Rounding off Compostela

Llandaff clergy dancing the pilgrim dance after the final Eucharist of their clergy school in Santiago de Compostela                      Source: Twitter @Gould2Jan

Jolly June rounded off the Llandaff clergy school in Santiago de Compostela with the tweet: "Michael Sadgrove teaches about pilgrimage and the brilliant story of the Emmaus Road -seeing with hope. Are we dealers in hope?"

Hope for what?

Chief cheerleader among pilgrim commentators was Pilgrimprogress who looked forward to spending even more money on clergy schools making them annual events.

In a comment on Llandaff clergy school off to a flying start Pilgrimprogress wrote: "Happy to support them and hope they make it an annual event. I note that Michael Sadgrove is leading them in teaching - he's an amazing speaker and they are sure to receive some great input. I recommend his writings.

Later the Cardiff University Anglican Chaplain added a similar tweet: "It has been an absolute delight to have @MichaelSadgrove with us at our clergy school delivering three very thoughtful morning addresses. Like a good meal, you might not remember all that you have been fed, but you certainly know that you have been well fed!"

Amazing speaker he may be but what he has been feeding in some of his writings, particularly on his blog Woolgathering in North East of England, is a million miles from the doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church.

In a gushing endorsement of women's ordination The Ordination of Women as Priests - 25 Years On he wrote: "But I knew on that day that this was a ceremony that would not just live on bathed in a kind of generalised afterglow. I knew that it would be unforgettable in its detail as well. Such as singing 'Be still for the Spirit of the Lord is moving in this place' and, for once, truly recognising that she was."

If 'she' were the only reference to the spirit of the age one might put it down academic argument but it happens to be part of "his friend" June Osborne's revisionist theology, an inclusive church leading to same sex marriage in church

The Campaign for Equal Marriage in the CofE   Source: Twitter

On his Twitter account Sadgrove pledges his support for the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the CofE and for the Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain who launched a campaign for the rights of LGBTQ Christians claiming that his same-sex marriage cost him his ministry.

In a previous comment on Llandaff clergy school off to a flying start Berty wrote of the absurdity of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: "Also odd that clergy of a reformed protestant church who sign up to the 39 Articles should go on pilgrimage to a major ‘Romanish’ shrine which is only open during its rebuilding work for pilgrims to venerate the relics of St James? Is that not contrary to Article XXII?

In another blog entry A Day of Wisdom Sadgrove wrote: "I've just got back from leading a study day for clergy and readers in Llandaff Diocese where my friend June Osborne is bishop. They had asked me to reflect with them on wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible with the tasks of leadership, ministry and preaching in the church today especially in mind."

The whole episode is so incongruous and a colossal waste of money when the study days could have been held in Llandaff as Sadgrove did last year when speaking about leadership.

To cap it all Michael Sadgrove tweeted: "At the conference dinner last night, @BishopJuno is given a standing ovation by her clergy. So well deserved. But remarkable all the same."

Remarkable indeed but as Pilgrimage Fatigue quipped in Caption corner: "What you need to do is engineer a standing ovation at the end of the conference dinner. That'll have them all eating out of my hand."

You can read what Michael Sadgrove thought of the jolly in his glowing blog entry A Pilgrimage to Santiago.