Statement from the Global South Primates Steering Committee

Five Primates – Archbishops Peter Akinola, Greg Venables, Emmanuel Kolini, Mouneer Anis and John Chew – met together as the Global South Primates Steering Committee from 13th to 15th March 2008 in London. They have released a statement which can be read on the Church of Nigeria website.

(Photo of Archbishop Kolini via George Conger.)

Not Dead Yet: The Lost of Tomb of Jesus — one year later

When the symposium’s scholars returned home and picked up their copy of Time or switched on CNN, they got quite a shock. Deeply divided? That wasn’t the symposium that they had attended. … they couldn’t remember much of anyone arguing that the Talpiot Tomb belonged to Jesus of Nazareth. Why did CNN give all that air time to Jacobovici and none at all to the fifty-some experts taking part in the symposium? They were upset, to say the least. …

Read the rest of this article at the National Review. (with thanks to Stand Firm for the link. Image: Harper Collins.)

Bishop condemns embryo study plan

The Bishop of Durham has attacked [UK] government plans which could allow scientists to create embryos combining human DNA and animal cells.

In his Easter Sunday message, given at Durham Cathedral, Rt Rev Tom Wright issued a rallying call to all faiths to object to the “1984-style” proposals. …

Report from the BBC. (Photo credit: Diocese of London.)

Sydney Archbishop warns against occult

In his Easter message this weekend, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen has warned of the occult.

The Archbishop is particularly concerned about people using the supernatural to contact deceased loved ones.

Dr Jensen told ABC radio’s AM program there has been a surge of interest non-traditional religions. …

Read the report – and listen to the interview (3 minute / 1.8MB mp3 file) on ABC Radio.
(Photo: Anglican Media Sydney.)

Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Easter Message

Do you believe in ghosts, spirits and such like? I know lots of people do. Even if people come back as ghosts, they are not full people. They are more like memories of people, wisps of humanity.

I know that some of you have been really heartbroken by the loss of a person in your life and you try to contact the person. This is very dangerous – meddling in the occult is never a good idea. Anyway, as the old saying goes, death is so permanent. It is irreversible. We will be joining them, but they’ll not be joining us. Read more

‘Dissident’ Anglicans retain church use

Parishioners at three Anglican churches, who voted to break away from the national church, will celebrate Easter in their buildings after an Ontario Superior Court judge held off yesterday on deciding who gets the keys to the properties. …

Reverend Charlie Masters, who voted with his parishioners at St. George’s to break away from the Anglican Church of Canada and align themselves with the more conservative group, said he was delighted to have his church building to celebrate the holiest weekend in the Christian calendar. …

Story from Globe and Mail. (Photo: Rev. Charlie Masters, St. George’s Lowville)

Updated website for St. John’s Shaughnessy

For all who are upholding St. John’s Shaughnessy in their prayers – their website has been updated – and has a new address.

The new website can be seen at stjohnsvancouver.org.

The Christ Files screens at Noon Good Friday

A Reminder that The Christ Files, a one hour documentary hosted by Dr. John Dickson, airs across Australia on the Seven Network at noon on Good Friday (March 21). You could invite your friends to watch it with you.

For details, visit thechristfiles.com.au.

Good Friday Offering handed to Bishop of Jerusalem

Good Friday offering handed to the Bishop of Jerusalam Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presented the Good Friday Offering – a check for $158,801.42 – to Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani on March 18 at St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. …

The Presiding Bishop, who is visiting the Holy Land March 16-24 at Dawani’s invitation, said it is a great privilege to be able to present the offering in person. …

– Story from the Episcopal New Service. (Photo: Episcopal Life.)

Confusion over HOB vote to depose orthodox Bishops

Massive ecclesiastical confusion followed in the wake of a vote by the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops over whether or not two bishops were legally deposed at a HOB meeting in Camp Allen recently.

A report in The Living Church, following the deposition of Bishop John-David Schofield and William Cox, said that slightly more than one-third of all bishops eligible voted to depose bishops John-David Schofield and William J. Cox during the House of Bishops’ spring retreat, far fewer than the 51 percent required by the canons. Both resolutions were approved by voice vote. …

– Latest on the TEC House of Bishops’ ‘deposition’ vote by David Virtue.

Statement from the Synod of The Province of South East Asia

Province of South East Asia The Synod… hereby:

encourages the bishops of our Province to participate in the Lambeth Conference 2008 yet also fully understands and respects the decision of some who for their own principled reasons may choose not to attend the Lambeth Conference 2008;
supports our bishops in fully and actively expressing our on-going concern for the issues and challenges facing the Anglican Communion, and our continued participation in and commitment to the position of the Global South; and
gives support for such appropriate further action on the part of our House of Bishops as they may among themselves decide in order to give full effect to this Statement, and to report any such further action taken to the Provincial Synod and/or Provincial Standing Committee as soon as practicable for ratification. …

Read the full statement via GlobalSouthAnglican. (Graphic: Anglican Communion website.)

First woman to preach at St. George’s Cathedral Jerusalem

At the invitation of Bishop Suheil Dawani of the Diocese of Jerusalem, TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori became “the first woman ever to preach at St. George’s Cathedral” in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Visiting the city where GAFCON leaders will hold their pilgrimage in June, the Presiding Bishop was beginning “a week-long visit to the Holy Land”.

And from the Episcopal News Service –

The Rev. Canon Hosam Naoum, acting dean of St. George’s, described the Presiding Bishop’s visit as a historic moment. “With all the differences in the Anglican Communion today, I see her as a uniting figure who brings beliefs and understandings and cultures of other people around the world.”

(Photo: Episcopal News Service.)

Bishop Mouneer Anis’ Reflections on JSC

Bishop Mouneer Anis has shared his thoughts on last week’s “Joint Standing Committee” meeting in London –

“By the time I finished the meetings of the JSC, I realised that I lost many of the hopes which I had before the meeting. …

I cannot see any desire to follow things through as decided before. The Windsor Report recommendations, which was accepted by everyone since it was produced in 2004 is a very good example. … What action did we take or recommend in the JSC meeting? The answer is nothing. …

While the presence of the Presiding Bishop of TEC was so important during discussions, her presence as we decided about resolutions of assessment of the response of TEC inhibited other members from speaking freely. …”

Notes from the Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Anis, Bishop of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa – via Global South Anglican. (Photo: Episcopal News Service.)

Bishop Duncan Formally Responds to TEC Presiding Bishop

Bishop Robert Duncan responded on March 14 to allegations that he had “abandoned the communion of this church.” The allegations, made by a small group of priests and laity of the diocese and supported by the chancellor to the Presiding Bishop, were forwarded to Bishop Duncan on January 15 along with a cover letter from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. …