where all can come and experience faith, hope and love. Each of these new Canons has been invited in recognition of the significant contribution they have made, and continue to make, within their field of expertise, and I invite you to join with me in praying for them as they take up their new positions and responsibilities."

The Canon Preacher's experience of the Anglican Church is short. He was ordained Deacon in 2021 after becoming an Anglican in 2020 but more importantly for the archbishop he becomes the "first gay, black Canon to serve in a Church in Wales Cathedral, a pioneering moment that highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusivity." 

Just the sort of experience the Church Wales has come to value above all else. But there is more.

'Glastonbury priest'         Sourcee: CinW

A new priest welcomed to the diocese of St Asaph by bishop Gregory is "part way through a professional doctorate exploring better ways for neo-Pagans and Christians to have open conversations about faith." 

 She should receive a good welcome from the Peace Mala while the Church in Wales struggles with its identity.

As the decline of the Church continues more senior executives are hired. The latest is a Director of Mission and Strategy on a salary of up to £70,000 p.a.

On the plus side, perhaps the archbishop of Wales feels better able to cope with his workload having sanctioned all these appointments. 

Last year he felt the need for someone to share the leadership of his Bangor diocese with while serving as Archbishop of Wales as if that were an onerous task. He appointed an assistant bishop who has since been appointed bishop of Llandaff with no replacement assistant bishop. Perhaps he discovered that he is not that busy after all being responsible for the souls of less than 1% of the population of Wales.

What about the souls of Anglicans in Wales? Pew sitters have been led astray by their bishops while others have simply been abandoned in the shift to secularism.

A timely reminder of the dire situation Anglicans in the Church in Wales find themselves comes from Bishop Stuart Bell a former Church in Wales priest who was ordained as an Assistant Bishop in The Anglican Convocation in Europe in March after serving in the Church in Wales for 51 years.

In an interview with Dr Tony Rucinski of Coalition for Marriage (C4M), Bishop Bell said the Church in Wales’ 2021 decision to bless same-sex partnerships was "hugely significant". He told Dr Rucinski that "substantial" numbers have left the Church in Wales, following its decision to turn its back on the Bible and go with contemporary culture.

He rebuffed claims the Church’s move was compassionate, saying: "Justice and compassion are not rootless, they are rooted within truth and they are rooted within Christ and they are rooted within an authority that is completely unchanging."

The Bishop warned that we are being seriously misled by people whose hearts are set on "anarchy and nihilism". That voice is growing stronger by the day and is being promoted at government level and  by the media, he said.

He urged Christians and traditional marriage supporters to be absolutely resolute in the face of LGBT activists’ attempts to push the country into a state of "total gender confusion and sexual confusion".

Full details of the Christian Institute interview can be found here. 

The response of the Church in Wales was: Clergy told to keep breakaway bishop at arm’s length. "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 came as little surprise to the many Anglicans abandoned by the handful of heretic bishops in the Church in Wales for keeping the faith as received in common with millions of Anglicans around the world.

This is the legacy handed on by a former bishop of Bangor, later archbishop, Barry Morgan who decreed after the retirement of Bishop David Thomas that there would be further alternative Episcopal oversight 'over his dead body'.

Now in comfortable retirement Morgan's legacy lives on. He continues to meddle in Church affairs showing no shame for leaving so many faithful Anglicans who had been in his care in a spiritual desert, a situation perpetuated by the bench of bishops to this day to their utter shame.

 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

More 'firsts' for the Church in Wales

The John/Starkey wedding, Bangor 2021      Source: Facebook

From Church in Wales Provincial news: 'Archbishop of Wales announces historic appointments at Cathedral':

"The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, has announced the appointment of five distinguished individuals to serve as Honorary Canons at Saint Deiniol's Cathedral in Bangor. These appointments mark significant milestones in the Church in Wales, as they encompass a range of 'firsts' ."

Among the firsts is the second Mrs Andrew John, the Rev Naomi Starkey, who has been appointed one of three foundation canons who will be members of the Cathedral Chapter.

Another first is author Fr Jarel Robinson-Brown who becomes "the first gay, black Canon to serve in a Church in Wales Cathedral, a pioneering moment that highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. Father Jarel, who will become Canon Preacher, holds joint British and Jamaican citizenship and is a much sought after preacher, having spoken recently at St Paul’s Cathedral, Yale Divinity School, and Oxford, Cambridge and Durham Universities. He is also co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Christian Charity OneBodyOneFaith."

Among previous Church in Wales firsts are the first transgender priest and the first same-sex partnered lesbian bishop.

Caption corner 11 August, 2023

Source: Twitter

As usual publishable captions will appear as comments.

Our (oik's) Father, or mother

Stephen Cottrell in 2014                    Source: Wikipedia

According to the Guardian, the 'Oik 'from Essex. Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York has suggested that the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer,  may be “problematic” because of their "patriarchal association" despite being recited by Christians worldwide for 2,000 years.

The archbishop's views will come at little surprise to those Anglicans who strive to keep the faith rather than adapt it to their own desires

Cottrell is a member of the Society of Catholic Priests (SCP), a religious society of Anglican clergy who consider themselves a part of the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition, a liberal substitute for the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) so that they can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The make believe society believes that the churches of the Anglican Communion are part of the one holy and catholic and apostolic church despite distancing themselves from it by their unilateral actions.

Cottrell is also a member of Affirming Catholicism (AffCath), a liberal movement formed to suggest that the ordination of women is compatible with Anglo-Catholicism and supports ordination into the threefold ministry (bishops, priests, deacons) regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The archbishop  has been president since January 2015. 

The ordination of women to the priesthood has brought with it a host of ridiculous disputes over gender and sexual orientation where facts are replaced by assertions. These are likely to grow with the increasing numbers of female clergy. 

In the Church in Wales where half the bishops are female, thirty-one of the forty-seven recent Petertide ordinands were women, seventeen deacons and fourteen priests.  

The Church Times article, Petertide ordinations 2023, shows how numerous are Anglican women deacons, priests and bishops.

 This is where it can lead. The sparkle 'creed':

Canterbury calling?

Archbishop of York (Source: Diocese of York)                                         Bishop of London  (Source: Crediton Courier)

Rumours abound that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will resign after the coronation of King Charles III.

He has said that he hoped to remain the Archbishop of Canterbury until he reaches retirement age in 2026, if he is in "good health" and "people are happy" with him in the post. 

Very many people are unhappy with Welby's performance as Archbishop of Canterbury, including the majority of Anglicans. Schism looms. Will he go?

Welby's role in turning a Christian coronation service into a multi-faith event has not gone down well. 

His 'off-piste' oath plan has backfired. "Buckingham Palace officials fear the Coronation oath could cloud the ceremony due to the criticism surrounding the 'Homage of the People'."

Those of us old enough to recall the solemnity of Queen Elizabeth's coronation will witness a different ceremony, one built around wokery to include people with entirely different beliefs, some of which reject the Christian message.

The Coronation Liturgy shows that the Epistle (Colossians 1: 9-17) is to be read by a Hindu Prime Minister. Hindus worship many gods so which god will the Prime Minister have in mind? 

Nothing seems to matter in the Church of England other than being conformed to the world.

On that score, if Welby were to retire, the Archbishop of York and the bishop of London have both shown themselves to be unsuitable.

Bishop Sarah Mullally ended  her Living in Love and Faith Presentation  with the words:

"I hope that we will not just ‘look to your own interests, but to the interests of others.’
...May God hold us in the redeeming love of Christ and bless us with the guiding
presence of the Holy Spirit.
Amen."

The guiding  presence of the Holy Spirit is evident not in the Church of England  but in GAFCON:

"Despite 25 years of persistent warnings by most Anglican Primates, repeated departures from the authority of God's Word have torn the fabric of the Communion. These warnings were blatantly and deliberately disregarded and now without repentance this tear cannot be mended."

The Archbishop of York has not heeded the message. In his presidential address at the April 2023 York synod he claimed that "We are not judged by 'doctrinal orthodoxy' but 'love', reminiscent of TEC presiding bishop Michael Curry's Love is the way!

What the Church of England needs is an Archbishop of Canterbury can bring the Church back to faith as neatly explained here by Calvin Robinson in his Common Sense Crusade.

Caption corner 24 April 2023

 Abp of Wales with Bp elect of Llandaff   Source: Twitter

As usual publishable captions will appear as comments.

Pot, kettle and black

Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ. Souce: Twitter

Pot, kettle and black were three words that sprang immediately to mind on reading this tweet from the archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Andrew John.

"Turn from sin and be faithful to Christ"!

The archbishop cannot be unaware of the reaction of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to the Church of England's decision to follow the Church in Wales and allow clergy to bless couples in same-sex marriages "contrary to the faith and order of the orthodox provinces of the communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock." 

If the bishops of the Church in Wales were to take their archbishop's advice, that would indeed be a significant start to Lent. 

Road to hell

Hat tip to Orthodox Faith @since33                                                                            Source: Twitter

An interesting juxtaposition.

The above from Orthodox Faith and this pointer to a message from the Archbishop of Wales.

Lambeth: Reply to an open letter to Justin Welby

The female bishops pose for their group portrait. Photo: Neil Turner/The Lambeth Conference                                                     Source: Episcopal News Service

Perhaps it is a generational thing but I have to admit that I am not a fan of Sandi Toksvig's brand of humour. Having watched bits of QI occasionally her success seems to me to be more to do with lesbianism than comedy. 

An admitted humanist Ms Toksvig has written a 'Dear Justin' letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury telling him of his mistakes at the Lambeth Conference. 

Before playing the usual victim card she writes: 
"So, you and your other religious pals got together at the Lambeth Conference and the main take away seems to be that gay sex is a sin. It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make it clear in 2022 that no-one in you finely frocked gang has moved on from that. Seriously, with the state the world is in, that is what you wanted to focus on? You didn't have other more pressing matters like, I don't know, war or poverty?..."

What the LGBTQ+ lobby fails to understand is it is not about sex it is about marriage.

Civil Partnerships were created for same-sex couples who were not legally allowed to marry. They have legally recognized unions with rights similar to those of marriage. 

Having gained such acceptance the LGBTQ+ lobby are not satisfied. For them, marriage is the ultimate stamp of approval. For Christians marriage is the union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

But the activists stop at nothing. What we have is a re-run of the campaign for the ordination of women. Originally they campaigned for deaconesses to be ordained deacons. Step by step they succeeded in advancing to the priesthood and the episcopate using the same strategy of stealth and deception. 

The result of their efforts can be seen in the women only photograph taken at this year's Lambeth Conference. The number of women bishops attending has grown to 97 in 2022 from 11 in 1998. "We’ve increased exponentially," said Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry. So much for just wanting to be deacons.

Same sex relations are now characterised as 'Human Dignity', just one of the 'Calls' in the Lambeth Conference programme. The agenda includes much more but for bishops in the Church in Wales and other provinces that have decided by committee that same sex marriage is compatible with Christian teaching, it was the main item for them and they went to Lambeth determined to push their agenda regardless of the cost to the Anglican Communion.

Like TEC in the US the Scottish and Welsh provinces are comparatively wealthy but with steeply declining memberships. They are counted in thousands compared with much poorer, more orthodox provinces in the Global South where membership is counted in millions.

Many of the bishops from poorer areas came to Lambeth intent on upholding the sanctity of marriage. Much was done to thwart them but they continued to fight under Christ's banner as Christians promise in our baptism.

If the will of the Anglican Communion as a whole counted for anything the Welsh bishops and their like would be regarded as a tiny, unrepresentative minority and told where to go.

Instead, synodical processes are manipulated by liberal bishops to drive forward their own agendas. They influence public opinion by appealing to humanists and those who have no religion, increasing secular resentment then claim that the Church is out of step. It is not. They are.

This deception is exemplified by the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church who tweeted "Tonight I feel a burden lifted of what might happen at this conference and determined that we continue to be an example of diversity, an example of enabling people with differing opinions to remain part of the same Church... 'love means love' to use the latest catch phrase. Watch this video clip in which the primus claims that nobody is to be thrown out of the Communion and that there will be no sanctions for what people do. 

Complete garbage. 

Whilst pandering to the LGBTWQ+ lobby, thousands of Anglicans who identify with the traditional, orthodox faith, as in the Global South, have been left with no spiritual home. They have effectively been expelled whilst those continuing to attend services are made complicit.

Similarly the archbishop of Wales tweeted "I welcome this afternoon's #LambethCall affirming of the dignity of all people". He was quickly followed by affirming underlings.

If only these idiots could leave Christian marriage alone there would be no problem.

Archbishop's diary

New Archbishop of Wales Andy John blessing Loco No 6 Duncan on its 100th birthday                      Source: Herald Wales

Puzzled by his unexplained absence from HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, I  tried to establish what pressing engagements the new Archbishop of Wales has been involved in. 

Unlike his predecessor who saw no need to build up his office following his election, archbishop Andy John initially busied himself building an entourage to assist him in shouldering the burden of carrying out the 'national responsibilities' of his new office. 

He has appointed an assistant bishop, a personal assistant and a chaplain. 

I drew a blank searching for the archbishop's engagements or diary on the unwieldy Church in Wales web site so tried 'Googling' instead. The results were disappointing. Entering various combinations such as 'archbishop andy john's diary' I found nothing. 'archbishop andy John's engagements', again produced nothing. 

When searching specifically under 'News', all I found I found was Archbishop criticised for being in group pulling faces in 'disrespectful' photo at Bangor Cathedral.

Appointing an assistant bishop, the archbishop said "I am delighted that Mary has agreed to take on operational responsibility for much of the life of our Diocese [emphasis added] to assist me while I take on the role of Archbishop of Wales." 

 

The Job Purpose of the PA is more enlightening:

"The PA delivers a variety of operational support services to enable the Archbishop of Wales to carry out his national responsibilities [emphasis added] and those within the Diocese of Bangor.

As a key member of the team, the PA will provide administrative and operational support in relation to the Archbishop’s changing, demanding and complex workload. The PA will work closely with the Archbishop, his Chaplain, and others to provide practical support, good initiative and engagement in delivering a range of tasks.

 

"The PA is the first point of contact, co-ordinating and supporting meetings, preparing briefings, processing correspondence and arranging logistics to ensure that the work of the Archbishop is efficient, effective and responsive to changing requirements."

The Archbishop's chaplain "will be a key member of the Archbishop's team, supporting and resourcing [emphasis added] his ministry, both practically and through prayer, and preparing his public engagements."

The Archbishop is paid a salary of £51,740. His assistant bishop £43,979, and, so far as I can establish, the chaplain £21,990. The PA (Grade C) is paid around £25,000.

So to support him as he carries out his national responsibilities, the archbishop has added around £91,000 to his £51,740 salary giving a total of £142,740. I have failed to identify any program of engagements or pronouncements other than "same-sex couples could marry in church 'within five years'."

Apart from recruiting his episcopal entourage and blessing Loco No 6 Duncan on its 100th birthday (pictured), 'Googling' has turned up nothing to explain the archbishop's 'busy schedule' which makes his snub of the most important event of his archbishopric, the Thanksgiving Service, even more disgraceful.

If he is hiding his light under a bushel then he should let it shine so that people can see his good works.

Leadership by example!

Archbishop of Wales Andy John                                    Source: Church in Wales

'Happy' and 'glorious', two words from the National Anthem that have been used to sum up the celebrations of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee. A tribute not only to HM The Queen but to the skill of all those who arranged and took part in the various events.

Among the events was the magnificent Thanksgiving Service held in the splendour of St Paul's Cathedral but there were two notable absences, that of Her Majesty The Queen which was explained, and that of His Grace the Archbishop of Wales which, so far as I can establish, was not.

Glancing at the order of procession in the Thanksgiving Service booklet (page 8), the only dignitary to send a representative was the Archbishop of Wales.

Curiously 'The Representative of the Archbishop of Wales' was not the next most senior bishop, Gregory Cameron, bishop of St Asaph, but the most junior, the recently appointed assistant bishop in Bangor, Mary Stallard.

Why? When Ms Stallard was appointed the archbishop said "I am delighted that Mary has agreed to take on operational responsibility for much of the life of our Diocese to assist me while I take on the role of Archbishop of Wales."

What, one wonders, was so pressing in the archbishop's diary that he was forced to absent himself from probably the most important event since he was elected archbishop, representing the Church in Wales at the Thanksgiving Service for a monarch who has led by example, keeping the faith when too many bishops have not.

Postscript [08.06.2022]

More embarrassment caused to the Church in Wales by its leadership: "The Church of England has its Mississippi and that's called the Church in Wales".

Anglican Unscripted's take on the Archbishop of Wales' Thanksgiving Service snub (starting at position 41.30):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfBGINajXY

Disaster looms closer

The Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, at  his Enthronement as Archbishop of Wales                                                                                      Source: Church in Wales

 This extraordinary behaviour (above) of the newly enthroned archbishop of Wales, Andy John, takes place in the sanctuary in front of the Holy Table where the holy sacrifice of the Mass takes place. 

Nothing it seems is sacred in the Church in Wales any longer. 

Little surprise then that the Church Growth Modelling blog estimates the extinction of the Church in Wales, among other denominations, in less than 30 years.

The author writes: "Sadly, the immediate future looks bleak for the Church in Wales, Church of Scotland, Episcopalians, Methodists, and older Welsh nonconformists. They need to seriously ask themselves how they have gotten themselves into a situation where extinction is less than 30 years away. What is wrong with their beliefs and practices that are stopping them from making converts? A quick about-turn is needed."

Also, "The Church in Wales contains a mixture of churchmanships, and for many years all were on the conservative side. However, in the last 25 years, it has become increasingly liberal. In common with most historic UK Christian denominations, it has steadily declined since 1960. This analysis investigates the likelihood of decline leading to denominational extinction."

By secularising the Church it has lost most of its mystery, its 'otherness'. Its bishops simply do as they please acting more like politicians than shepherds of the faithful. 

The first prediction of the bishop of Bangor after his enthronement as archbishop of Wales was 'Same-sex Church in Wales marriage hope within five years'. The Holy Grail of the renewed, diverse, and inclusive Church in Wales dominated by its bench of bishops.

Perhaps this should come as no surprise from an archbishop who is a re-married divorcee who interprets scripture to suit himself and those whose main mission is inclusion of their own to the exclusion of all others.

Richard Pain, Bishop of Monmouth, Petertide  ordinations 2018                Source: Monmouth DCO

Episcopal frivolity is nothing new to the Church in Wales. 

The former bishop of Monmouth caused offence to many by his inappropriate behaviour in Eucharistic vestments.

Perhaps the bishop was unaware, or simply did not care, that in the ninteenth century a priest, Fr Arthur Tooth, was sent to prison for defending the right to use Eucharistic vestments in the Church of England. 

Such events serve to emphasise the extent to which the Church in Wales has sunk into secularism.  

In St Davids diocese bishop Joanna unashamedly carries on after her extended sick leave as if no problem with her ministry ever existed while rumours of alleged bullying continue to circle around the bishop of Llandaff.

The archbishop brushed aside the behaviour of the bishop of St Davids and rejected calls that he should launch an inquiry into the running of the Llandaff diocese following allegations of bullying.

Birds of a feather! The Church in Wales is doomed.

'Impotent' archbishop needs an assistant!

Mary Stallard with the Bishop of Bangor.             Source: Llanblogger blogspot

Rejecting calls that he should launch an inquiry into the running of the Llandaff diocese following allegations of bullying against bishop June Osborne, the newly elected Archbishop of Wales, Andy John said, "As Archbishop, I do not have authority over any diocese other than my own unless the see is vacant."

Nevertheless, the bishop of Bangor has felt the need for someone to share the leadership of the diocese while he serves as Archbishop of Wales.

Bishop John's choice of "one of the first women to become a priest in the Church in Wales", Mary Stallard, will go down well with the women's movement led by the discredited former archdeacon, Peggy Jackson with their distorted view of equality while others will view it as further evidence that the Church in Wales couldn't care less for those who believe that the ordination of women is not something to be decided by individual Churches wishing to do their own thing.

A leading supporter of women bishops, in 2008 when the Church in Wales rejected a Bill which would have allowed women to be ordained as bishops, Canon Mary Stallard said, "I think people respond very differently to men expressing unhappiness at doubts and upsets than women. Men have much greater access to playing on people’s heartstrings and I think we saw a really good example of that today."

Canon Jeremy Winston, the then vicar of Abergavenny, said that bishops had failed to give concrete assurance to those opposed to female bishops that they would be provided for. 

He was correct of course. The Church in Wales used every trick in the book to admit women to the episcopacy with dire consequences as evidenced by the many comments on this blog.

The bench abdicated responsibility for the legislation giving feminists free rein. A meaningless code of practice was introduced followed by archdeacon Peggy Jackson's infamous attempt to deny ordination to anyone who, on grounds conscience, was unable to accept the ordination of women.

The vote followed the rejection of proposals which could have resulted in the appointment of a male bishop to minister sacramentally and pastorally to those who could not accept the unilateral ordination of women by the Church in Wales.

Speaking of his disappointment at the time archbishop Barry Morgan said, "Had we been willing as bishops to compromise and have an assistant bishop in the constitution to look after those who in conscience were opposed to the ordination of women, the Bill would have sailed through. But I think we would have compromised our principles. I think it would have been disastrous for the Church in Wales.

Ignoring the fact that other Churches had made such provision the reverse has proved to be true with attendance falling away towards unsustainable levels.

The Archbishop strongly argued against setting a precedent for appointing different bishops to cater for people with different opinions. He said, "When you are made a diocesan bishop you become the bishop of the whole diocese and everyone in it. Some will disagree with you on theological grounds. No matter. You have to be big enough as a diocesan to care and love for all those with whom you may be in profound disagreement. Anglican ecclesiology is about unity in diversity. It’s not a club of those who hold the same views on a particular subject." 

The care and love Barry Morgan referred to has been lavished on LGBTQ+ people while faithful Anglicans who follow the path of the wider Church have been dumped with no pastoral care or sacramental provision whatsoever. 

The Church in Wales has indeed been turned into a club for the like-minded, something the new archbishop will have plenty of time to reflect on while his assistant runs his diocese. 

Postscript [29.01.2022]

Archbishop Chaplain (Internal Only)

The archbishop requires even more assistance - for him to do what?

"The essence of this role is to ensure that the Archbishop of Wales is free to exercise his ministry secure in the knowledge that robust systems and protocols are in place to ensure that he will always be well briefed whilst working to a demanding and sustainable schedule.

"Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010 applies to this appointment. This post carries an occupational requirement to be a practicing Christian and, preferably, a communicant member of the Church in Wales or a church in communion with it. The post is open to both ordained and lay applicants."

Location: Bangor , the role requires 'some travel in Wales and beyond, and occasional overnight stays'. The Salary: Grade F - £39,674 - £44,887 per annum

The mind boggles.

Archbishop's impotency confirmed

Bishop of Llandaff the Rt Rev June Osborne                                                       Source: Pressreader

 

From Pressreader today quoting the Western Mail: The Archbishop of Wales  has rejected calls that he should launch an inquiry into the running of the Llandaff diocese following allegations of bullying against Bishop June Osborne. 

In the article archbishop Andy John confirms his impotence: "As Archbishop, I do not have authority over any diocese other than my own unless the see is vacant."

So there we have it. The diocese of Llandaff falls apart while the bishop of St Davids sits tight after falling into disgrace.

Was it just a coincidence that Joanna and June in particular looked more thrilled than the bishops of St Asaph and Monmouth after it was announced that Andy John had been elected archbishop or could they for some reason have felt more secure?

Now that the archbishop has confirmed his impotency, Church in Wales bishops appear free to do as they please. No-one, apparently, is able or willing to get a grip of the situation. 

Just a sinecure then!

Church impotent

Archbishop of Wales Andy John                                                                                       Source: BBC

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.

Joanna Penberthy creeps back

Source: Church in Wales

 

From Church in Wales Diocesan news:  Join Wales' Christingle service and help Faith in Families led by the Bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy.

Nothing it seems prevents bishops of the Church in Wales from continuing as they please. 

In a previous entry, The future of the Church in Wales from the Archbishop in waiting? I quoted  Andy John's statement:

“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.”

This may explain some of the facial expressions when the statement of Bishop Andy’s election as Archbishop of Wales was read out. Joanna Penberthy can be seen beaming but not quite as ecstatically as June Osborne who could not wait to signal her approval of the 'wonderful news'.

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!

Postscript [10.12.2021]

Something fishy again?

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.

New Archbishop of Wales

Looking thrilled, the new  Archbishop of Wales, Andy John, Bishop of Bangor         Source: Twitter

Buggins' turn. It could have been worse. 

Pray that when the doors were locked the Holy Spirit was not locked outside!

Postscript [07.12.2021]

The statement of Bishop Andy’s election as Archbishop of Wales