True colours

WATCH gathering                                                                                                                    Source: WATCH/Church Times

From the Church Times: "A CAMPAIGN to end the provisions that accompanied the women-bishops legislation of 2014, put in place to provide for those unable to accept women’s ministry (News, 28 July 2014), was launched by Women and the Church (WATCH) on Saturday.

"The campaign group hopes to see a motion brought to the General Synod, asking members to consider “whether it is right for the 2014 House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests to continue in perpetuity and, if not, to set a date for it to come to an end”. The plans were discussed at the “Not Yet Equal Conference” at St John’s, Waterloo, in London. WATCH aims to roll out roadshows across dioceses in the coming months, in the hope of getting the motion carried by diocesan synods. An alternative approach would be a private member’s motion.

"WATCH is also encouraging women clergy to log experiences of “harassment”, with a view to bringing a case under the Equality Act (2010)." Full report here.

The bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemary Mallet (pictured above), said "The Principles 'help to reinforce' the 'unequal and iniquitous gendered culture of the current Church of England', Dr Mallett said on Saturday. The foundations of this culture lay in the 1993 settlement, which established Provincial Episcopal Visitors (PEV) and 'allowed . . . churches to limit women’s roles on grounds of theological conviction'."

Dr Mallet lays bare the guiding principles of WATCH, feminist equality in a secularised Church. Theology has no place in the minds of these deceitful women. 

She went on: "With hindsight, we never really thought through how this agreement would build on those foundations, cementing in both official and unofficial practices in churches a perpetuation of women’s unequal treatment and the continued discrimination against women."

The deceit is mind blowing. Using the Church to further their feminist ideals, these women have reached their goal of women bishops by stealth, regardless of the hurt they have caused for those who on theological grounds are unable to accept their secular agenda.

Step by step WATCH have argued that it did not mean that women would become priests if they were allowed to become deacons. When they were made deacons they argued that being a deacon was preparation for the priesthood. When women were admitted to the priesthood they claimed that the Church was dicriminating against women if they were not allowed to become bishops in a three-fold ministry.

'Mutual flourishing' enabled these feminists to achieve their goal. Now they want to end the provisions that accompanied the women-bishops legislation. 

Sadly the people to whom WATCH appeal have the same secular outlook. They are unable to see through the lies because many attending Church have become secularised.

WATCH's Not Equal Yet Campaign claims that "Our national Church is getting away with discriminating against women, limiting female leadership, at every level of the organisation."

It shows them in their true colours. They want those of us who do not agree with them to be left with nothing.

It is appropriate that the article is dated 1st April. WATCH have made fools of the Church.  

Postscript

  Promises to traditionalists should be kept, Forward in Faith says - Church Times    

Pollution

Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John addressing Governing Body   Source: CinW

The Church in Wales reports that the topic chosen for the Archbishop's presidential address was pollution:

"Rivers, he said, were dying because of pollution." 

Pollution is a subject on which the archbishop must have felt well qualified to speak having been an enthusiastic polluter of the faith in the Church in Wales although he did attract some criticism.

Likewise from the pews which are swiftly emptying. 

Sympathy and understanding of personal issues which contradict scripture have been turned into celebration and promotion relegating the Church in Wales to little more than another secular institution promoting secular ideals.

It is no surprise that Anglicanism in Wales is doomed. 

Poor judgement

 

 Already anticipating her own retirement as Bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne rushed into the appointment of a new dean after the resignation of the Dean of Llandaff, Gerwyn Capon, in May 2022.

One would imagine that with hindsight the bishop now regrets the above video presentation. On 31st March 2024, after another difficult period for Llandaff Cathedral, the retirement of Dean Richard Peers  was announced.

From the tone of the announcement it is clear that deviancy in the Church in Wales has become the norm: "Father Richard has been the Dean of Llandaff since November 2022 and lives with his husband Jim, a garden writer, and their dog Teilo."

A patron of The Open Table Network, Cherry Vann, the Bishop of Monmouth who lives with her civil partner Wendy and their two dogs, invites all to a diocesan celebration with the logo 'Faith in our future'.

The archbishop of Wales has predicted that same-sex couples could marry in church 'within five years'.

For Anglicans in Wales who do not accept the new norm of a secularised Church in Wales but keep the Christian faith as received the future is bleak.

Postscript [07.04.2024]

The bishop of Llandaff has announced that the Rev’d Canon Dr Jason Bray has accepted her invitation for him to become the next Dean of Llandaff Cathedral.

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.

No honour among thieves

 

In This is not Dibley I referred to the MailOnline story: "Remind me, it is 2023, isn’t it?’: Why has the Cornish town Dawn French loves risked such an unholy row by refusing its own Vicar of Dibley?"

The report: 'Cornish church reverses ban on female vicars' has given church feminists and toadying MPs a field day.

These feminists have used the Church for their own political purposes, accusing, scheming and reneging. Promises and agreements that enabled them to reach their goal mean nothing.

Listen to the blatant misrepresentation by the chair of WATCH as she seeks help [to] bring "discrimination" in the Church of England  to an end. As did the recently retired bishop of St Davids, WATCH regard difference of opinion, even when based on fact, as discrimination and prejudice

There have also been attempts to redefine gender language used about God. In The Mother Church: Turning God Trans published in Crisis Magazine [a recommended read - AB] it is suggested that a disproportionate number of those pushing for change would appear to be 'left-wing female vicars'.

No honour from certain MPs either, including the the Father of the House, a self-declared WATCH supporter, who appear unable or unwilling to distinguish between equality and theology regardless of measures agreed to,

Anglicanism in this country is dying. The Church in Wales is leading the decline with their one-track strategy of inclusion and diversity which again uses the Church to advance a political cause at the expense of others. 

If only a fraction of the effort put into their latest 'outreach-social justice' drive had been devoted to the excluded things may have been different. St Davids diocese is watched with trepidation as they prepare to elect their new bishop. Scripture, reason and tradition must not again be sacrificed to secularism.

Despite denials the Roman Catholic Church is creeping in the same direction in proposing women deacons and Catholic LGBTQ+ advocates. This has arisen as a real possibility through the Synod on Synodality, which was launched by Pope Francis in October 2021.

This is a repeat of the push for Anglican women deacons. It was claimed that it did not mean that they would become priests if made deacons. As deacons they argued that it was discrimination if they could not be ordained to the priesthood followed by the threefold ministry argument that it would be discriminatory not to allow women bishops.

Now that they have achieved their aim and converted Anglicanism to conform with their own desires they want to get rid of anyone who does not share their warped ideas of equality.

There is no honour among thieves.

Coronation thoughts

Their Majesties King George VI, Queen  Elizabeth II and King Charles III.  Source: Wikimedia Commons

I remember the shock of hearing that King George VI had died. It was a time of great sadness. 

Along with Prime Minister Winston Churchill the king set an example of fortitude which did much to encourage those of us huddled around the wireless listening to the endless WW2 news broadcasts, so many in fact that I wondered how the BBC would fill the airtime after the war. 

My lasting memories of Queen Elizabeth's coronation are of the Westminster Abbey entrance procession to Parry's, I was glad, and of Queen Sālote of Tonga shunning the rain, smiling and waving to the crowds from her open carriage in a procession of carriages with tops firmly closed.

Charles III's coronation will be different. It has been scaled down. Security is a greater risk but the processional route is much shorter. 

It will be a multi-faith occasion. I understand the motives but, as I mentioned in my previous entry, I doubt the wisdom of including believers of different faiths and none in what is essentially a Christian service.

On a more positive note, Pope Francis will be represented inside the abbey this time. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. the papal representative had to observe the ceremony from 'an especially-built stand outside Westminster Cathedral', because he was not allowed to enter a non-Catholic church.

Pope Francis has also sent a coronation gift, two shards of wood said to have come from the cross on which Christ was crucified. The shards have been incorporated in The Cross of Wales, a new processional cross presented by King Charles as a centenary gift to the Church in Wales.

An ironic choice since the bishops of the Church in Wales have abandoned the received faith of the Church in favour of secularism. 

The Pope's apparent obsession with taking the Catholic Church down the same path as the Anglican Church, deciding doctrine by committee, is not encouraging. He has only to look at the Church in Wales to see where that leads. Neither has the Church of England heeded the lesson, allowing revisionists to change Church beliefs for their own ends. 

They achieve this by introducing change gradually so that people become accustomed to it. It has happened in Church and State. A glaring example will be the crowning of Queen Camilla alongside King Charles. 

Much has changed since I heard of the death of King George VI. I can't imagine what the world will be like when Prince William is crowned, assuming the monarchy is not abolished.

Anglican Bishops

Church in Wales new bishops consecration 2022                                                                                                                                           Source: Church in Wales

The election of the 73rd bishop of Llandaff commences on January 18 following the retirement of June Osborne who was appointed by the bench of bishops in 2017 after the failure of the electoral college to agree on a candidate.

A disaster waiting to happen, Osborne was tipped to be one of the first bishops in the Church of England. Instead she was appointed Dean of Salisbury. With a background in sociology Osborne was a prolific LGBTQ+ campaigner but suffered from allegations of bullying. She was found, on the balance of probability, to have a case to answer until the then Dean of Llandaff withdrew his allegations and resigned. 

The Vicar of Radyr also resigned as incumbent and Ministry Area Leader saying that she could no longer, with integrity, knowing the many things she knows, serve in the diocese where she believed a 'culture of fear' exists. A diocesan survey conducted after her initial exposure 'brought up the same results'. 

New bishop Joanna Penberthy in 2017    Pic: BBC

The 'best person to be a bishop', in the eyes of former archbishop Barry Morgan, has been another disaster. The bishop of St Davids has been on a second bout of sick leave since the end of August 2022 with no official updates which is reminiscent of the secrecy surrounding the extended absence of the former bishop of Monmouth. The only news is this report from a commentator under a previous entry:

"Yesterday at meeting of LMA's priests archdeacon updated us on Johanna La Loca. Her sick leave has been extended again - to end of February, as she is suffering from depression and anxiety. At present on half pay, her stipend will cease on 28 Feb. Is this the moment she resigns and diocese starts to recover? It was suggested that people ought to write to ++ Andy to pile on the pressure. Lovely thought if we can celebrate St David's day sede vacante."

'Affirming Love' Pride Eucharist with bishop
Cherry Vann . Source: Twitter

Joanna Penberthy along with the bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne, campaigned vigorously on secular matters while the bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, is patron of Open Table. 

Following her appointment the Church in Wales tweeted:

"Find out more about the new Bishop of @MonmouthDCO @cherry_vann in an interview with her on @BBCWomensHour today from 10am."

I tuned in on catch up. There was nothing spiritual, just sex. See The Bishop of Monmouth and partner.

Contrary to biblical teaching, bishops in England and Wales are hellbent on conforming to the pattern of this world rather than being transformed.

In the Church of England there has been the predictable outcry from Women and the Church (WATCH) following the appointment of the Rt Rev Philip North to be the 10th Bishop of Blackburn:

Their Chair, the Rev Martine Oborne tweets under the heading 'Trying to lift the lid off the ongoing sexism & discrimination in the CofE & how this impacts women. Chair of WATCH but these tweets my own'. 

More apt would be Using the Church for self validation at the expense of others. 

Oborne said of the Bishop of Backburn appointment: "The appointment sadly reflects … institutional discrimination in the church and we are effectively told that we must just suck it up and get on with it."

This is a familiar feminist tune, regularly tweeted by the WATCH chair and well worn by bishop Joanna Penberthy. Disagreement is labelled discrimination regardless of facts. Integrity has been replaced by duplicity.

Inclusive Church said Bishop North's views made it "a painful appointment". 

So what is the problem with Bishop North's appointment? 

Simply it is because his beliefs are not based on false notions of equality but on biblical teaching and tradition along with the vast majority of Anglicans and the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Holy Catholic Church showing the 2% accepting the ordination of women (OW)

Provision was made in England and Wales for those who, in conscience, could not accept the sacramental ministry of women. WATCH has been picking at it ever since. In Wales Barry Morgan simply abandoned provision following the retirement and untimely death of the Provincial Assistant Bishop David Thomas.

Pray that the Electoral College meeting in Llandaff will follow the example of the Church of England and elect a holy man of God to be the next bishop of Llandaff, not leaving the appointment to a bench of bishops to appoint another in their image when they have clearly lost their way. 

The sinking ship

As 'Jolly June' Osborne prepares to sail off into the sunset on retirement she leaves behind a trail of discontent. There will be few tears spilt over her departure but many on the wreckage she leaves behind.

Thumbing her nose to scripture and tradition she has already set the scene for her successor by hastily installing a dean of her choice rather than letting the new bishop make the appointment. The new dean is a priest living openly in a same-sex partnership who was involved in some discontent over his involvement in the Percy affair during his time at Oxford.

He should fit in well, not only in the diocese but in the province which is foundering on the rocks of secularism following a string of political appointments.

In her long running battle with the former dean the bishop was forced to face allegations of bullying after it was decided that she had a case to answer. The allegations were subsequently withdrawn. 

Meanwhile the Revd Vicki Burrows, the Garth Ministry Area Leader, wrote of a "culture of fear" in the diocese in the Church Times (Letters, 17/24 December) and called for the suspension of the Rt Rev June Osborne, after the bishop was accused of "bullying and harassment".

The vicar resigned saying that she “can no longer minister with any sense of integrity in Llandaff”.

Bishop Osborne's response was to appoint the Rev'd Ian Yemm, "who is married to Bernhard, an NHS doctor", in what appears to be another attempt to pre-empt a decision by the Church in Wales.

No doubt the bishop of Llandaff with the again absent bishop of St Davids were influential in the appointment of the first lesbian bishop, the bishop of Monmouth, who also lives with her same sex partner giving the impression that their ministries have more to do with the promotion of homosexuality than the sanctity of Christian marriage.

What of the bishop of St Davids? The original announcement in August of Joanna Penberthy's latest sick leave  promised updates as they became available. I can no longer find that notice, perhaps because there have been no updates which is typical of the mushroom method of management in the Church in Wales.

This is what happens when sociology replaces theology.

Former giants of the Church in Wales before bishops were replaced by 'prefects'.
Five held Oxford Firsts in Theology.     Source: Anglican Misfit

But whatever the cause, the latest Church Growth Modelling is bad news for the Church in Wales as well as other denominations as wokeness replaces holiness:

"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.

"The Church in Wales is forecast to be extinct by 2038."

The author writes, "Churches do not grow by becoming like society and attracting people, but by becoming like Jesus and converting people."

Exactly.

Mutual flourishing

Former archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan in his empty cathedral

The Church of England is taking steps to safeguard 'mutual flourishing', a concept dropped by the  bench of bishops of the Church in Wales at the earliest opportunity after securing the vote to allow women bishops.  

From the Church Times - Twelve Church of England people of "varying backgrounds" have been appointed members of the Standing Commission on the House of Bishops’ Declaration and the Five Guiding Principles:

"The setting up of the Commission was recommended by the Implementation and Dialogue Group (IDG), established in 2018 in response to the Independent Reviewer’s report of matters surrounding the nomination — and subsequent withdrawal — of the Rt Revd Philip North as Bishop of Sheffield (News, 9 February 2018). It was tasked with reviewing how the House of Bishops’ Declaration and the Five Guiding Principles — part of the settlement that made possible the admission of women to the episcopate — are understood, implemented, and received in the Church.

"Last year, the General Synod took note of a report from the IDG on whether the Five Guiding Principles, established in 2014 to enable those unable to receive the ministry of female bishops or priests to flourish within the Church’s life and structures, were still “fit for purpose” (News, 16 July 2021).

"The Church House statement says: “Members have been chosen by the House of Bishops, in consultation with the Prolocutors of the House of Clergy and the Chair and Vice Chair of the House of Laity, because of their experience and varying backgrounds.

"The membership has been carefully balanced to ensure there is fair representation of theological viewpoints and a commitment from all to the Five Guiding Principles and mutual flourishing."

While becoming increasingly secularised, as has the Church in Wales, to their credit the Church of England has remained true to its promise to enable those unable to receive the ministry of female bishops or priests to flourish within the Church’s life and structures.

The Church in Wales has not despite implied promises. 

From their Code of Practice: "Since the Church in Wales continues to share the historic episcopate with other Churches, including other Churches of the Anglican Communion, the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, which continue to ordain only men as priests or bishops, the Bench of Bishops acknowledges that this decision on ministry and gender is set within a broader process of discernment and reception within the Anglican Communion and the whole Church of God.

"Within the Church in Wales, those who on grounds of theological conviction and conscience are unable to receive the sacramental ministry of women bishops or priests continue to be within the spectrum of teaching and tradition of the Anglican Communion. The Church in Wales therefore remains committed to enabling all its members to flourish within its life and structures as accepted and valued. Appropriate provision for them will be made in a way intended to maintain the highest possible degree of communion and contributes to mutual flourishing across the whole Church in Wales."

The Code implied provision for mutual flourishing but it soon became clear that the bishops had no intention of honouring their commitment, frustrating mutual flourishing at every turn.

Sir William Fittall the Independent Reviewer wrote of the situation in England, "To expect someone whose theological conviction does not enable him to receive the sacramental ministry of women routinely to turn up to a celebration of Holy Communion when he cannot discover in advance whether he will be able to receive Holy Communion seems to me to be asking too much."

That is exactly what archbishop Barry Morgan did. From a previous entry  Welsh Primate abandons twin integrity:
"In his newly created role of Acting Dean of his own Cathedral, the dictatorial Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff, Dr Barry Morgan, has decreed that the Cathedral Office is not to publish the names of officiants at each of the Cathedral services. The intention is to put a further barrier in the way of those who, for theological reasons, are uncomfortable with a woman presiding at the altar. Rather than being able to plan ahead to avoid unfortunate pastoral situations, it would appear that the only way of knowing who is celebrating the Eucharist at Llandaff is to see who appears at the entrance procession."

The Church in Wales prides itself on being inclusive - but on their own terms. It does not extend to making provision for faithful Anglicans whose only desire is to keep the faith with appropriate sacramental and pastoral provision.

Rather than expand The Kingdom the bench chose secularism for the Church in Wales, as the emptying pews testify.

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.

Some welcome words

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (left) with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, head of Egypt's Coptic Church, at the
papal residence in Cairo. Photo: Lambeth Palace Source: Anglican Journal

Some welcome words for a change from Justin Welby, not something that can often be said of the current Archbishop of Canterbury who is noted more for his wokery than for his Christian leadership.

Calling for social care reform he said the government needed to start with the person, not financial costs. I would go along with that but what of people's spiritual health. Anglicanism is becoming increasingly secular.

How refreshing, then, to read the words of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, head of Egypt's Coptic Church:

"In an interview broadcast by an Egyptian television station on Friday, January 7th, on the occasion of Coptic Christmas, the patriarch of the largest Christian community in the Arab countries repeated in a few sentences the reasons why the Catholic Church and all the churches of the East do not have the faculty of conferring priestly ordination to women.

"The priesthood in the Church is reserved for men only, according to the will of Christ himself, who, during his public life, as highlighted in the Gospels, chose his apostles from among men, while not even the Virgin Mary 'wanted to be a priestess'. This was emphasized by the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II, pointing to the source of the teaching on the priesthood that the Catholic Church shares with all Orthodox churches and the ancient churches of the East."

A timely intervention when the Catholic Church seems hell bent on following Anglicanism on a path to destruction. 

The movement for the ordination of women is part of a job lot which starts with ordaining women deacons then 'progresses', step by step, to women priests and bishops accompanied by all the gender baggage that goes with it.

The Church ends up with lesbian bishops who claim justification for their position by interpreting scripture in a way that enhances their role based on secular views of social justice.

The future of the Church in Wales from the Archbishop in waiting?

Archbishop in waiting? the Bishop of Bangor. Picture: Church in Wales. Source: The National Wales

The future of the Church in Wales, or, more accurately, the future of the Church in Wales according to Andy John, Bishop of Bangor, is predicted in an 'exclusive' interview with The National Wales. 

Others insist the Church in Wales has no future. Not surprising given the mess created by the bench of bishops with their secular obsessions. 

In 2015 the Church Growth Modelling blog forecast that attendance figures for the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church of the USA (TEC), indicated extinction dates around 2040. 

Aged 57, if Buggins' turn prevails, Andy John will be the penultimate Archbishop of Wales leaving another to do the final sweeping up. Gregory Cameron, the next most senior bishop after Andy John is 62 so he is likely to miss out as is the Tory loathing bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy who is 61.

At 68 the bishop of Llandaff, June Osborne, will soon be drawing her pension leaving only Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth, who is 62.

Depending on his/her age the next bishop of Swansea and Brecon could also be the last Archbishop of Wales.

The new Bishop of Swansea and Brecon is to be elected this month* leaving the way for the election of the new Archbishop but if St Davids were to become vacant there would be a further delay. 

That may account for Andy John's extraordinary 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.”

Having found ''Biblical support for church gay marriages" the divorced and re-married bishop of Bangor can no doubt justify anything he fancies. 

In his interview for The National, Andy John was asked about the draft Bill which had been outlined at Governing Body (GB) in December. If passed by a two-thirds majority it would allow a five-year trial period for priests who would like to hold a service to bless a same-sex couple after their marriage or civil partnership.

Did the bishop of Bangor hope the motion will be approved? "Very much so", he replied before adding, "I think this will make us a more generous Church, which will make us a Church that provides space for people who demonstrate by their lives that they can be wonderful disciples of Jesus Christ when they want to live in love with a person of the same sex. I fail to understand… I fail to really understand why that is problematic.

Building up the pressure before the next meeting of GB, the former archbishop of Wales John Davies told ITV that it would be  a "slap in the face" for gay Christians if the church does not consider introducing services of blessing for same-sex couples.

"Simply to say", explained the archbishop, "that because it's always been so it must never change I think is a slap in the face to an awful lot of people who see something valuable in the church, but to some extent still feel rejected by the church."

That simply does not hold water. 

No generosity has been shown by the bench to an 'awful lot of people' who have been slapped in the face by a myopic bench of bishops, eager to impose their own liberal agenda at the expense of faithful Anglicans un-churched by the Church in Wales. 

As the recently retired Archdeacon of Llandaff, Peggy Jackson, a late convert to Anglicanism, put it with all the charity she could muster, "individuals with conscientious difficulties over women’s ministry will simply have to make personal decisions and individual choices, to find accommodation as best they can." (The naked truth).

There have been no 'second chances' for traditionalists who remain outside in the cold in what the bishop of Bangor refers to as 'a kind-of campaign to persecute'. It is clear why. The Church in Wales is at odds with the vast majority of Anglicans, let alone Christians. Anglicans in the Church in Wales who seek to practice their faith in common with the majority of Anglicans are an embarrassment to a bench of bishops preoccupied with fleeting secular fads and fancies.

As bishop Andy told his interviewer: "The pandemic has reminded the Church of its purpose: to serve. “Our job is to argue for a more humane, compassionate, loving society, and to be unafraid and to be unapologetic about that." His colleagues have “done remarkably well” during Covid-19 too. And it is hard to disagree. Even more so considering that – in his words – that the Church in Wales is “a bit like an oil tanker: it takes ages to turn us around”.

In a nutshell. The Church in Wales has set its course - to extinction.

The interview ends with: "A very confident and unapologetic message from a bishop who is very confident and unapologetic. With the possibility of him at the helm, perhaps this Welsh oil tanker will chart the right course, after all."

The interview started with the interviewer's confession: "I don't generally do God, I tell Andy John." Exactly the sort of people the bench look to for support and justification.

If ever the Church in Wales needed a transfiguration it is now.

* Correction: Election of new Bishop of Swansea and Brecon
 The election is to be held in September.
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/election-new-bishop-swansea-and-brecon/

Church in Wales abandonment

 

An upbeat Archbishop Barry Morgan in 2013 with his Ass bishop and then Dean, Janet Henderson
before her shock resignation. It's been downhill for Llandaff ever since.          Photo: Church Times

Few if any people have sympathy for a mother who abandons her children. 

In 'Mother' Church in Wales under Barry Morgan that is exactly what happened to Anglicans who remained true to the faith of the Holy Catholic Church, something the Church in Wales claims to do but patently does not as it becomes more and more secularised.

Reading about the new structure set up in Australia by GAFCON to help conservatives in dioceses that bless same-sex marriages re-opens old wounds for 'traditionalists' in Wales.

A new Diocese will "operate in parallel with any Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. It will have a Bishop, and the normal structure of an Anglican diocese such as a synod (church parliament and a standing committee)", something that Morgan and his cronies refused to do. Society bishops are banned from ministering in Wales.

Other Provinces have made provision for those who, in conscience, are unable to accept progressive ideas contrary to scripture and tradition. In Wales, after an initial nod to ensure the success of bills to allow women to be ordained, traditionalists have been abandoned without thought or consideration from bishops charged with caring for all. 

Other Provinces have not been so heartless so why have Anglican bishops in Wales been so cruel? 

One obvious answer is that traditionalists are a thorn in the flesh in a Church in which matters of the flesh and sexual preference are considered more important than one's faith.

Archbishop Morgan was determined that there would be no long term alternative pastoral or sacramental provision for those who did not share his secularised vision of the church.

Seeing himself as a 'progressive' bishop, Morgan followed the secular, feminist agenda of admitting women to the priesthood and to the episcopate regardless of scripture and tradition while liberalising sexual attitudes to permit same sex marriages in Church. He showed no consideration for those he regarded as opponents once the measures were approved.

Morgan even promoted his his own interpretation of the Bible to advance his cause and was promptly shot down.

The archbishop imported ambitious clergy from England to aid his cause leaving him with egg on his face. Most spectacularly following the resignation of the Very Rev Janet Henderson from her position as Dean of Llandaff after only a few weeks in post. That led to all manner of speculation and rumours of a non-disclosure agreement. 

More recently Morgan's manoeuvrings which led to the 'election' of  Joanna Penberthy as bishop of St Davids came badly unstuck. He had promoted Penberthy as 'the best person to be a bishop'. Experience suggests the reverse was true.   

Another of Morgan's casualties, Ass bishop David Wilbourne, complained of a "sustained campaign forcing him to quit". He often reminded anyone prepared to listen, or not, that he knew John Habgood, not the best acquaintance for some. It has been claimed Habgood 's intervention was responsible for the Church of England's acceptance of the ordination of women. 

The Rev Peter Mullin wrote in The Telegraph (£), 06 Feb 2012:  "This stinking fish has been a long time on the slab. Back in 1992, the church voted to admit women to the priesthood, but this was only agreed upon the intervention of the then Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, who insisted that there were “two integrities” within the church: the one that could accept women priests and the other that could not. Room must be made for both. If Dr Habgood’s agreeable compromise had not been accepted then there would not have been a majority in favour of the ordination of women".

The Church in Wales and the Church of England now ordain women. While the Church of England maintains the two integrities, traditionalists in Wales have been abandoned.

Initially bishop David Thomas was appointed Provincial Assistant Bishop but archbishop Morgan made it abundantly clear that there would not be another when Bishop Thomas retired in 2008. 

Another of Morgan's imports from the Church of England, Peggy Jackson used her position as Archdeacon of Llandaff to do all that she could to get rid of traditionalists, leaving them "to make personal decisions and individual choices, to find accommodation as best they can".

 She, in turn was to be humiliated when Governing Body rejected her mean private members motion which called on the bench of bishops to "cease to ordain those who, refusing the sacramental ministry of women, expect to rely upon the conscience clauses of the Code". 

Nevertheless, the process of abandonment in Wales continues. After Barry Morgan's retirement, the new Archbishop of Wales signalled no change in policy. There would be more of the same - but faster.

Barry Morgan made no secret of the fact that he would not oppose the appointment of a gay bishop. A strong contender to replace him was Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans.

From Llandaff stalemate: After three days of deliberations (note the link comes under 'Politics'), the Electoral College of the Church in Wales failed to produce a bishop-elect or, as the Rev Peter Ould tweeted, the Church in Wales "couldn't quite bring itself to elect Jeffrey John as Bishop of Llandaff".

While some argued that the appointment of Jeffrey John would attract too much attention for the wrong reason, others suggested that he was just too bright for the rest of the bench who feared they would be overshadowed.

The Church in Wales has two more imports from England sitting on the bench. A partnered lesbian elected bishop of Monmouth and an LGBT+ banner-waving sociologist who was appointed to Llandaff where she enjoys experimenting in her diocese regardless of the effect on existing congregations.

In Llandaff the continued absence of Barry Morgan's placement, Dean Gerwyn Capon remains a puzzle, as does the cause of the swift departure of his predecessor, Janet Henderson but given the mire Janet no doubt found herself in I would guess that she told Barry Morgan what he could do with his scheming. 

It says much about an archbishop who prides himself on his Welshness that, save for the one exception who escaped back over the border, he imported failures from England to do his bidding.

So faithful Anglicans across Wales have been abandoned, as Peggy Jackson directed, to find accommodation as best they can.

Some will have found an accommodation in the Church in Wales, presumably with fingers firmly crossed, while others will have advanced their careers, putting their souls in peril in the process. Others just have their memories.

Wales must be among the worst provinces in the Anglican Communion but who cares? 

Certainly not its bishops.

Repent, the end is nigh - for traditional Anglicanism

The Church of England is once again calling for repentance. This time for "historic links to the slave trade and anti-racism training" according to a leaked report referred to in the Mail Online: 

It claims that the Church of England will order a 30 per cent quota for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) candidates on its leadership programme and demand 'repentance' for historic links to the slave trade.

A Church of England taskforce was set up by the Church after the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was 'sorry and ashamed' that 'we are still institutionally racist'. Only one of the 42 diocesan bishops come from BAME backgrounds.

Officials are also planning to provide information "giving context to church statues which may have caused 'pain or offence' as part of plans to tackle discrimination".

The Church of England has previously called for repentance over the role of Christians in 'centuries of antisemitism'. 

And of course there was the call to the Church to 'repent' for its treatment of lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians after 'more than 100 senior Anglicans signed an open letter calling on the Church of England to do so.

There is unlikely to be a call to repentance for the treatment of 'traditionalist' Anglicans forced to keep the faith without pastoral and sacramental support.

Anglicanism has been ditched by the Church of England and other Anglican provinces such as the now irrelevant Church in Wales which continues to pump itself up by promoting same sex marriage as it accelerates the demise of Anglicanism in Wales.

We cannot undo the past, nor can we repent for actions of our predecessors however 'sorry and ashamed' later generations may feel. 

As for removing statues, far better to use them as teaching aids to help get one's message across. 

How would Welby feel if he were to be immortalised in stone only to find his likeness shattered by future generations who held him responsible for helping to destroy Anglicanism in favour of secularism.

Postscript [30.03.2021]

The BAME agenda

Disabled women of colour are encouraged to apply for the post of Dean of Hereford to exploit the Cathedral's treasures including the Magna Carta, Chained Library and Mappa Mundi in its mission.

I tried the reference http://ctjob.uk/JN9090 for more information but it did not work for me.

I am not in the running anyway!

Church in Wales bishops ditch faith for secularism

      Source: WalesOnline (Image: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images)

The Christmas present to the Church in Wales from their bishops:

A BILL TO AUTHORISE EXPERIMENTAL USE OF PROPOSED REVISIONS OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex)

WHEREAS the Order of Clergy and Order of Laity of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales indicated their view by informal poll on 12 September 2018 ‘that it is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships’.

AND WHEREAS the Bench of Bishops believes that it is desirable that, before a bill for the revision of a part of the Book of Common Prayer is submitted by the Bishops for the consideration of the Governing Body, a proposed form of service be used experimentally in the churches of the Church in Wales for a limited period.

BE IT HEREBY ENACTED that:

1. A Diocesan Bishop shall have power to authorise for experimental use in the churches within their diocese the form set out in the Appendix for a service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex for a period of five years from 1 October 2021, subject to the conditions set out below.

2. No Cleric shall be obliged to officiate at such a service.

3. The Parochial Fees for a ‘Marriage Blessing (following a Civil Marriage)’ may be charged by the officiating minister and Parochial Church Council for such a service.

Backers:

+John Cambrensis
+Andrew Bangor
+Gregory Llanelwy
+Joanna Tyddewi
+June Landav
+Cherry Monmouth

From Church Times:

In an explanatory memorandum, the Bishops acknowledge that scripture and Christian tradition have previously understood unions of one man and one woman as the only context for sexual relationships.

“However, with new social, scientific and psychological understandings of sexuality in the last one and a half centuries, we believe that same-sex relationships can be understood in a radically different way, and that the teaching of Scripture should therefore be re-interrogated,” the Bishops write.

Postscript [02.01.2021]

From Coalition for Marriage (C4M):

Legalising gay marriage has caused a surge in divorce rates among lesbians, says same-sex fertility chief. - Mail Online

Meanwhile in Wales, Kirsty Williams’s Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill was debated last month. The current legal requirement for pupils to “learn the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the bringing up of children” has been ditched. The parental right of withdrawal is also thrown out.

More from C4M here.

Diocese of Portsmouth plants in Llandaff

Church in Wales parish church of SS Andrew and Teilo, Woodville Road, Cathays, Cardiff.                                                                              Source: Wikipedia

Not much has been coming out of the Church in Wales during the Covid-19 lock down but there is news of the diocese of Portsmouth moving in.

I have seen nothing about the event in Llandaff News flashes but there is confirmation that Portsmouth's largest church is 'looking West to plant a new church in Cardiff'.

Inspire Magazine reported on 1 June: a "team will be commissioned for its new role at a digital service on Sunday (Sun 24 May). The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Christopher Foster, has recorded a video message to be played as part of the service, expressing his joy at the move."

There is no mention of the bishop of Llandaff.

In March last year I reported that the bishop of Llandaff had sacrificed parishioners in the university church of St Teilo, Cathays, Cardiff in an initiative "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."

The Living Church commented at the time that plans for a church-planting partnership between the Church in Wales and London’s Holy Trinity Brompton had drawn resistance...The project will receive funding from the new Church in Wales Evangelism Fund, which has £10 million available for six dioceses and is similar to the Church of England’s Strategic Development Grants fund.

According to a statement from the diocese of Portsmouth, their Harbour Church began in September 2016 with just 20 people, and now welcomes 700 worshippers every Sunday to three different locations. It now plans to send a team of 40 people to Cardiff to set up a brand new church there from September.

"It will be called Citizen Church and will be based at St Teilo’s Church in the Cathays area of Cardiff. The 40-strong team includes 10 worshippers who already live there, a family moving from Brazil, some moving from London, and 17 worshippers who will relocate from Harbour Church in Portsmouth. It will be led by the Rev Ryan Forey, currently curate at Harbour Church."

When the project was unveiled in 2019 the Church in Wales suggested that the project would “seek to attract young people who are currently outside the church, eventually planting more church communities in the diocese", displacing existing congregations in the process.

Displacing regular worshippers has a familiar ring for traditionalist Anglicans who were forced out because they sought to keep the Apostolic faith against a tide of secularism.

Then there were three

The bishops of St Davids, Monmouth (bishop-elect) and Llandaff                              Source: Twitter

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain?" - At the Sacred Synod regardless.

Following the announcement that the Ven Cherry Vann had been elected bishop of Monmouth she tweeted: "Absolutely thrilled to be joining these wonderful women on the bench of Bishops in the Church in Wales.

Perhaps she was less than thrilled to be joining the three male bishops on the bench!

It had long been rumoured that the bishop of Lancaster, Jill Duff, would be the 11th bishop of Monmouth but not so. Presumably her CV did not match the expectations of the bench.

In her first interview after her election the Ven Cherry Vann told the South Wales Argus: "I found out I had been elected at about 2.30pm on the Thursday afternoon [when] I got a call from Archbishop John".

A little over half-an-hour later at 3.08pm the Archbishop announced that the bishop elect was Cherry Vann, Archdeacon of Rochdale.

Ms Vann is not a member of the Electoral College. The Cathedral would have been locked so she must have been hovering in the vicinity. Cynics may wonder how the archdeacon came to be in Newport for the announcement. Another episcopal stitch up?

What could the Electoral College have found so attractive about the Archdeacon of Rochdale? Few in the Church in Wales would have heard of her apart from the bishops and special interest groups such as Mae Cymru.

Contrary to sentiments expressed by Ms Vann and the Archbishop of Wales in a video message after the announcement, in her first newspaper interview Ms Vann said: "This is a very different province to the Church of England, and it works differently. I am aware that I have a lot to learn both about the church and how it works, but also about the past and what I am inheriting.

“I am also aware that the church is struggling to be relevant in people’s lives. I want to work with people to find ways of communicating, what is essentially, a message of love and hope to people who find the institutional church difficult or inaccessible.

“Institutions do not find it easy to change. I think what we have got, not just in Monmouth but right across the established churches, is an organisation that is struggling to meet the demands of the present age. An age where religion is seen as irrelevant at best and people do not understand what it is about. That is a huge challenge for everyone.”

There must be priests in Wales and beyond, even Welsh speaking, who do not have a lot to learn both about the church and how it works, about the past and what the bishop is inheriting so it appears that more weight was attached to supporting 'an organisation struggling to meet the demands of the present age'.

No doubt being relevant to society is why Ms Vann is absolutely thrilled to be joining the "wonderful women" on the bench of Bishops as they pursue their secular cause.

Now there are three.