The Church of England is to have its first husband and wife bishops, after nominating Alison White to be the next Bishop of Hull. The bishop-elect7 is married to Bishop Frank White, who is deputy bishop in Newcastle. In a statement, Bishop-elect Alison White said “you may have noticed that I am married to a Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Church of England’
CofE to allow full funerals for people who commit suicide
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015
The Church of England has decided to change its rules to allow full funerals for people who died by suicide. The church’s General Synod voted overwhelmingly in favour of the change, by 262 votes to 5, with six abstentions. Church officials said the reform will bring ecclesiastical law into line with the 1961 Suicide Act Read more
Two per cent of Anglican clergy don’t believe in God
Tuesday, November 4th, 2014Two per cent of Anglican priests don’t believe in God, a poll of clergy in the United Kingdom has revealed. A YouGov survey covered more than 1500 clergy from the Church of England, the Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal Church. As many as 16 per cent were “unclear” about God and two per cent Read more
Catholic academic calls for no absolution for child abuse
Friday, October 31st, 2014
A Catholic academic in England says Catholic priests should refuse absolution to people who confess to abusing children. Cambridge academic John Cornwell made this call after the Church of England announced it would look at whether abuse admitted in the confessional should stay confidential. Dr Cornwell, who has written a book on Confession and is Read more
Anglican parish can’t serve tea and biscuits from altar
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014A Church of England parish has had its request to serve refreshments from the altar in its church knocked back. Worshippers at St Michael and All Angels Church in Uffington, Lincolnshire, wanted their oak altar to double up as a place to “serve refreshments”. But Mark Bishop, chancellor for Lincoln, and a judge of the Read more
One twelfth of England and Wales priests used to be Anglican
Tuesday, August 5th, 2014Up to one in twelve Catholic priests in England and Wales are former Church of England clergy, recent research shows. A study reported by The Tablet shows there are 389 Catholic priests who were once Anglican priests, with 87 being in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. It is estimated that there are 3000 Read more
CofE to use positive discrimination to appoint woman bishops
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014Church of England selection boards will be encouraged to use a form of positive discrimination to appoint woman bishops, The Telegraph reports. The Church’s most senior official told a UK parliamentary committee that in vacant sees where a male and female candidate are considered equally well qualified, those making appointments will be advised to choose Read more
Church of England boots devil reference from Baptism liturgy
Friday, July 18th, 2014
The Church of England has removed all reference to the devil from the wording of its official Baptism liturgy. New wording approved by the church’s General Synod asks whether parents and godparents will “turn away from sin” and “reject evil”. In the traditional service, the request was to “reject the devil and all rebellion against Read more
CofE ordaining women bishops deemed harmful to ecumenism
Friday, July 18th, 2014The Church of England’s decision to ordain women bishops has harmed relations with the Catholic Church, an archbishop says. Speaking on behalf of the England and Wales bishops’ conference, Archbishop Bernard Longley said the commitment to further dialogue between the two churches remains. “The decision of the Church of England to admit women to the Read more
Pope Francis meets Archbishop of Canterbury in Rome
Friday, June 20th, 2014Pope Francis has said divisions between Christian churches are a scandal caused by disagreement and human ambition. In an audience with the Church of England’s Archbishop Justin Welby in Rome on June 16, the Pope said: “The goal of full unity may seem distant indeed, yet it remains the aim which should direct our every Read more