I am one of a rapidly growing group – a woman in the second-half of life, struggling to find a place of belonging in the institutional church. The mainstream churches are hemorrhaging committed, gifted, passionate, knowledgeable, prayerful, spiritual seekers. Women who have given twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years in the service of their spiritual or Read more
A law change allowing a first-born daughter to succeed to the throne — and permitting an heir to the throne to marry a Catholic — has been passed by the House of Commons. But an effort by a Catholic MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, to change the Succession to the Crown Bill so that a Catholic could Read more
The bishops of the Church of England have declared they are determined to enable women to be ordained bishops. Following a meeting to consider the rejection of women bishops at the recent general synod, they “acknowledged the profound and widespread sense of anger, grief and disappointment felt by so many” and expressed their commitment to Read more
How ironic that as the Church of England was voting against women bishops, I was trying to buy Divine Women; a series for television by historian Brittany Hughes who dares to consider when God was a girl. Whilst some must have been celebrating at the result, others were distraught. ‘I’m ashamed to be part of the Read more
The Vatican cannot remove the papal knighthood granted to Jimmy Savile despite allegations the British TV star was a child sex predator. Last week, the Catholic Church of England wrote to the Holy See asking it to consider to posthumously remove the honour awarded to Savile because of the many recent child sex abuse allegations Read more
The Church of England on Wednesday started the process of choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Reports said the move is aimed at preventing 80 million Anglicans worldwide from splitting over issues of gay marriage and women bishops. A report by Reuters said the new church leader must reconcile modernists and traditionalists in the Church, Read more
The bishops of London, Durham and Chelmsford are emerging as leading contenders in the race to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. An announcement on the successor to Dr Rowan Williams, who steps down at the end of the year, is expected early next month. The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), the committee charged with selecting Read more
Two Sundays ago many Christians heard a passage from the Letter to the Ephesians which opens the door to the very different world in which the Church first emerged: Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the Read more
The biggest rift between Church and state for centuries is how the Church of England has described British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s plan to allow couples to have a same sex marriage. Responding formally to the Conservative Government’s proposals, the Church of England said the move would change the “intrinsic nature of marriage as union Read more
In a public letter, the influential members of the Anglican Church claimed that “God’s grace” was at work in allowing same – sex couples to marry. The group, including members of the General Synod, the CoE’s governing body, dismissed “mistaken” impressions that church leaders were “universally opposed to an extension of civil marriage”. Instead, they Read more