They are calling for a complete overhaul of how the global denomination is led.

The primary cause of the rift among Anglican leaders is their differing opinions on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Many conservative Anglicans, mostly from Africa and other parts of the global South, believe that Archbishop Justin Welby (pictured) should relinquish his leadership role.

His 'opponents' are unhappy with his support for the Church of England's decision in February to allow the blessings of same-sex relationships.

"This renders his leadership role in the Anglican Communion entirely indefensible," said the statement by the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), which met recently in Rwanda.

Gafcon's statement is supported by the leaders of national churches representing most of the world's estimated 100 million Anglicans.

The group is calling for an end to a tradition of more than a century and a half of spiritual leadership by the senior bishop of the Church of England.

Gafcon's statement calls for an urgent reset of the Communion, but offers no specifics about what would replace the current structures or how that would be decided.

Anglican Church de facto split

"They have placed themselves outside the Anglican Communion, which is defined by the place and presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, even though they don't seem to acknowledge that fact.

"It is surely time for the de facto split to be acknowledged by both those who remain in the historic Communion and those who have now founded their own," said the Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain, a prominent campaigner for LGBT rights in the Church of England.

"I hope that the pressure from Gafcon doesn't lead to the English bishops backsliding" on same-sex blessings, added Mr Foreshew-Cain.

"I am not confident that our bishops have the moral courage not to throw gay people under the Gafcon bus."

The conflict between traditional and liberal Christians regarding homosexuality is not limited to the Anglican Church but is also evident in other Christian denominations.

This issue has been exacerbated by the growing influence of church leaders in the global South, particularly Africa, where Christianity is expanding while declining in the West.

Last year, conservative members of the United Methodist Church split off to form the Global Methodist Church, with traditional positions on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy.

In contrast, last month, German Catholic bishops voted to approve formal blessings for same-sex couples, defying a prohibition from the Vatican.

Sources

Wall Street Journal

Christianity Today

CathNews New Zealand

The application was made by the St John's College Trust Board, a charity which provides for scholarships and approved educational programmes within the Anglican Church.

Between 2014 and 2020, the St John's College Trust Board advanced approximately $14.85m to the Te Aute Trust Board which supports the two Maori-Anglican schools.

The money was advanced under fears that the two schools might close without funding support.

Both the St John's College Trust Board and the Te Aute Trust Board operate under the auspices of the Anglican Church. Read more

Doing so would avoid restoration work stopping in October if more funds cannot be found before then.

This is because when the Anglican Synod approved the cathedral's restoration in 2017, its terms stipulated that each stage could only go ahead if the full funding for that stage was already in place.

The total cost forecast at about $154m.

At present, $103 million is currently in place for the project, with the first stage - involving stabilising the cathedral with large steel frames - underway.

This stage will cost $11.8m.

The next stage, which involves strengthening and reinstating the main cathedral building, will cost about $115.6m, which exceeds the currently available funding.

Christchurch diocese bishop Peter Carrell says revised approval terms may be presented to the Synod in September.

He says he hasn't drawn up any revisions or discussed the matter with Synod so far.

If there is still insufficient money for the main stage by September, Carrell says the question to put to the Synod would be: "Do we have flexibility to continue with the money we have?"

"We are talking about the possibility where we break large phases down into smaller phases. We now have a better sense of the sequencing than we did in 2017."

Carrell is confident construction could continue beyond October because of the $100m already raised. The project is due for completion in mid-2027.

"We have plenty of money to keep going for a number of years," he says.

"It would be silly to say ‘stop' simply because we are a few million short."

"Over the lifetime of the project we will raise all the funds we need to raise. It is quite a long time."

Last year, restoration leaders said $26m would need to be raised by this October for work to continue.

Carrell says there is a will to continue with the project, "but we want to honour the 2017 resolution and the joint venture agreement that flowed out of that."

Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Trust chairman Peter Guthrey says the Trust is working on finding donors in New Zealand and overseas to cover the $51m shortfall on the project.

"At the moment we don't have any significant new pledges beyond Philip Burdon's donation of $5m," he says.

Burdon says it's important to avoid a pause in restoration work as it increases costs and people like stonemasons leave the project.

"That is something that all parties are trying to avoid," he says.

Besides the stabilisation and reinstatement costs, $11.2m will be spent on a new tower and $15.7m on two new buildings.

The trust already has over $100m for the project in grants and pledges. These include $53m from insurance, $6m in lotteries funding, $25m from the government, $10m from Christchurch City Council and at least $9.1m in personal donations.

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

The newly ordained bishop was supported by groups from different areas.

She comes from from the Wairarapa, but now has charge of a large area that includes Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa and Wellington up to Palmerston.

Rev Dr Rangi Nicholson, the local minister, welcomed Waitohiariki. "I hope your ordination will bring new life to Rangiatea and the region", he said.

He noted that all churches welcomed her.

"We are faced with a lot of challenges. How do we, Anglicans and indeed all Christians, keep the church alive, especially for youth".

The service was organized and led by another Rangiatea minster, Rev Marie Collin.

She is an Anglican priest who also hails from the Wairarapa.

She was assisted by long-time Anglican support, Rev Georgia Hapeta.

The service was the one used on Aotearoa Sunday.

It marks the start of the Christian church in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

It recalls Samuel Marsden, whose arrival was to shape the bicultural identity of the church.

Waitohiariki pronounced forgiveness, read the Gospel and preached.

"I acknowledge all those who have gone before me. They opened the gateway to the Gospel for us.

I remember especially the different Maori Bishops before me, such as Bishop Paul Reeves, Bishop Hapai Winiata, Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe and Bishop Muru Walters".

At her ordination in Masterton in September the bishop was presented with a full kakahu.

Denise Hapeta explained how it had been woven by local weavers.

It is called Tohaina o painga ki te Ao: Spread your good works to the world.

"This kakahu is a blessing for you to do that", she said.

The bishop gave a final Blessing.

After the service, the bishop was welcomed onto Raukawa Marae where further speeches were made and a lovely hakari to celebrate.

Source

Supplied: Pa Piripi Cody

This is the finding of a report delivered to leaders at the Anglican Council of General Synod meeting last week in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

The document, written by Rev Neil Elliot; an Anglican priest, and commissioned by the Church, shows that within 20 years the Church will have run out of numbers.

"Projections from our data indicate that there will be no members, attenders or givers in the Anglican Church of Canada by approximately 2040," the report says.

In compiling the report Elliot used Church statistics from 1961 - 2001, subscriber data to the Anglican Journal (the church's official publication) and data from Elliot's own survey of the dioceses in 2017 (number of people on parish rolls, average Sunday attendance, regular identifiable givers).

"For five different methodologies to give the same result is a very, very powerful statistical confirmation which we really, really have to take seriously and we can't dismiss lightly," Elliot told church leaders last week.

Some of the Synod had hoped the decline had bottomed out with the previous report in 2006.

It is "demonstrably not the case... We need to plan for a church which is going to change substantially", Elliot told the Synod.

Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church called the statistics a "wake-up" call.

She hopes the Church will focus more on being a faithful witness rather than being drawn into a "vortex of negativity."

"We're called to do and be God's people in a particular place, for the purpose of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and the only question is: ‘How do we need to share it, so that it might be heard by those around us?'" she said.

"I think we're being tested about perseverance, endurance, creativity in the coming years," she said, noting "we do not face our challenges alone."

Geoff Woodcroft, Bishop of Rupert's Land called the report "dire."

According to the report, there has been an almost 3.5 per cent decline annual decline in attendance since 2001 and a 2.5 per cent decline in giving in the diocese.

Woodcroft called the statistics both "challenging" and "hopeful".

"We're always asking what we can do together better", he said.

While that's a cause for concern, it's not a "death knell for the church," Woodcroft said, as it can't account for "the vitality of the ministry being done by Anglicans" across Canada, he said.

The Church will "not cease to exist if buildings close. The church is the body of Christ, not a building," he said.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

"I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace. I am asking you with my heart, let us go forward. There will be many problems but they will not overcome us. Resolve your problems," Francis said.

A video released by the Vatican shows an aide helping Francis, who is 82, to kneel so he could kiss the feet of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. He then moved on to Vice Presidents-designate Riek Machar and Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior.

Kiir and Machar were once rivals, with Kiir accusing Machar - his former deputy - of staging a 2013 coup.

Several years of civil war followed. However, last year they signed a peace agreement and they are now trying to form a stable government together.

The South Sudanese politicians were staying at the Pope's Vatican residence for a two-day spiritual retreat, co-hosted by Francis and the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The retreat was Welby's idea.

The aim was to bring the South Sudanese leaders together for 24 hours of prayer and preaching in an attempt to heal bitter divisions before the country is due to set up a unity government.

"There will be struggles, disagreements among you but keep them within you, inside the office, so to speak," Francis said in Italian as an aide translated into English. "But in front of the people, hold hands united. So, as simple citizens, you will become fathers of the nation."

Sudan, which is predominantly Muslim, and the mainly Christian south fought for decades before South Sudan became independent in 2011.

Civil war broke out in South Sudan two years later after Mr Kiir, a Dinka, fired Mr Machar, from the Nuer ethnic group, from the vice presidency.

About 400,000 people died and more than a third of the country's 12 million people were uprooted, sparking Africa's worst refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The two sides signed a power-sharing deal in September calling on the main rival factions to assemble, screen and train their respective forces to create a national army before the formation of a unity government next month.

Source

• CNN
• Irish Times
• Image: KUTV

Welby led the service in London to commemorate the 25 years since the first woman was ordained to the presbyterate in the Church of England.

Over 80 women priests were at the celebrations. Some were among those who were in the first group of 32 who were ordained on March 12, 1994.

Among the five female bishops in attendance was Libby Lane, who in 2015 was the first woman to be consecrated in the Church of England.

Other women at the service included Dr Isabelle Hamley, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury's chaplain and Prebendary Angela Berners-Wilson, who was the first woman to be ordained in the Church of England. (A prebendery is an honorary canon.)

Isabelle Hamley preached the sermon at the service.

In her sermon, she reflected on the gift of Jesus that Mary and Joseph were given, and the risks and responsibilities of nurturing it.

"Let us cherish this gift where it is public and obvious, and where it is hidden, private and yet equally powerful. Together, may we witness to the gift that lives in us, and the God who has called us to follow him," she said.

Speaking at the service, Welby said: 'Many of those here today have been pioneers as they work out what it means to be an ordained woman in the Church of England - not just for themselves and their communities, but for the whole of the Body of Christ.

"Today let us bear witness to those who paved the way in 1994, as well as upholding those whose way into ministry has been opened up since," he added.

Berners-Wilson said it was "amazing to be — by a few seconds — the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Church of England.

"For 25 years it has been the greatest privilege to finally be able to live out my calling, after a 15-year probationary period first as a deaconess then as a deacon," she said.

Former bishop Barry Rogerson, who welcomed the women to the ranks of clergy 25 years ago, sent a relayed message that was broadcast at the chapel during the special service.

Congratulating them on their success, he urged attendees to spare a thought for "all those women worldwide whose vocations to the priesthood have still been neither recognised nor tested."

Source

• La Croix
• Christian Today
• Image: The Telegraph

He made the statement while giving evidence on the second-last day of a clergy sex abuse inquiry.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is looking into the Diocese of Chichester, where dozens of clergy have been accused of abuse.

Welby said he could not read the transcripts from the hearing without being moved and ashamed.

"The apologies are fine, but you have got to find ways of making it different and we have got to do it as soon as possible."

In his opinion, the Church's discipline process for accused priests was "not fit for purpose" and needed reform.

"The damage it does to victims and survivors, the damage it does to people against whom a complaint is made, is extraordinary," he said.

When he was asked about the lack of responsibility taken by individuals for failings in the church, he said "tribalism in the Church of England" had allowed paedophile clerics to thrive.

Welby told the inquiry he has "seen afresh the insanity of clericalism and of a deferential culture" within the church.

Reforms he is instigating include performance reviews for bishops and archbishops. He is in the midst of a review of his own performance at present.

In his view, psychosocial or psychometric assessments should be used when selecting people for ordination.

"If it can be demonstrated that [such tests] will be helpful in identifying pathologies that are likely to lead to behaviours, then it is worth doing.

"You want to [use these tests to] pick up people who are not going to use power well or who are going to abuse it," he said.

He said bishops and other members of the clergy were now given training, which made it "quite clear" that if a safeguarding issue was not reported it was a disciplinary matter.

He said clergy who abuse children can never be trusted again, even if they confess or repent.

Welby also said the culture of parish churches needed to change, so safeguarding failures were as unacceptable as drink-driving.

In this way "if anything is seen as untoward … everyone who knows, who is around, says 'this isn't right and I'm going to do something about it'."
Source

• The Tablet
• The Telegraph
• BBC
• Image: ITV.com

She says they are just serving the needs of their own congregations rather than reaching out to the community and taking risks.

"Jesus didn't hang out with those who had it all together," she says.

Te Paa Daniel, who is an Anglican theologian, was being interviewed on TVNZ's Seven Sharp last Friday.

Power always protects itself and the church is reluctant to open itself up to interrogation she said.

When asked whom she was talking about, Te Paa Daniel pointed to "those people who relish being leaders". In her church, The Anglican Church, it was the bishops and archbishops and senior priests.

"But every church has its own hierarchy," she said.

On the same programme, Reverend Charles Waldegrave said there is a widespread "club' culture in the churches that make it more difficult for other people to come in.

The conservative forces are into just protecting the group, he said.

"Unfortunately, when you look at church budgets, they are much more committed to the internal preservation than they are to the mission."

As a wrap-up, Seven Sharp host Hillary Barry said, "I just want to point out there are some church groups doing some great stuff in the community."

She said the Salvation Army, the Anglican. Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and Baptist churches all have significant social outreaches.

Te Paa Daniel was the first indigenous Anglican laywoman appointed to lead an Anglican theological college in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

She served for three years as a lecturer and was then appointed Ahorangi or Dean of Te Rau Kahikatea at St. John's Theological College in Auckland for 22 years from 1992 until 2013.

Source

• tvnz.co.nz
• anglicantaonga.org.nz
• Image: c28blog.blogspot.co.nz

A Government report says most children were aged around 11 when they were abused.

Their publication about the Anglican Church comes a month after the Royal Commission into child abuse was told the Australian Catholic church had paid A$276 million in compensation to thousands of victims since 1980. Read more

Canon Brian O'Sullivan of Arundel and Brighton diocese died on August 21.

The Anglican Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, has approved the unusual funeral move in recognition of Canon O'Sullivan's "commitment to life in Christian unity".

A vigil Mass will be celebrated in the Catholic Christ the King Church in Steyning on September 7, with the funeral Mass at the Anglican parish of St Andrew and St Cuthman the next day.

Continue reading

It didn't take me long to discover how the two world views collide at the mention of just one word: Confession.

Picture me not so very long ago on the naughty step at Westminster Cathedral for my first Confession following nine months of the RCIA.

I was about tenth in an ever-lengthening queue and wondering if the Catholic Church might want to change its mind about having me at this late stage.

I recall feeling uncomfortable and a little bit vulnerable about being so visible. Do I really have to do this? I asked myself. I'm not such a bad person, am I?

That day I was still (just) an Anglican, part of a particular church's family, a regular worshipper infused with all the cultural certainties of being a certain kind of Christian as defined by the English Church.

And yet, when I look back on the extent to which I have become assimilated into a new spiritual environment since then - over and above its rituals, worshipping norms and dogma - I truly believe that the strongest affirmation that I was right to take the plunge came when I first encountered the Sacrament of Reconciliation, only to realise what I had been missing before.

Oddly enough, it is Anglican friends who have prompted me to try to articulate why this might be so. So thanks, you Anglican sceptics, for pointing me towards far greater revelations than I could have imagined were about to come my way.

Some friends said: "It seems strange to ask a priest for forgiveness when you've already apologised to God, don't you think?"

Others asked: "Doesn't receiving an arbitrary absolution when you are free to repeat your misdemeanour seem like a cop-out?"

Others still said: "Isn't it unhealthy and bad for your self-esteem to dwell on what you might have done wrong?" Continue reading

• Jane Taylor is the author of the novel Over Here. The above article is from the Catholic Herald.