Rogue report?

Bishop of Monmouth Richard Pain       Source: South Wales Argus

The Bishop of Monmouth farce continues. 

The South Wales Argus has picked up an obscure note from the Agenda of the Governing Body which meets at Cardiff's  City Hall 1 - 2 May for their headline Bishop of Monmouth Richard Pain should continue on church panel for 'another six years', report recommends.

Item 7 on the Agenda, Report of the Standing Committee (PDF) presents recommendations following the committee's meetings going back to to 29 November 2018 and 14 February 2019. From this the Argus has picked up, or, more likely, was fed:

"11. Under the procedure for appointing to the Panels of Chairs and Assessors members are reviewed after six years. This year two members of the Panel of Chairs came up for review, Mrs Helen Biggin and the Right Reverend Richard Pain. The Committee recommends that they are re-appointed for a period of a further six years. The Committee also recommends the appointment of His Honour Judge Andrew Keyser QC to the Panel of Chairs for a period of six years.                                                Recommendation 1 "

Translating a self-perpetuating old boy/girl system to imply a vote of confidence in the bishop of Monmouth is absurd. The bishops and their minions have become a self serving elite. They are completely out of touch with reality.

Bishop Richard Pain has been absent for ten months despite there being no case to answer in relation to the dispute. The 2019 Chrism Mass was celebrated in Newport Cathedral by archbishop John Davies.

The verdict of many Monmouth clergy was to travel to Bristol where the Bishop of Ebbsfleet was celebrating for the reaffirmation of their ordination vows.

For better or for worse...

...for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death us do part, according to God's holy law.

The Mail Online has reported that "Two million husbands and wives are not lawfully married because of a Church of England blunder" speculating that "marriage partners heading for divorce may try to deny their spouse maintenance, support or even a home on the grounds that they were never really married". What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

There is a serious point here. Constant change has made a complete mess of Anglicanism but in reality, however man or woman legislates it is in the sight of God that we shall be judged. The Anglican Church has been on a slippery slope ever since change was introduced to make it more 'relevant'. Gone is much of the mystery, the awe, the beautiful language making worship commonplace. Political correctness has replaced tradition, so much so that the catholicity of the church is being surrendered. The result? An Anglican Covenant that proposes the use of sticking plaster to heal broken limbs.

Drastic surgery is needed. The feminisation of the church must be halted. The first step is to abandon the divisive measure permitting women bishops signalling to the Universal Church that unity is more important than feminism. The alternative is further decline with the Anglican church becoming little more than a social network when the Lord's table might as well be used to serve tea and biscuits.