30 June 2001: Unfashionable as it may sound, we are all sinners
This week's Credo column in The Times (London) is by Geoffrey Rowell.

30 June 2001: At your service, in Luton
In The Times (London), Ruth Gledhill devotes her weekly 'At your service' column to a revival meeting by J. John.

30 June 2001: Sacred mysteries
The column in The Telegraph by Christopher Howse is this week devoted to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Western Spain, and its amazing botafumeiro.

30 June 2001: Call for peace
Sometimes we think that the religious-news equivalent of the 'dog bites man' story is 'high-ranking church official calls for peace'. Nevetheless, the need for peace is real and if the those officials ever stop calling for peace, things will surely get worse. We therefore draw to your attention the report by the Irish Times that the Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, has appealed for 'restraint and decency throughout the community' in the North.

29 June 2001: Church Times on AMiA
This week's Church Times offers what in the newspaper business is called a 'leader article' about the Anglican Mission in America. Regardless of what they have to say, CT leaders are always well written, and this one is no exception.

29 June 2001: New Australian Governor-General
The Sydney Morning Herald and the BBC report that former Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Peter Hollingworth was sworn in today as the 23rd Governor-General of Australia at Parliament House in Canberra. The next day the Sydney Morning Herald published this report on just who Dr Peter Hollingworth might be.

28 June 2001: Synod condemns public parade of affluence in Nigeria
The Guardian (Lagos) reports that the Diocese of Okigwe South has condemned the parade of affluence by public office holders.

28 June 2001: Boom in non-religious funerals in England
The Telegraph reports that requests for humanist funerals have trebled following the screening of a non-religious cremation service on the television show 'Coronation Street'. Three days later came the report that 'Frivolous exhumation requests cause Church grave concern'. We should like to flog the Telegraph's headline writer for this one.

28 June 2001: Priest exiles himself from Anglican Church in Zimbabwe
The Financial Gazette (Harare, Zimbabwe) reports that the Revd Tim Neill, the outspoken priest in Harare, is leaving the church at the weekend because, he says, it has breached its own laws and compromised itself by failing to speak out against government-sponsored violence afflicting Zimbabwe.

27 June 2001: More news on the longest sermon
Last week we noted plans to preach a long sermon to raise money. Today The Guardian and the BBC offer commentary on this plan.

27 June 2001: We prefer inner peas ourselves, with mash and ale
And then Compline at bedtime. The Telegraph reports that there is now an online 'guided meditation programme' to encourage inner peace in the workplace.

26 June 2001: Sherborne Missal in digital form
The Guardian (London) and The Times report that one of the most important treasures from the late Middle Ages was unveiled today in a new digital version at the British Library. The 694-page Sherborne Missal is the only late medieval monastic service book of such stature to have survived the Reformation intact.

26 June 2001: Involve churches in AIDS war?
The African Church Information Service (no, we've never heard of it, either) reported today that the WCC has recommended to the UN that churches should be more involved in the AIDS war, noting that church organisations provide between 40 and 70 percent of health care in sub-Saharan Africa.

26 June 2001: Adrian Hastings
We have added a third obituary to our coverage of Adrian Hastings, this last one from The Telegraph.

25 June 2001: Render unto Caesar?
The Washington Post reported that the acting bishop of Washington has filed suit in US Federal court to remove the rector at Accokeek, and 5 days later reported that the rector has said he will pay no attention to the lawsuit. That newspaper does not keep its stories online for very long, so if you see this after July 4 you will probably not be able to read it. The Washington Times reported on the rector's response to the lawsuit. The Episcopal News Service has this report on the lawsuit, and the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA has written this short letter to his bishops. The American Anglican Council has issued this report on the lawsuit.

25 June 2001: Letters about liturgical language
Two letters to The Times (London) about language in the collects in Common Worship.

24 June 2001: Well, Henry VIII's men smashed statues, didn't they?
The Telegraph reports that thousands of gravestones in cemeteries all over Britain are being deliberately knocked flat by officials out of fear that one of them could fall over, injure someone, and generate a lawsuit. There are days when we long for the Queen of Hearts.

24 June 2001: Church burnt in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports briefly on the burning of an Anglican church in Kasanga, Uganda.

24 June 2001: Arguing about, and performing, AMiA consecrations
On learning that Archbishops Kolini of Rwanda and Ping Chung of South East Asia intend to consecrate four further bishops to serve in the USA, the Archbishop of Canterbury said in a letter to the two Archbishops: 'I have the greatest concern to see that all we who are called to Primacy in this historic Communion do everything in our power to strengthen our communion with one another.... What is proposed cannot strengthen, but can only undermine, that communion.' The Anglican Communion News Service has issued this press release. Read the letter; it is completely unambiguous in what it says.

Shortly thereafter, the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA released a letter to all Anglican primates and a separate letter to bishops in his own province, accompanied by an Episcopal News Service press release expressing ECUSA's and +Griswold's position. The ACNS has issued a short bulletin asserting that the bishops of the Province of South East Asia are unhappy with their Primate's actions and have sent him a letter saying this. The ENS has written a more detailed description of that letter, with quotes and then, after the consecrations, issued this news bulletin and this reflection.

Media coverage: Church Times. Guardian (London). Telegraph (London), a week late. Post and Courier (South Carolina). Washington Times. Sydney Morning Herald. Actual consecrations covered in Rocky Mountain News (Denver) and Los Angeles Times.

24 June 2001: Carey allows preparation for exclusive male Church
The Sunday Telegraph (London) reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has given the go-ahead to traditionalists to prepare a blueprint for an all-male "Church-within-a-Church" if women are made bishops.

24 June 2001: Remarriage in England
The Sunday Times (London) reports that plans by the Church of England to allow divorcees to remarry in church have been delayed by a row over the question of how to deal with adulterers.

23 June 2001: Priest wants artwork changed or removed
The New York Times reports that the director of the widely admired visual arts programme at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine ordered yesterday that a Buddhist-influenced artwork either be revised or be removed from the cathedral's baptistry.

23 June 2001: At your service
Ruth Gledhill of The Times writes about her visit to the Chapel of the Resurrection at Pusey House, Oxford.

23 June 2001: No, that wasn't the longest sermon ever preached. This is.
In the United States, the Senate has a concept called 'filibuster' in which a determined person can block legislation by speaking more or less forever. Now we read in The Guardian that a vicar in England is using that technique to try to keep his job. We're sure that congregations will flock to hear his 36-hour sermon.

23 June 2001: Vulture bites cat
Last week we at Anglicans Online spent quite some time searching the world's newspapers and news archives for a 'dog bites man' story; our point was that it was a very ordinary week with only ordinary news stories. We didn't find one, but we found hundreds of references to the concept. Today we note that The Independent reports a 'vulture bites vicar's cat' story, and we cannot resist drawing it to your attention.

23 June 2001: Letters about bishops and money
Two letters to the editor in The Times (London), one from the Bishop of St Albans, on expenses incurred by bishops.

22 June 2001: Church schools 'not Christian enough'
While England argues the question of whether to create 100 new church schools, the Church Times reports that the Bishop of Blackburn asserted last week that church schools are 'not Christian enough'. Meanwhile, The Independent and The Telegraph report that two church schools have been accused of aggravating racial tension and promoting segregation of students by discriminating against Muslim pupils.

22 June 2001: BBC still looking for head of religion
The Times (London) reports on the travails at the BBC in recruiting someone to be head of its religion department. We care about this because we think that the BBC has the world's best online religion coverage, and we don't know where we'd be without it.

22 June 2001: Ecumenical agreement with French signed
The Church Times (London) reports that French and British Churches signed 'an historic agreement' in Canterbury last Saturday.

21 June 2001: US Episcopal bishop participates in Lutheran ordinations
The Episcopal News Service reports that Bishop William Persell of the Diocese of Chicago joined his Lutheran counterpart, Bishop Kenneth Olsen, in laying hands on three candidates for ordained ministry at the June 1 annual assembly of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod.

21 June 2001: Canada General Synod to be webcast
The Diocese of Montreal has sponsored the Anglican Church of Canada in a webcast of the General Synod in July.

20 June 2001: Clergy in revolt over new book of prayers
In The Times (London), Ruth Gledhill reports that English clergy are in revolt over the new Church of England prayer book, with hundreds boycotting its prayers and resorting to “illegal” texts from New Zealand and America or the Roman Catholic Church. Common Worship, published last year as the successor to the 1980 Alternative Service Book, has inspired a nationwide rebellion because of its collection of 'collects', the opening prayers in an act of worship.

19 June 2001: Coptic Pope calls for calm
The BBC reports that as Coptic Christians in Egypt demonstrated in Cairo for a second day over what they say are repeated insults to their faith, the head of the church, Pope Shenouda, has appealed for calm. Two days later, Agence France Presse released this backgrounder on the situation in Egypt.

18 June 2001: Nigerian Primate gives deadline to former head of state
This Day (Lagos) reports that the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, has asked a former head of state, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, to retract, before the end of the year, his recent advice to Muslims to ensure that a Muslim emerged as the nation's next president. A few days later Tempo (Lagos) published this editorial about Gen Buhari's request.

18 June 2001: Next Lambeth conference may be nowhere near Lambeth
The Times (London) reports that the next Lambeth Conference could be held outside England for the first time, and is likely to take place in Africa or Asia.

17 June 2001: Abolish the Church, says former bishop
The Independent (London) reports that Dr David Jenkins, the former Bishop of Durham, asserts that the Church of England should be abolished. Not with a whimper but with a bang.

17 June 2001: Share the power, says Hurd commission
The Sunday Times reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury could be relieved of some of his day-to-day duties in the running of the Church of England so that he can concentrate on his international role. A review of the archbishop's responsibilities by Lord Hurd, the former foreign secretary, will urge that many of his domestic duties should be delegated to his second-in-command, the Archbishop of York, and other senior clergymen.

16 June 2001: Church schools in England
The English may have more or less stopped going to church, but it seems they want their children to behave differently. The Telegraph reports that in the first ballot of its kind, a majority of residents in Islington had voted for a church school. And that same newspaper reports that, perhaps from having sensed this trend, the Archbishops' Council is advising the Church to set up or take over 100 new schools in the next 8 years. The BBC has a story about the fundraising needed to open 100 new church schools, and the Church Times used this as its main story. In The Independent, columnist David Aaronovitch writes about why church schools are popular.

16 June 2001: Accokeek in uneasy equilibrium
The Associated Press reports that the situation at Christ Church in Accokeek, Maryland remains the same as it has been for several weeks. The offer of Fort Worth bishop Jack Iker to offer episcopal oversight to those unwilling to accept it from the diocesan bishop is probably going to keep the situation in a steady state for a long time. A photograph of the Revd Samuel Edwards was released by the Associated Press today.

16 June 2001: Presbyterians call for removing ban on homosexual clergy
The Associated Press and Reuters report that leaders of the Presbyterian Church USA have voted overwhelmingly to overturn a ban on ordaining homosexuals as ministers of the church. The Chicago Tribune has reported the event independently of the wire services. The vote came after more than two hours of debate, and is detailed on the Presbyterian Church USA's web site. You may find that site somewhat overloaded, as a lot of people are following this story.

16 June 2001: Uncomfortable lessons in what the churches teach
This week's Credo column in The Times is by William Oddie, editor of the Catholic Herald. He is responding to the new catechism (see below).

16 June 2001: Episcopal dissidents look to expand
The New York Times reports that the Anglican Mission in America plans to consecrate four new bishops in Englewood, Colorado on 24 June.

16 June 2001: Letters to the Editor
The Times (London) has a short letter from Prof Anthony Mellows commenting on that newspaper's coverage of the Mellows report. We find that we are so dis- tracted by the odd hy- phenation failures that we have a hard time focusing on the con- tent. Other letters discuss the date of Easter.

16 June 2001: Vatican challenged on same-sex marriages
The Telegraph (London) reports that a leading Jesuit journal has challenged the traditional Vatican teaching on homosexuality by suggesting that same-sex couples should be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church.

16 June 2001: Oldest Anglican church may have to close
The Irish Times reports that St Cronan's Church in Tuamgraney, east Clare, Ireland, the oldest church in continuous use in Ireland, Britain and France, may have to close as a heritage centre (but presumably not be deconsecrated).

15 June 2001: Statement from Archbishop-elect, Dr Peter Jensen
Canon Peter Jensen, recently elected Archbishop of Sydney, has released this statement to the press. He also wrote this article for the Sydney Morning Herald and provoked this analysis in that same newspaper.

15 June 2001: Pensions are a problem, schools an opportunity
The Times reports, in a leading article, that if dwindling congregations are the Church of England’s perennial problem, dwindling finances are set to add to the institution’s woes.

15 June 2001: The blessed get poorer
The Times (London) reports that the 'Church of England is selling its silverware and depriving bishops of their chauffeurs to help to pay its pensioned-off parsons'.

15 June 2001: Colosseum 'built with loot from sack of Jerusalem temple'
The Telegraph reports that a new archaeological find suggests that the Colosseum, the huge Roman amphitheatre used for animal shows and gladiatorial combat, was built with the spoils of the sack of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

15 June 2001: Caucus defends sending women priests to resistant dioceses
The Episcopal News Service reports that the president of the Episcopal Women's Caucus (EWC) is defending a plan to send female priests to function unofficially in dioceses whose bishops resist women's ordination.

15 June 2001: Adventures in recycled church buildings
The Times (London) has a frivolous little piece about a British politician that caught our attention because it discusses reuse of church properties.

15 June 2001: Church and state in India
As we search the world's newspapers for Anglican stories, we sometimes encounter non-Anglican stories that interest us. This report 'No saffronisation agenda' in the Indian Express discusses issues of church and state in India. The BBC's report on 'Issues in Contemporary Hinduism' says 'There is a growing and aggressive movement for India to become a Hindu state. This is often referred to in the press as the "saffronisation" of India, because saffron is the symbolic colour of Hinduism.'

14 June 2001: Anglican Church of Australia in talks with Uniting Church
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that merger talks will begin soon between two of Australia's largest religions, the Anglican and the Uniting churches.

14 June 2001: Nigerian Muslims destroy Christian churches
The Nigerian state of Kano was one of the first to adopt Sharia, Islamic law. Today The Guardian (Lagos) reports that the Kano State Environmental Protection Agency has demolished 8 Christian churches, saying that they were illegal structures.

14 June 2001: News extra: Size matters
The Times (London) reports that a collection of bones in a churchyard in Humber have confirmed scientists' belief that tall people have always lived longer lives. That same newspaper also reports that the oldest person in the world lives in Bury. It does not mention how tall she is.

13 June 2001: Church and state in Nigeria
The Guardian (Lagos) reports that Christians in Nigeria, including all Anglican bishops, have advised the Federal Government to treat with seriousness the recent call by former Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) on northerners not to vote for Christian candidates in 2003 elections.

12 June 2001: Church and state in Australia
An editorial in The Age (Melbourne) supports the idea of priests and bishops offering advice to the government, as Archbishop-elect Peter Jensen did last week.

12 June 2001: Why don't we take sex more seriously?
Columnist Libby Purves writes in The Times (London) about the national attitude towards sex. Her nation is Britain, but her thoughts are universal.

12 June 2001: Obituaries
The Times has an obituary of the Very Reverend Henry Lloyd, cathedral dean and war hero.

11 June 2001: New catechism says homosexuality is divinely ordered
The Telegraph and The Times report that a new catechism commissioned by The Most Revd David Hope, Archbishop of York, asserts that homosexuality 'may well not be a condition to be regretted but to have divinely ordered and positive qualities'. The Archbishop has given it his imprimatur and the Church Times has reported it.

10 June 2001: 300 years of the Act of Settlement
The Scotsman (Glasgow) and The Telegraph (London) reflect on the three hundredth anniversary of the Act of Settlement of June 12, 1701. It decreed that no sovereign of the realm could be a Roman Catholic, or marry a Roman Catholic. And that any sovereign must be in communion with the Church of England.

10 June 2001: Help wanted
If Anglicans Online had a 'help wanted' section, we would advertise the vacancy for 'Head of religious broadcasts at the BBC'. The Telegraph comments on the problems filling this post at the BBC.

10 June 2001: Who will rid me of this meddlesome MP?
The Telegraph reports that 'Senior churchmen are lobbying sympathetic MPs and peers to take the place of critics on a parliamentary committee that has repeatedly clashed with bishops.'

10 June 2001: Church of England to open 100 new schools
The Sunday Times reports that the Church of England will this week unveil ambitious plans to create 100 new church schools. Perhaps they will convert empty churches into schools? The headstones in the play yards would be a hazard to children, alas.

9 June 2001: Saints and peers
The Guardian reflects on the difference between saints and knights, noting that most saints, like most knights, were from the upper classes. And in The Times, Andrew Brown comments on the concept of sainthood and notes that the present Pope has made more saints than all previous popes combined.

8 June 2001: Funding English bishops
The Church Times (London) reports that a new document from the 'Archbishops’ Review Group on bishops’ needs and resources' suggests that management of the working and housing costs of bishops should be transferred to diocesan level from the Church Commissioners. It is called 'The Mellows Report'. We have not yet seen any suggestion that bishops take the bus or the underground, but their need for chauffeurs is being questioned. British newspapers seem in general to have reported this story somewhat differently; see The Guardian, The Times, and The Telegraph. The Times has published the actual numbers for 1999. The BBC offers an audio clip of a 6-minute interview with a bishop about the report. The Church Times has extracts of the report itself, including 'What bishops say bishops need' and 'A summary of the Mellows report'. Anglicans Online exists because of information technology, so we are keenly interested in that topic. Our Europe editor, Simon Sarmiento, has written an analysis of what this report has to say about IT.

8 June 2001: Nuns jailed for genocide
The BBC reports that a court in Belgium has sentenced two nuns to 12 and 15 years in prison for their part in the Rwanda genocide seven years ago.

7 June 2001: Fighting Islamic law in Nigeria
The United Nations reports that Christians in the northern state of Borno said on Sunday they would disobey Sharia law, which took effect there on 1 June, especially since they were not consulted on its implementation. We suspect that many of the resisters will have their hands amputated by the government soon; Islamic governments are not known for their responsiveness. Meanwhile, the UN also reports that the government of Somalia is complaining about a radio station propagating Christianity, clearly a crime in an Islamic country.

7 June 2001: Bankruptcy nears for Anglican Church of Canada
The Boston Globe reports that Canada's Anglican Church yesterday said it would soon go bankrupt unless the government did more to protect it against lawsuits filed by aboriginal people who allege they were abused at church-run residential schools. We can find no mention of this story update on the ACC's web news site.

7 June 2001: More news of Sydney's new archbishop
The recent selection of Canon Peter Jensen as Archbishop of Sydney continues to be newsworthy. The Anglican Church League, which names Canon Jensen as one of its Vice Presidents and his brother Phillip Jensen as an emeritus VP, published this excerpt from the media conference. Australia's Radio National published this transcript of a radio interview with John Woodhouse. The Sydney Morning Herald has extensive coverage, including 'Carnley buries hatchet with Sydney Anglicans', 'God's man is not afraid to call a spade a spade', and 'God knows you should say sorry, new archbishop tells PM'. The best collection of media coverage of Dr Jensen is, as you might expect, in Anglican Media Sydney. The Church Times (London) filed this report. The Telegraph (London) reported 'Sydney diocese faces split with Canterbury'. A few days later the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Dr Jensen said he was misunderstood about the Prime Minister and God.

7 June 2001: Anglican service in Greek cathedral
The Pope wasn't allowed to pray here, but there was today an Anglican memorial service in Athens' Orthodox cathedral for murdered British attaché Stephen Saunders.

7 June 2001: Surprises in renovation of Peterborough Cathedral
The Associated Press reports on discoveries made during the renovation of the 13th-century cathedral in Peterborough, England. If that story link expires, try this one.

7 June 2001: Celebrating the Mothers' Union
Today is the 125th anniversary of the formation of the Mothers' Union, the largest Christian women’s organisation in the world with more than one million members worldwide. The Times reports.

7 June 2001: Approval for woodland burials
The Telegraph's Victoria Combe reports that the Church of England is to open its first woodland burial site this month with thousands of trees and wild flowers replacing gravestones.

6 June 2001: Church and state in Nigeria
The Guardian (Lagos) reports that the Rt Revd Ephraim Adebola Ademowo has urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to monitor the implementation of his policies, even as he expressed concern over what he called 'strange bed fellows in government'.

6 June 2001: Colorado bishop accuses clergy
The Rocky Mountain News (Denver) reports that the Rt Revd Jerry Winterrowd, Bishop of Colorado, has fired off a letter accusing 10 clergypersons of deliberately splitting parishes and trying to destroy his 72,000-member diocese.

6 June 2001: Churches as partners in charity
The Guardian (London) offers this reflection on the role of churches in the provision of welfare.

5 June 2001: Peter Jensen wins in Sydney
Anglican Media Sydney reports that Canon Peter Jensen, principal of Moore Theological College, has been invited to be Archbishop of Sydney. If we are to believe what we read in Australian newspapers, this decision is not without controversy. Phillip Jensen wrote this reply to that article.

5 June 2001: Pilgrim or progress?
The Irish Times reports that a road modernisation effort is cutting off the major route to an important pilgrimage site, St Ciaran's well.

4 June 2001: Keeping politics out of church in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that the Rt Revd Julius Kalu, Bishop of Mombasa, preached at Martyrs Day that Christians should not bring politics into the church. A day or two later, that same newspaper reported that the Archbishop said the same thing to a different group.

3 June 2001: Choosing godparents
The Telegraph (London) advises us to choose our children's godparents wisely. Only one of three children is christened in church these days, though.

3 June 2001: Canon to the peculiar?
Two weeks ago the Church Times published a feature about royal peculiars, written by Averil Cameron. We didn't see it then, but now it's found. The author argues that the royal peculiars are not a special case.

3 June 2001: Uganda Martyrs' day
Today is Martyr's day in Uganda. The New Vision (Kampala) reports that hundreds of pilgrims are already at the shrines at Namugongo.

3 June 2001: No resolution at Accokeek
The Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh) reports on the state of events in Accokeek, Maryland where the squabble about sex continues in the US Episcopal Church. The Washington Post published this report. The Diocese of Washington has this report on its web site. We find no mention of the conflict on the parish's web site. The Washington Post published this editorial by the rector of another church in the diocese.

3 June 2001: Pentecost sermon from +Cantuar
Lambeth Palace has released the text of the sermon preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury for Pentecost 2001.

3 June 2001: Church of Nigeria Missionary Society meets in Abuja
The Church of Nigeria reports that the Church of Nigeria Missionary Society (CNMS) had its Missionary Conference on 2 June 2001, at Cathedral of the Advent, Gwarimpa, Abuja. The Rt Revd Edmund Akanya, Bishop of Kebbi, noted that 'since no single church denomination can evangelize the world, it is pertinent for the Anglican Communion, as endowed as it is, to collaborate with other mission agencies in order to fulfill the Great Commission.'

3 June 2001: Voting tomorrow in Sydney
The Diocese of Sydney will meet tomorrow to elect its next bishop. The Sydney Morning Herald published this article about the election, and this feature about the leading candidate.

2 June 2001: Voting yesterday in Syracuse
The clergy of the Diocese of Central New York yesterday elected one of their own number as bishop.

2 June 2001: Voting today in Vancouver
The Diocese of New Westminster reports that 'Despite increased support for a motion by the Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster that called for blessing same-sex unions, Bishop Michael Ingham for the second time refused to give his consent to such blessings.' The Church Times reported the event.

2 June 2001: Stephen Cook on Lincoln Cathedral
The Guardian (London) published this report by Stephen Cook about Lincoln Cathedral.

2 June 2001: More to life than festivals
The Guardian reports on summer Christian festivals in Britain.

2 June 2001: Sacred mysteries
The weekly column in The Telegraph, by Christopher Howse, is about Pentecost and the Holy Ghost.

2 June 2001: At Pentecost we celebrate the life-giving power of God
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of Basingstoke and Bishop-designate of Gibraltar in Europe.

2 June 2001: Archbishop and Pope meet in private
The Telegraph reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury had a private audience with the Pope in Rome yesterday.

2 June 2001: Atheists given say in women bishops row
The Telegraph (London) reports that the Church of England will consult atheists and people of other faiths to help it decide whether it should have women bishops. There is no mention yet of Ouija boards.

2 June 2001: At your service
The Times' Ruth Gledhill writes of her visit to a revival meeting held in London by Dr Creflo Dollar. She left early.

2 June 2001: New rector at St James King St
It is rarely newsworthy when a parish appoints a new rector. The Diocese of Sydney is a very low-church place, but it has a few high-church parishes. Of these the largest and oldest is St James King Street, which has just appointed a new rector. News of this appointment actually made it to the Anglican Communion News Service.

1 June 2001: Saint Uinniau
The Times (London) reports that Glasgow University has uncovered evidence that the name 'St Ninian' derives from an 8th-century spelling error, and that his real name was Uinniau. To a certain extent, this is good, because we know how to pronounce 'Ninian'.

1 June 2001: Murder in the vicarage
The British press is awash in coverage of the murder of the Revd David Paget. It was reported by The Times and The Telegraph and The Independent and The Guardian and the BBC. The Telegraph also ran a eulogy. We're not sure that a murder is Anglican news just because the victim is a priest, but the saturation coverage in London made us want to mention this story.

31 May 2001: Obituary
The Times (London) carried this obituary of Prof Adrian Hastings, priest, theologian, and historian. Two weeks later, the Independent carried this one. A month later the Telegraph carried this one.

31 May 2001: Stolen hotel towels at Liverpool Cathedral
The Telegraph reports that C of E evangelist J John has convinced Liverpool residents to return stolen goods to a bin at the cathedral.

31 May 2001: South Africa concludes healing process
The BBC reports that the final committee of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been dissolved. That committee was chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

31 May 2001: Nigerian bishop warns of economic sabotage
The Vanguard (Lagos) reports that the Rt Revd Benjamin Kwashi, Bishop of Jos, has warned fellow Nigerians that people are manipulating the Nigerian economy to their 'personal selfish interests'.

30 May 2001: Letter from the Bishop of Malaita
The Rt Revd Dr Terry Brown, Bishop of Malaita (in the Solomon Islands) has written a letter to inform the Anglican world of the state of things there.

30 May 2001: More Sharia, more protests
Another state in Nigeria has fallen to Islamic law (Sharia), and The Guardian (Lagos) reports that the Christian Association has announced plans to file suit to stop or reverse it.

30 May 2001: Archbishop Gitari loses bid to split diocese
Various east-African newspapers report that Archbishop David Gitari of the Anglican Church of Kenya lost a spirited fight to have the Nairobi Diocese split into two. Summary coverage was in the East African Standard and The Nation. Yesterday the East African Standard reported that the Nairobi Synod voted on the split and published this summary of the situation. Previously The Nation reported pressure from a national politician not to split. The Daily Nation summarised the next day, saying that 'whichever way one looks at it, Archbishop David Gitari came out the loser'.

30 May 2001: Letter from the Holy Land
The Anglican Communion News Service has published a letter from the Dean of St Georges College, Jerusalem, about the Israeli/Palestinian situation.

30 May 2001: Dispute in Mobile, Alabama, is settled
The Episcopal News Service (USA) reports that the battle over a historic church in downtown Mobile, Alabama, ended in the early hours of May 29 when lawyers in the dispute told a circuit judge that they had reached a settlement.

30 May 2001: You sing 'ding', and I'll sing 'dong'
The Telegraph (London) reports that at the church of St Catwg in Wales, the shortage of bellringers has caused the congregation to sing bells instead. At a recent wedding, the groom's father said: 'I thought it was a great idea. There was a lot of competition between the dingers and the dongers and the rendition became quite lively. Some people were dinging when they should have been donging, but apart from that it was a wonderful day.'

30 May 2001: Church and State in Britain
The Telegraph reports that Westminster Abbey will build a monument to the recipients of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross.

30 May 2001: Church and State in Indiana
Reuters and the Associated Press and the Kansas City Star and The Telegraph (London) report that the US Supreme Court, by refusing to hear an appeal, has forced the city of Elkhart, Indiana, USA to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments.

30 May 2001: Ashes to Cleveland, dust to dust
The Independent reports on the postal disposition of the remains of a woman who died without having been able to travel much.

29 May 2001: Revisiting the Salem witch trials
The Associated Press and The Times report that descendants of women convicted of witchcraft, and executed, in Salem in the 17th century are lobbying to have the convictions reversed. Meanwhile, The Guardian (Dar es Salaam) reports that a woman in Tanzania was threatened with mob violence for having used witchcraft to commit a murder.

29 May 2001: Judge and jury in the Court of Peals
The Times (London) reports that a group of bellringers in Birmingham, England are going to ring a peal despite having been told by the Central Council of Church Bellringers that their peal is illegal.

29 May 2001: British clergy can now stand for Parliament
Read about it in The Times.

29 May 2001: Whatever it takes to get people into church
The Telegraph reports that a christening service in Portsmouth, England included a video link to the godfather, who was on a sailboat thousands of miles away.

28 May 2001: Squabbling about British schools
As reported in the Church Times and The Telegraph and The Times, there are plans to rationalise the Easter holiday into a spring break in British schools. The C of E's Chief Education Officer wrote this letter to the editor of The Times and the Guardian's Education correspondent reports strong backing for the change. Meanwhile The Guardian reports on the dispute about expanding the number of religious schools in Britain.

28 May 2001: A dirge for the pipe organ?
The Kansas City Star reports that church-growth scholars have predicted that congregations that continue to use organs are doing so at their own risk. To reach today's spiritual seekers, they insist, it's necessary to have praise bands or electric keyboards that play music young people relate to.

28 May 2001: Confrontation at Accokeek
There were major developments in the saga of St John's Parish Accokeek in Maryland yesterday. The Washington Post reported them like this. The Washington Times story is here. The Episcopal News Service issued this release.

27 May 2001: Easter holidays for English schoolchildren under threat
Well, sort of. The Observer has a story and a leader about plans to adopt a fixed date for the Spring school holidays in England. Who knows, this could lead to more pressure on fixing the date of Easter itself.

27 May 2001: Claudia Schiffer to star in Bible epic?
A new version of the Old Testament, featuring leading fashion models has been mooted, says The Telegraph.

27 May 2001: Winchester Cathedral corrects 37-year-old mistake
They built the wrong statue to commemorate a hero. So now they are going to fix the error.

26 May 2001: Churches must help tourists to see as well as to look
This week the Credo column in The Times is written by Janet Martin Soskice, who lectures in Divinity at Cambridge University.

26 May 2001: Profile of Dr Arthur Peacocke
Christopher Howse's regular Saturday column in The Telegraph discusses this priest-scientist.

25 May 2001: Archbishop Gitari rows with Kenyan former cabinet minister
Several reports from Nairobi this week deal with this story. This one in the Nation, Nairobi gives some background. It appears that the issue is about whether or not more bishops are a good thing. Further stories came from the East African Standard on Friday and Saturday.

26 May 2001: Obituaries
The Times carried this obituary of The Right Reverend John Howe, who was Executive Officer of the Anglican Communion, then Secretary-General of the ACC. The Telegraph had notices about The Venerable Jesse Proctor, Archdeacon of Warwick, 92, who in the post-war years led open air services in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral and Canon David Stewart-Smith, 87, who was an archdeacon twice, as well as being Dean of St George's Jerusalem.

25 May 2001: Karaoke hymn-singing in England
British newspapers are desperate for stories to relieve the tedium of the British general election campaign as this story from The Telegraph shows.

25 May 2001: Archbishops issue election address
The English archbishops issued a joint statement this week, in relation to the forthcoming United Kingdom general election on 7 June. This was duly reported by the BBC, and in The Times, The Telegraph, and The Guardian. Stephen Bates added some comment for Guardian readers. The Church Times printed the full text and also reported on what the Scots, Welsh and Irish primates had said about the same topic. Mary Riddell also commented in The Observer.

25 May 2001: Zimbabwe mission murder averted
The Church Times reports that the police intervened to prevent an ambush at Penhalonga, in the Diocese of Manicaland.

25 May 2001: Lay rectors and chancel repairs in English churches
If you didn't understand our reports on this topic last week, and wanted to, this explanation by the Church Times' legal correspondent may be useful.

25 May 2001: Archbishop Carnley says church 'might bless gays'
Primate of Australia, Dr Peter Carnley, has become the focus of controversy after the publication of an article cautiously suggesting the Church might be able to bless gay friendships. The Church Times reports on this. This story was first reported by Dr Carnley's hometown newspaper on 16 May, and in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age on the same day.

24 May 2001: Bishop, MD priest ordained for face-off
This was the headline The Washington Post used to report on the latest developments at Christ Church, Accokeek, Maryland in the Diocese of Washington. All the recent correspondence between Bishop Jane Dixon and the parish can be found at this diocesan site in .pdf format or some of it is here in html. The parish website contains a parish profile and shows what sort of rector they were looking for when they chose Fr Edwards.

24 May 2001: Christian comment on press freedom in Zimbabwe
Tim Neill is a fomer vicar-general of the Anglican Church and a human rights campaigner. He wrote this in the Harare Financial Gazette.

21 May 2001: Religion on the Internet is a growth business
Yet another study, this one by Barna Research, showing how use of the Internet for religious purposes is growing fast. We shall not be buying a copy though. If you like this kind of stuff, you might also like this BBC story.

21 May 2001: Archbishop Carnley criticises Sydney Anglicans
Peter Carnley, Archbishop of Perth and Primate, has criticised the evangelistic efforts of the Diocese of Sydney in its ministry towards the city's Jewish community. Read this report from Anglican Media Sydney.

21 May 2001: Government official criticises Anglican church of Uganda
The Bugandan government minister said this, in relation to retired Bishop Christopher Sennyonjo.

20 May 2001: A nation in religious decline?
We heard from several people that the list of candidates for Archbishop of Sydney had been finalised, and we went to check Australian newspapers for a report. We found nothing: by and large, Australia is not a very religious country and Sydney is not a very religious city. Australia is a young enough country that probably it never was very religious, but England once was. We regularly see stories lamenting the drop in church attendance in Western Europe; today's Telegraph has a major article, with numbers, documenting the regional distribution of religious decline in England.

20 May 2001: Sydney archbishop candidates identified
The position of Archbishop of Sydney has been vacant since the retirement of Harry Goodhew some months ago. The collection of nominees for this post is now fixed. One candidate, the Revd Dr Glenn Davies, withdrew and asked that his supporters support Peter Jensen. The Revd Philip Jensen, Peter's brother, also withdrew and also asked that people support Peter Jensen. This is a much more intensely political selection process than one customarily finds in other parts of the Anglican Communion; if you should wish to immerse yourself in it, see the Election Synod 2001 web site. The Archbishopric of Sydney is an important post because Sydney is so large and so conservative.

19 May 2001: At your service
The Times' Ruth Gledhill devotes her weekly column to the Christian Resources Exhibition.

19 May 2001: Sacred mysteries
The weekly column in The Telegraph, by Christopher Howse, is about inclusive language in the Roman Catholic liturgy.

19 May 2001: Canadian bishop says residential school benefits outweighed costs
The National Post (Toronto) reports that the Rd Revd Christopher Williams, Bishop of the Arctic, says residential schools provided crucial education to Canada's native people, and without them the government would be guilty of the same sins as the architects of apartheid in South Africa.

19 May 2001: News from the Church of Ireland Synod
The Irish Times, reporting on the Church of Ireland Synod this week, reports that the Rt Revd John Neill, Bishop of Cashel, slammed the Roman Catholic Church saying nobody can claim to be ecumenical 'while telling other churches that they are not churches in the proper sense and that their clergy are not proper clergy and that they do not have the real Eucharist'. Also: a tribute to the Education Minister and calls for action on Drumcree. The official web site of the C of I Synod has very detailed information about what happened there. We find this in pleasant contrast to the official reportage of the Church of England Synod in November 2000. The General Synod Reports are for the moment listed on the C of I's 'latest additions' page.

18 May 2001: Archbishop calls for peace in the Middle East
The Panafrican News Agency (Dakar) reports that the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, Archbishop of Cape Town, has appealed to religious leaders to assist in resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

18 May 2001: English churches and money, again
The Independent reports that thousands of England's most historic parish churches face soaring maintenance costs after two landowners won a landmark court ruling to escape an ancient responsibility for repair bills. The Telegraph and The Independent report the story from the point of view of the winners of that court ruling.

18 May 2001: Being a Christian seems not to affect proclivity for violence
The Telegraph reports that a study of churches around the world has shown that members of the clergy and regular churchgoers are almost as likely to inflict violence on their spouses as the rest of the populace.

18 May 2001: C of E Commissioners' costs double
The Church Times reports that the Church Commissioners of the Church of England this year incurred administrative costs that are 227 per cent greater than last year. The Church of England news service had this to say about the Church Commissioners' annual report. The Church Commissioners are the people who manage the C of E's investment portfolio; they are are accountable to the General Synod and to Parliament.

18 May 2001: Progress in Canada on residential schools
The Anglican Church of Canada reports that 'a senior five-person delegation representing the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada meeting Thursday, May 17 with the Hon. Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, received assurances that the federal government is now in a position to "move from dialogue to formal discussions, leading to an agreement" in the ongoing matter' involving residential schools' litigation.

17 May 2001: Church of Ireland snubs PM's escort
The Telegraph reports on tumult in Ireland over the way Celia Larkin (whom it states to be the Prime Minister's unmarried partner) was treated by an Anglican dean at a reception for Cardinal Connell. The episode was reported Monday in The Irish Times. That newspaper also reported that Ireland's Minister of State for Foreign affairs was angry at the episode, and said in an editorial that 'Church and State both failed in Larkin case'.

17 May 2001: News review of the Papal tour
The Times (London) has published a review by Brian MacArthur of the global news coverage of the Pope's recent tour. Since The Times is edited for paper distribution, the article excerpts that coverage rather than linking to it, but other than the lack of depth mandated because of the excerpting, this is a good summary.

17 May 2001: English bishop says God's kingdom 'grinding to a halt'
The Episcopal News Service reports that a senior Church of England bishop has warned that the Kingdom of God 'is grinding to a halt under the multiplicity of consultations and meetings' in the church.

16 May 2001: World Online: John Betjeman
The Times reports that the annual John Betjeman event is scheduled to be held in Cornwall, to commemorate the life and works of the former Poet Laureate. Note the heavy use of hyperlinks in this column, unusual for The Times. It appears that this 'World Online' column is ending, and couldn't miss the opportunity to report on the end of the world online.

16 May 2001: Revisiting the Cockney Bible
In February we reported on plans to produce a Cockney Bible. Today The Times updates us on how that project is coming along.

16 May 2001: English clergy underpaid
The Times and The Independent and The Guardian report that more than half of Church of England clergy feel that they are underpaid. The Church Times has a long and detailed article on the topic. The Church of England has coverage of this issue on its web news site.

16 May 2001: Another hypothesis about causes of divorce
We have frequently in this space reported new theories about the causes of divorce. Today there is a flurry of activity in the British press suggesting that perhaps the primary cause of divorce is inadequate documentation. The Times and The Guardian report on a new booklet 'Married Life: a rough guide for couples today', produced by the Church of England. We are not aware of an online copy, but The Guardian has located other documentation.

16 May 2001: Lottery dilemma in Southern Africa
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Anglican Bishops of Southern Africa have, despite a moral dilemma and deep concern at the level of private profiteering within the gaming industry, agreed to assist the Minister of Trade and Industry with the distribution of charity funds generated by the State lottery.

16 May 2001: New bishop for Europe
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the appropriate authorities have appointed the Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell to be the next Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. The web site of the Diocese in Europe has an extensive press release, with three large photographs. He is currently the Suffragan Bishop of Basingstoke (part of the Diocese of Winchester) and a regular contributor to the Credo column in The Times.

16 May 2001: ACNS retraction of earlier story
The editor of the Anglican Communion News Service has expressed his regrets to conservative writer David Virtue over a story that appeared briefly on the ACNS web site last year. Telling you what that story might have been will simply prolong the issue, so we won't.

15 May 2001: Sydney's next archbishop?
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that 'with less than three weeks until Sydney Anglicans meet to choose their next archbishop, one nominee has pulled out of the election race and another is yet to make his decision public.'

15 May 2001: Hell's bells?
The Times reports on the resignation of a former chaplain to the Queen who is at the centre of a police investigation into the funding of a church bell tower. The Independent has a longer article with more detail.

15 May 2001: Godiva clue from stained glass shards
The Guardian (London) reports that archaeologists believe the face of a beautiful woman with long wavy hair, reconstructed from fragments of painted glass found in the rubble of Coventry's first cathedral, could be the earliest image of the town's heroine, Lady Godiva.

14 May 2001: Outrage at bishop's praise for Mugabe
The Telegraph and the Church Times (London) report that the Rt Revd Norbert Kunonga, Bishop of Harare, caused outrage yesterday when he delivered a speech strongly supportive of President Robert Mugabe's regime.

13 May 2001: Episcopal Power and Light, redivivus
At the ECUSA General Convention in 2000, resolution A048 urged the use of environmentally safe and sustainable energy sources. Today Time Magazine has a report on how they're doing.

13 May 2001: Bishop's 'snub' could lead to an unholy row
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sydney's Anglican leadership has snubbed the new Catholic Archbishop, Dr George Pell, refusing to send an official representative to his installation last week. Several days earlier the same newspaper, referring to Anglican/Roman-Catholic relations, reported that 'Sydney may be set for a showdown as two new church leaders ride into town'.

13 May 2001: English rural churches get bitter new prayers
The Telegraph reports that the British government has been accused of betraying the trust of the countryside during the foot and mouth epidemic in a set of new prayers for Church of England clergy. The outspoken prayers say that people have had 'their trust in the institutions they look to for guidance and support betrayed'.

12 May 2001: Eames insists church can't resolve Drumcree crisis
The Irish Times reports that Church of Ireland primate, Dr Eames, has defended his church's handling of the annual Drumcree crisis. He has also pleaded with both sides not to allow their focus on seeking a resolution to be distracted by the coming elections. The Irish Times last week ran this article, which explains some of the background of this issue.

12 May 2001: At your service
The Times' Ruth Gledhill devoted her weekly 'At your service' column to a service of ordination of two Roman Catholic bishops at Westminster Cathedral.

12 May 2001: Is the Roman Catholic Church the Conservative Party at prayer?
This week's Credo column in The Times is by William Oddie, editor of the Catholic Herald.

12 May 2001: Sacred mysteries
This week's column by Christopher Howse in The Telegraph discusses the faith of President Assad of Syria.

12 May 2001: Christian Science Monitor on 'Priest as governor-general'
The Christian Science Monitor has published an essay by Andrew West on the naming of the Most Revd Peter Hollingworth to be Australia's next governor-general.

11 May 2001: Vatican drops 'political correctness'
The Telegraph reports that the Vatican has ruled that all 'inclusive language' be removed from the English-speaking liturgy. The Boston Globe carried the story in considerably more detail.

11 May 2001: Because that's where they keep the money
The Telegraph's Victoria Combe and The Times' Ruth Gledhill report that Church of England bishops' expenses increased by nearly 10 per cent last year to £9.3 million. Their information comes from the Church Commissioners' Annual Report. It is clear from the oddly interesting photograph in the Gledhill article that none of this money was spent on tonsures. Two days later the reliably crusty A N Wilson asked in The Telegraph 'Who will rid us of these bishops?', prompting this letter to the editor a week later.

11 May 2001: Radical changes to C of E bishop-selection process
The General Synod of the Church of England recently set up a group to study the process by which that church chooses its diocesan bishops. That group, led by Baroness Perry of Southwark, has filed its report, entitled Working with the Spirit: Choosing diocesan bishops. The Church Times ran a front-page news story and several side pieces, including 'Vocations: if you hear the call, say so', 'The pool where we fish', and 'Making bishops anew: the Perry recommendations'. The Church of England issued this press release about it. The Telegraph's Victoria Combe reported that 'Worshippers may be able to nominate their bishop'; the Times' Ruth Gledhill reported that 'People's bishops may end Anglican secrecy'.

10 May 2001: Christ Church in Accokeek, Maryland, USA
The Associated Press reports on the standoff in the Diocese of Washington between Christ Church and the acting diocesan bishop. This highly politicised and publicised feud is a liberal/conservative battleground.

10 May 2001: Uganda diocese proposes to defrock retired bishop
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that members of the Namirembe Diocesan Council yesterday proposed that gay rights advocate retired Bishop of West Buganda, Dr. Christopher Ssenyonjo, be defrocked.

10 May 2001: Salvation Army to give itself a makeover
The Times reports that with recruitment tumbling, the Salvation Army has decided to get rid of its military image. The reporter who wrote the article is named Jenny Booth, but there is no mention of any relation to Salvation Army's founders.

10 May 2001: The Prayer of Jabez
The Times (London) explains, to a British audience, the North American phenomenon of The Prayer of Jabez. Andrew Brown reviews the phenomenon and the book in 'Please Lord, make me rich'. The New York Times last weekend published this story about the Jabez phenomenon, which includes a photograph of a 'Prayer of Jabez' motorist's coffee mug.

9 May 2001: Apologising for the sins of the past
Noting recent apologies by present-day people for past sins, columnist David Aaronovitch wonders in The Independent whether this is the right thing to be doing.

9 May 2001: Memorial service for Dr Christopher Dearnley, organist and music director
The Times reports that a memorial service for Dr Christopher Dearnley, Organist and Director of Music, St Paul’s Cathedral, 1968-90, was held yesterday in St Paul’s Cathedral.

8 May 2001: Church of Ireland offers forum on modernisation
The Irish Times reports that a special modernisation forum is being planned for the Church of Ireland combined dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. It will take place at All Hallows College in Dublin on November 24th and will be attended by up to 200 representatives, including all clergy.

8 May 2001: Wrapping up the Pope's visit
The Pope has finished his trip to Greece and the Middle East and has returned home to Rome. The press continues to write about his visit. If your own newspaper had scant coverage, you should read 'Pope's visit brings Syrian ghost town to life' in The Guardian, 'Pope offers forgiveness to Muslims during historic visit to a mosque' and 'Pope prays for peace on road to Damascus' in The Telegraph, 'Pope plea for peace on Golan's front line' and 'Muslims hail first papal visit to mosque' in The Times, and 'Historic prayers in a mosque on papal crusade to heal old hatreds' in The Independent. A columnist in The Times points out that 'Christianity in Syria since earliest times'. The Tablet, a British weekly, had a long and detailed summary of the Pope's trip.

8 May 2001: Prince meditates and paints at secluded Greek monastery
The Telegraph (London) reports that Britain's Prince of Wales made a sudden trip to Greece yesterday to spend a few days and nights in Europe's largest and most secluded monk republic.

7 May 2001: Young Christians like living in sin
The Times' Ruth Gledhill reports that a third of young evangelical Christians believe in living together with a partner before marriage.

7 May 2001: Obituaries
The Independent published an obituary of the Rt Revd John Howe, former Bishop of St Andrews and former Executive Officer of the Anglican Communion. The Times published an obituary of Margaret Stavridi, one of the last links with the Victorian and Edwardian stained glass and ecclesiastical decoration studios of Charles Eamer Kempe. The Telegraph published an obituary of the Venerable Eric Buchan, Archdeacon of Coventry from 1965 to 1977.

6 May 2001: AIDS in Africa
Religion writer Dave Munday of the Charleston Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina, USA) is one of our favourite religion writers. But his newspaper's territory includes so many different denominations that he rarely gets a chance to write something that we find appropriate for our News Centre. We read him every week, but only once or twice a year do note it here. Today he has written about the AIDS plague in Africa, which is universal. Part of what we like about Dave's writing is that he can take a large global issue and make it local and personal and relevant to South Carolina.

6 May 2001: The Pope is in Greece
The head of the Roman Catholic Church is visiting a stronghold of the Orthodox Church. This is Anglican news because it is an effort to deal with an ancient schism, and there is a similar not-as-ancient schism between the churches of the Anglican Communion and that same Pope's church. There has been extensive coverage of this visit in the international press; almost certainly it made the front page of your local newspaper. We list below various links to such news stories. To understand fully this important event, you must understand the identities of the participants. The Roman Catholic Church is centrally governed from the Vatican, which has its own web site. There are 15 autocephalous Orthodox Churches and 4 autonomous Orthodox Churches; the best English-language enumeration that we know of is this one provided by the Orthodox Church in America. The Greek Orthodox Church in America also provides a good set of English-language links to Orthodox groups. Most Orthodox faithful speak languages that do not use our Roman alphabet, so English primary sources are scarce. The Guardian (London) offered this interpretation of events and The Times offered this short summary of the situation.

On to the news itself. The BBC reports 'Greek fury over Pope visit' and 'Pope's visit opens old wounds' after noting that 'Pilgrim Pope lands in hostile Athens'. The Guardian reports 'Unwelcome mat out for pope' and 'Penitent Pope attempts to end holy war'. The Independent reports 'Bells ring out across Greece to protest at papal visit'. The Telegraph notes that 'Ancient emnities [sic] await the pilgrim Pope' and 'Pope asks Orthodox Church for forgiveness'. The Times, noting that 'Sometimes "mea culpa" is just so hard to say' and 'Orthodox priests make no secret of dislike for "arch-heretic"', reports that 'Pope says sorry for Crusader massacre' and 'Pope endures a lecture from Greek Primate', then 'Pilgrim Pope defies history to heal Greek rift' and a leader 'Sorry for the crusade'. The Washington Post (USA) reports 'In Greece, Pope salves old wounds'; from this article you can link to good photo coverage, maps, and commentary.

From Greece, the Pope took the road to Damascus; the Independent reports that there are fewer Christians than ever before to greet him there.

6 May 2001: No one is in church
The Washington Post reports on the empty churches of Western Europe.

6 May 2001: At least the museums are free
The Independent reports that Britain's museums have stopped charging entrance fees, but that cathedrals still take 'recommended donations' from visitors. If current trends of church attendance continue, perhaps in a century the cathedrals will just be museums.

6 May 2001: Empty buildings as cultural heritage
The Sunday Times published today a remembrance of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his publication of Buildings of England.

6 May 2001: When Christians think of Islam
Columnist Cristina Odone writes in The Observer that 'Prejudice is a dirty word. Unless liberals are talking about Islam.'

6 May 2001: Choosing bishops in England
The Telegraph has published the first report on proposed reforms to the process of choosing bishops in the Church of England. There will certainly be more to come on this story.

5 May 2001: Eastern Orthodox leaders seeking unity
The Washington Post reports that Eastern Orthodox bishops gathered in Washington this week, aiming to unify at least a half-dozen autonomous churches and create a more effective movement without any administrative consolidation. The meeting, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, was the second ever for all Eastern Orthodox bishops in the United States and Canada.

5 May 2001: Maytime celebrations and the sunny wisdom of Julian of Norwich
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Alan Webster, former Dean of Norwich.

5 May 2001: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse's column in The Telegraph is about census and population.

5 May 2001: At your service at King's College, London
Ruth Gledhill attended, and George Carey preached at, a service of thanksgiving for the refurbishment of the chapel at King's College, London.

5 May 2001: Australian Doctrine Panel report on homosexuality published
The Anglican Church of Australia announced that the General Synod Doctrine Panel have published a new book entitled "Faithfulness in Fellowship: Reflections on Homosexuality and the Church". The book comprises chapters by all the members of the Doctrine Panel and reflects a diversity of opinions.

5 May 2001: West Virginia elects VII Bishop
The Diocese of West Virginia today elected the Revd William Michie 'Mike' Klusmeyer of Wheaton, Ill to be, once consents are received, the 7th Bishop of West Virginia.

5 May 2001: Evensong at Wells Cathedral
The Guardian's Stephen Cook wrote about Wells Cathedral, and an evensong he attended there.

5 May 2001: Saint's bones continue to tour Ireland
The Telegraph reports that the remains of St Thérèse of Lisieux were taken into Dublin's Mountjoy Prison yesterday.

5 May 2001: In the beginning was the script
In The Guardian, Germaine Greer writes about how she set out to make a thoughtful programme about the Psalms, but discovered that TV doesn't work that way.

4 May 2001: US thriller writer brings colour to London church
The Telegraph's Victoria Combe reports that the American novelist Patricia Cornwell plans to turn a little-known London church into a quasi-shrine to her home state, Virginia.

4 May 2001: Residential schools issue in Canada reawakens
Today the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada wrote a letter to that country's Prime Minister, as did its House of Bishops. And the House of Bishops issued a statement to all Anglicans in Canada. While we normally do not consider lobbying by the church to be suitable news material for the Anglicans Online News Centre, this issue in Canada endangers the very survival of the Anglican Church of Canada. If you are not familiar with the residential schools issue in Canada, look at this summary maintained by the Anglican Church of Canada, or, if you have time to learn in more depth, we recommend that you read the article 'Sins of the Fathers' from the May 2000 edition of the Anglican Journal.

3 May 2001: Revd Leonard Payne to star with Dame Judi Dench
The Telegraph reports that the Revd Leonard Payne will appear as himself in a film scene in which Dame Iris Murdoch, played by Dame Judi Dench, attends a friend's funeral.

3 May 2001: English parishes asked to contribute more
The BBC reports that the Church of England is asking congregations to give more to the collection plate - to make up a hole in its pension fund. The Times and The Telegraph also reported the story. The Church Times coverage highlighted the claim that the extra money is needed because clergy are living longer. We seem to recall that, historically, the English monarchy had adequate means of ridding themselves of surplus priests. The current situation is definitely an improvement.

3 May 2001: Obituaries of Lord Morris
An obituary of Brian Morris ran today in The Times, The Independent, and The Guardian. He was a Welsh poet, critic and professor of literature.

2 May 2001: Exorcism in Rwandan church
The Panafrican News Agency (Dakar) reports that the Roman Catholic Church in Kibuye, in western Rwanda, was exorcised of the spirits of more than 11,000 Tutsis who were massacred inside its premises during the 1994 genocide. We cannot remember the last time we read a news story about an exorcism inside a church. The church had been closed for more than seven years because of the horrible killings that took place there. Meanwhile, half a planet away in England, the Guardian's David Batty writes about the role of exorcism in modern society.

2 May 2001: USA Presiding bishop calls communication 'the heart of the gospel'
The ENS reports that Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold told a group of Georgia Episcopalians, 'If ever there is a communications need, it is with the larger Anglican Communion.' He went on to laud electronic communication and educational resources, and to lament how little the various churches of the Anglican Communion talk to each other. Before reading Bishop Griswold's speech, we had made the decision not to bother listing this story and this one the next day from The Guardian about a religious service in Germany delivered via text messages on mobile phones, but we want to observe that not all uses of technology to communicate the gospel are good. Having said that, we now think that we should tell you that Ship of Fools is offering a £30/US$50 gift certificate from Amazon for the best version of the Lord's Prayer in text message form.

2 May 2001: Modern communication killing off old languages
The Telegraph reports that Aramaic, the native language of Jesus, is nearly extinct. 'Television and modern communications are taking their toll as the younger generation increasingly relies on Arabic and forgets Aramaic.'

2 May 2001: Rwandan bishop pleads innocent
The Associated Press reports that 'a Rwandan bishop accused of facilitating the deaths of Rwandan refugees seeking shelter from Hutu killers pleaded innocent Wednesday to genocide charges. Anglican Bishop Samuel Musabyimana, 44, was arrested last week in Nairobi, Kenya, on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He faces charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and extermination.' The Guardian published an opinion piece about the church in Rwanda, 'Decision day looms for the church in Africa'. A few days later, the Sunday Times reported that the organisation African Rights has criticised the Archbishop of Canterbury for taking no action in this matter.

2 May 2001: Overhead projectors not liturgically useful
The Times' Ruth Gledhill reports that the Church of Scotland has issued a report warning against the dangers of using overhead projectors instead of hymn books to aid hymn singing in church. Your News Centre editor has never seen an overhead projector used in church, and rather cringes at the very thought of it.

2 May 2001: Obituary of Heiko Oberman
The Telegraph has published an obituary of Heiko Oberman, who was the biographer of Martin Luther and a leading authority on the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation.

1 May 2001: Archbishops compared
A letter to the editor of The Times comparing various archbishops of Canterbury.

1 May 2001: Monks hold wine family over a barrel
The Telegraph (London) reports that monks in Chianti are threatening to evict the producers of some of the world's leading wines unless they accept a huge rent increase for monastery cellars where their vintages are stored.

30 April 2001: Polygamy found to cause divorce
The BBC reports that a study in Saudi Arabia has concluded that the practice of allowing men to marry up to four wives is the principal cause of divorce in the Kingdom.

29 April 2001: Freedom Day in South Africa
29 April is Freedom Day in South Africa. It was on that date in 1994 that democratic elections were held following the end of apartheid. Anglican bishops in South Africa have released a long message to the people of their country for Freedom Day 2001.

29 April 2001: Church in debt crisis as income dries up
The Telegraph reports that Church of England dioceses will be plunged £11 million into the red within two years, according to confidential figures which reveal that the Church's financial crisis is deeper than previously feared.

28 April 2001: We may seek fundamental truths but we also need mystery
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Geoffrey Rowell.

28 April 2001: Demoralised Christians
The Meditation column in The Telegraph is, as usual, by Edward Norman.

28 April 2001: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse's column in The Telegraph is about the ancient Jain religion.

28 April 2001: Mandela to reopen Southwark Cathedral
The Telegraph reports that Nelson Mandela will open the 'new' Southwark Cathedral today after a £10 million redevelopment. The next day the event was covered in The Independent and by the BBC.

27 April 2001: Steven Charleston speaks to Episcopal Communicators 2001
Every year in the US there is a meeting of 'Episcopal Communicators'. We at Anglicans Online are in the communications business, but for some reason we've never quite managed to attend one of these meetings. Today we read a transcript of the keynote speech given at that event by the Rt Revd Steven Charleston. It is a brilliant and compelling speech, and it makes us wish we had been at the event to hear him deliver it. Come to think of it, we don't think we were invited; perhaps one must be a member.

27 April 2001: Tutu's last interview
The Telegraph (London) today published an interview with Desmond Tutu, in which he says it will be his last.

27 April 2001: Rwandan bishop charged with mass murder
The BBC reports that the Rt Revd Samuel Musabyimana, former Bishop of Shyogwe, has been charged with mass murder by the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The Anglican Communion News Service reports this event very differently. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has issued this press release about the arrest.

27 April 2001: Church of England responds to Independent article
Last week we noted that The Independent had a less-than-optimistic view of the accomplishments of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Today the paper edition of The Independent published a letter from an official of the Church of England, which argues otherwise. The letter did not appear in the online edition of The Independent, but we have transcribed it here.

27 April 2001: PBS interviews ABC
The US Public Broadcasting Service publishes a news weekly. In its issue of 27 April it included an interview with the Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was in Washington DC to speak at the College of Preachers. The interview is by Bob Abernethy.

26 April 2001: Clergy therapy
The Times (London) reports on a conference in North Yorkshire to help clergy deal with the stress of their profession.

26 April 2001: Obituary of Henry Lloyd
The Telegraph has published an obituary of the Very Revd Henry Lloyd, first dean of Truro Cathedral.

25 April 2001: Archbishop of Canterbury at US National Cathedral
The Telegraph reports that the Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke yesterday in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. For some odd reason, no US newspaper seems to have covered the event. The Church Times also reported the event, and included a photograph of Dr Carey talking with Mr Bush. Our UK news correspondent found four copies of Dr Carey's speech online: College of Preachers, the Church Times, the Anglican Communion News Service, and the Archbishop's own web site.

24 April 2001: 'Church of England' is a brand name, not a religion
British humourist Miles Kington writes about the Church of England and its role in society.

23 April 2001: Archbishop to be new Australian governor-general
The Sydney Morning Herald reports, on its front page, that the Most Revd Peter Hollingworth, the Archbishop of Brisbane, will become Australia's new governor-general. The governor-general is the representative in Australia of the British monarch, whose press secretary had this to say about the appointment. Two days later, the Sydney Morning Herald offered this additional information about the role of an archbishop in a secular government, published this columnist's opinion that it is a bad idea, and offered this analysis. The Church Times reports that this appointment has sparked widespread controversy. Sydney Morning Herald columnist Padraic McGuinness asserts that all will be well.

A correspondent in Sydney wrote us to say this: The Governor-General is not the 'representative of the British monarch' in Australia. Under the Australian constitution, Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Australia. The Governor-General is the representative of the Head of State of Australia (who happens to be QEII, the British monarch). This may sound like a technicality but it is, in fact, an extremely controversial and delicate matter in Australia. The catch-cry of republicans has been 'resident for president'. Constitutional monarchists argue that the republican argument is redundant because QEII is Queen of Australia.

22 April 2001: Until God do us part
The Sunday Times reports that Jane Fonda and Ted Turner have filed for divorce because she has become a Christian and he doesn't like it.

22 April 2001: Cash donations from the church
The Independent reports that preacher Phil Wall is giving away cash in the hope that it will be used to raise more for Aids charities.

22 April 2001: The sins of an infallible religion
The Telegraph published a column by A N Wilson on the Roman Catholic Church and its dealings with pederasts. Some background behind this column is in last Tuesday's BBC article and Friday's Church Times article reporting that a committee set up to advise the Catholic Church on how to stop sexual abuse has called for police checks to be carried out on all clergy, staff and volunteers.

22 April 2001: Bones of St Thérèse in Ireland
The Observer reports that the procession of St Thérèse's relics is provoking public fervour and liberal alarm in Ireland.

21 April 2001: Sacred Mysteries
This week's column in The Telegraph is, as usual, by Christopher Howse. Today he talks about the collection plate and church monies.

21 April 2001: Faith communities?
This week's meditation in The Telegraph is by Edward Norman. He reflects on the phrase 'faith community' and its growing use in public language.

21 April 2001: Obsessed with music?
The Guardian (London) published an essay by Bob Holman in which he complains that the Christian church is obsessed with music. We think you could probably sing his article to the melody 'Slane'.

21 April 2001: A room with a pew?
The Telegraph reports on the real-estate market in deconsecrated churches.

21 April 2001: Remembering Sir Harry the Goon
The Times ran this report of the funeral of Sir Harry Secombe, British public figure. The Telegraph had this to say. The Independent had this to say.

21 April 2001: More letters to the editor
On communion wine, the role of the monarch in the church, and choir schools.

20 April 2001: Bishops argue about whether foot-and-mouth is a divine judgment
The Church Times reports 'The foot-and-mouth epidemic is a divine judgement, the Bishop of Liverpool said last week. No it isn’t, said the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his sermon on Easter Day.'

20 April 2001: Carey 'has learned' from the New Age
The Telegraph's Victoria Combe reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury said he had learned from the New Age movement.

20 April 2001: We think it's about television
It's a slow news week, so we're rummaging around for goodies to put in the News Centre. We found this item in The Independent, but we don't have the contemporary British cultural context to understand it. Something about a priest becoming a used-car salesman in a television show called 'Faking It'.

19 April 2001: Ten years of the Most Revd Dr George Carey
It is the tenth anniversary of the enthronement of George Carey as 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury. The Times had this to say about it, and ran this leading article that speaks quite favourably of his time in office and his accomplishments. This article in The Independent does not.

19 April 2001: Good habits
The Times ran a short piece, with photographs, on the clothing worn by Archbishops.

18 April 2001: Theologian seeks changes to inter-communion rules
The Irish Times reports that a Roman Catholic theologian has described the church's strictures on inter-communion as "rules which were imposed unilaterally".

18 April 2001: Theological Studies and Business Practice
The Irish Times reports that a new four-year BA course in Theological Studies and Business Practice will begin at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in September.

17 April 2001: A third of Americans have no opinion about the Episcopal church
The Episcopal News Service reported today the result of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in which more than a third of the respondents said they weren't able to rate Episcopalians. The Washington Post published this report about the Pew Forum survey.

17 April 2001: It takes two
The Telegraph reports that British women are so reluctant to become vicars' wives that clergy are having to turn to internet dating agencies to find love.

17 April 2001: And some of them ride motorcycles
The Telegraph reports on the motorcycle-riding habits of the Bishop of Hereford.

16 April 2001: Easter is about chocolate rabbits
The Guardian reports that 43% of a recently-surveyed group did not know what Easter was supposed to celebrate. It meanwhile describes a clock, designed by famous computer scientist Danny Hillis, that will tick once a year, chime once every thousand years, and last longer than it is understood.

16 April 2001: During the third year, he rose again
The Independent reports on retired bishop Richard Holloway's praise for Peter Tatchell, about whom our most vivid memory is acerbic columnist Andrew Brown's nomination of him for Preacher of the Year. The Scotsman (Edinburgh) also noted the event with richer commentary.

16 April 2001: The shepherd who leads a wounded flock
Recently Mr Richard Winn of Bristol, UK, a member of the Bristol-Uganda link team, drew our attention to an article that had been published in New Vision (Kampala, Uganda) in January. He passed along this introduction: 'The writer seeks to give something of the feeling of what it is like to be a Bishop in the North of Uganda that staggers under the burden of civil war added to which was the trauma of the Ebola virus. Bishop Nelson's watchword for this coming year is "Come let us rebuild".' We have no idea how much longer it will be on the newspaper's own server, so we have made a copy here.

16 April 2001: Easter in foot-and-mouth territory
The Telegraph reports on the Easter message of the vicar of Lanercost and Walton, in the heart of foot-and-mouth territory. 'As the funeral pyres of farm animals smouldered, Canon Chris Morris, 56, told his parishioners to believe that they, like Jesus, will rise and new life will begin again.' It also reported on Easter in the market town of Hatherleigh, the center of the outbreak in Devon. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the "overwhelming" pain caused by the foot-and-mouth epidemic in his Easter sermon.

15 April 2001: Yes, Jesus did rise from the dead, and I can prove it
The Sunday Times (London) has published a jubilant Easter essay by the Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans.

15 April 2001: Easter message from the Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury has delivered his annual Easter sermon. The BBC had this to say about it. Other primates delivered similar messages, including Ireland and ECUSA.

15 April 2001: Church of England conflict over remarriage
The Observer (London) reports that a group of Church of England traditionalists have confirmed plans for a breakaway over the issue of the remarriage of divorcees.

15 April: Jerusalem as Jesus saw it
Anglicans Online staff were thrilled at the depth and breadth of reportage in Time Magazine 157:15 on the city of Jerusalem and its history. The entire article is in the paper edition and online, but the online version has an interactive map that we enjoyed immensely; it contains photographs that we didn't see in the paper edition.

14 April 2001: Decline in British churchgoing hits C of E hardest
The Guardian (London) reports that the decline in churchgoing in Britain gives fresh cause for concern for the Church of England, whose membership is 'haemorrhaging fast'.

14 April 2001: Canadian Church plans for bankruptcy
The Church Times reports that the national office of the Anglican Church of Canada says the Church will run out of cash by the end of the year, as a result of damages and legal fees relating to lawsuits from residential schools. We were not able to find any mention of this issue on the Anglican Church of Canada's own web site.

14 April 2001: Bearing witness to the truth
The Guardian (London) published an essay by the Most Revd Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham.

14 April 2001: But Eleanor Rigby kept it clean
In some parishes there is a liturgical custom to strip the altar during Holy Week, usually as part of the Maundy Thursday service. Today The Independent reports that a Liverpool rector is trying to dismantle it and sell it. Well, not THE altar. The altar of Beatle worship. St Peter's Church in Woolton, in the Diocese of Liverpool, is planning to sell the stage on which John Lennon met Paul McCartney.

14 April 2001: A la carte Christians confuse resurrection with reincarnation
This week's Credo column in The Times is by David Hilborn.

13 April 2001: Atheism is no excuse for ignorance
In The Guardian, columnist Polly Toynbee writes about atheism vs ignorance.

13 April 2001: Notes on the Resurrection from UK newspapers
The Times refers to Ruth Gledhill as its 'religion correspondent'. We think of her as its religion editor and, for that matter, nearly its entire religion department. She and Victoria Combe over at The Telegraph help set a global standard for religious journalism that makes life better and our job easier. Anyhow, to get back on track here, Ruth writes in Good Friday's edition of The Times that Church of England bishops have been shown to be stronger than ever in their beliefs in the Christian faith. Meanwhile, Ms Combe writes, also in Good Friday's edition, that this year the Revd Stephen Bould has bought resurrection rockets that go 'whoosh . . . phut' rather than 'wheee . . . bang!' Despite our wicked excerpting, these are both serious articles that you should read.

13 April 2001: Church and society in England
An opinion piece by Anthony Howard published in The Times looks at the role of the Church of England in modern British society.

12 April 2001: One of three British believe in the Resurrection
The Telegraph (London) reports that one third of British people still believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ as described in the Bible.

11 April 2001: Helping 'God's babies'
The Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg) reports on a Anglican church project to save 'God's Babies' with a programme to cut the level of mother-to-child transmission. The move by the church comes at the same time as the news that the government has halted a pilot project to provide an anti-retroviral drug to HIV-positive mothers. The Guardian (London) reported the story for an audience of British readers.

11 April 2001: Advice for atheists in church schools
In The Guardian (London), Joanna Briscoe offers advice for atheist students in religious schools.

11 April 2001: The devout see the light
The Telegraph reports that Christians, Muslims and Jews have similar religious experiences in which they describe intense light and a sense of encompassing love.

11 April 2001: Reg Soward dies in Toronto
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that Dr. Reginald Soward, former chancellor of Canada's General Synod and former prolocutor, died recently at the age of 93.

10 April 2001: The widow's mite reaches Yorkshire
The Times' letters column carried today a letter about the contribution of people in Mozambique to flood relief in Yorkshire.

10 April 2001: Obituary of Arthur Smith
The Telegraph's obituary of Arthur Smith credits him with inventing the 'team ministry' concept that has kept churches alive in rural Britain.

10 April 2001: Obituary of Beryl Dean
The Times' obituary of Beryl Dean says that she was one of the most important influences on ecclesiastical embroidery in the 20th century. The publication of her first book, Ecclesiastical Embroidery (1958), led to several big commissions and spawned numerous imitators.

9 April 2001: Church of England under criticism as bad landlord
The Anglicans Online News Centre spends a lot of time sifting news to bring you the stories that we think are important, international, and Anglican. A story about an Anglican priest stealing money is a story about stealing money, not about a priest, and we usually don't run it. When we first saw this vast and complex story about the Church of England and low-cost inner-city housing we shrugged it off as an English Life story, which we leave to others. But as we read more about it, we came to the conclusion that it is an important event in the lives of churches in modern society, so we shall tell you about it. Here are summaries of the situation in The Guardian, The Independent, and the BBC. More public figures are condemning the church's actions. The Evening Standard reports that the Church will today be handed 30 pieces of silver by outraged tenants. The Church of England has released this official explanation. Anglicans Online has obtained a copy of the fascinating sermon preached about it recently by the Archdeacon of Southwark.

9 April 2001: Archbishop of Canterbury says 'no gay marriages'
The Times reports that the Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, said on a radio programme that there will be no gay marriages in the church. The Telegraph had more to say about it, and so did the Church Times.

9 April 2001: Edward Yarnold on ESU
The Tablet printed a response by Edward Yarnold to The Eucharist: sacrament of unity, which is itself the response of the Anglican church to recent Vatican pronouncements on intercommunion.

8 April 2001: If only Jesus had written it down
Geza Vermes, a Jewish scholar, writes in The Independent about Jesus. We're not entirely sure why we think this is Anglican news. We found the article because he mentions Bishop Richard Holloway and calls him 'much respected'. And another of the newspapers that we follow, the Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina) reports that its former religion editor has just published a book about Jesus. It looks interesting. We think it unlikely that it mentions Bishop Holloway.

8 April 2001: Webwatch
Perhaps three or four years after the fact, the Webwatch column in the Sunday Times noticed that the Church of England domain name was not entirely unambiguous. For comparison, they should try looking at the-episcopal-church.org, which we shan't link because we don't really want to increase its traffic. And they really ought to do their homework about web sites and URLs, because the Church of England URL listed in the Sunday Times is plain wrong. Ah, the web and dead trees are always an uneasy combination.

7 April 2001: Sacred mysteries
The weekly meditation column by Christopher Howse begins 'Two things happened to change my assumption that I would not much mind if I never heard a sermon again. (That is quite a common assumption, I suspect.)'

7 April 2001: Truly a Great Week
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Philip Ursell, Principal of Pusey House, Oxford.

7 April 2001: Unholy words for Holy Week
The Guardian has published a report by Martyn Percy about curse words in the Bible.

7 April 2001: Fasting
The Guardian has published an essay on fasting by AC Grayling.

7 April 2001: Bishop Holloway in the news again
The Anglican Journal (Canada) has published an article by Margaret Dinsdale describing new thoughts from Richard Holloway, retired Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, on authority in the church.

6 April 2001: Founder says that crusade to 'cure' gays was wrong
The Telegraph (London) reports that an evangelical Christian charity founded to 'heal' homosexuals has declared that its mission was wrong and that same-sex love is 'God-given'. The charity, Courage Trust, is expected to be expelled from the Evangelical Alliance as a result.

6 April 2001: Westminster Abbey, another Royal Peculiar
This week, the Dean of Westminster gave a public lecture, mainly in response to the Cameron report on Royal Peculiars, in the Nave of Westminster Abbey. The full text of it is published here, which is a good thing as it was very difficult to hear—the PA system was quite poor. The Church Times has its expected high quality summary. Other press coverage of this event has been strange: the Sunday Telegraph reported on 8 April 'Dean blasts his critics' while a Sunday Times column was headlined 'Abbey hitman kicks the royal family while it's down'. The Telegraph on Friday had also carried a separate story about the Abbey Choir school which has had problems recently.

6 April 2001: The not so merry wives of Windsors
Something about the English royal family. The word 'bishop' must be in this Times article somewhere or we wouldn't be telling you about it. Better than counting sheep. The Independent also noted that 'the Windsor clan is poor value for money.'

6 April 2001: A month for meta-news
Meta-news is news about news. Sometimes when there isn't much else to say, news media write about themselves or about the news business in general. Today the Church Times has an article about the Church of England Director of Communications, the Revd Dr Bill Beaver (see also the entry for 1 April below), and the Anglican Journal writes about us (AO) writing about them. We suspect that we have a different concept of what 'news' is than do these slower-paced organisations.

5 April 2001: Chaplain resigns after interaction with homosexual cleric
The Telegraph reports that a senior hospital chaplain has resigned after he was accused of harassing an openly homosexual cleric. The Times does not mention harassment, but says that the chaplain resigned because he did not want to work with a homosexual.

4 April 2001: Revenge of the government
Last week the Archbishop of York made the news with his comments about the upcoming elections in Britain. Today the Independent reports that the government will retaliate by denying him the usual 'life peer' status when he retires from the post of archbishop. That same newspaper also commented on the story in a leading article.

3 April 2001: More discussion about women as priests and bishops in England
At this rate, by next year 61% of the membership of the Church of England will have written to The Times' letters column expressing an opinion about women in the church. Several days later someone wrote about the quality of wine used at communion, which is, at the least, a new topic. Hm. And here are some letters about church unity.

2 April 2001: Spat in a Maryland parish
The Episcopal News Service reports that a controversial choice for rector of a small Maryland parish is at the centre of a dispute over ecclesiastical authority in the Diocese of Washington.

2 April 2001: Church unity? Socialism the best religion
The Guardian has published an essay by Roy Hattersley that claims Socialism is the best religion.

2 April 2001: Church of Nigeria raises image-laundering group
This Day (Lagos) reports that 'the Church of Nigeria last weekend established a new body to boost and redeem its dwindling image.'

2 April 2001: Kenyan bishop very unhappy with the police
The Nation (Nairobi) reports that the Rt Revd Peter Njenga, bishop of Mt Kenya South, said the killing by the police of the Rev Geoffrey Ngoima Mbugua exposed the recklessness that had permeated Kenyan society, 'rendering life utterly useless'. Another bishop from that same diocese told the East African Standard the same day that Kenyans should oppose moves to 'excise forests'.

2 April 2001: Former Bishop of Edinburgh in the news again
Sometimes former bishops are quiet, and sometimes they are not. The Telegraph's Victoria Combe writes about the latest attention-grabbing by the Most Revd Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh. Speaking of Edinburgh, the Scottish Episcopal Church has provided some information about Sir Ninian Comper, who last week we called 'obsure' or 'unknown' or something like that.

2 April 2001: So many stories seem to end this way
The Times reports that a former chaplain to the Queen is being investigated by police over the alleged disappearance of funds raised for a millennium belltower at his church in Basildon, Essex. Canon Lionel Webber is accused of forging documents and leaving an unpaid bill for £500,000 from the company that built the tower.

2 April 2001: The name 'Bishopsgate' is taken
A few years ago a young British black man named Stephen Lawrence was killed, and a report was written that incriminated the police. An Anglican bishop, John Sentamu, was involved in the inquest. Today the Independent reports and reports again that the offices of the inquiry team had been burgled, Watergate-style, while they were working on the report.

1 April 2001: God and PR
A substantive BBC report on 'the breakdown in relationships between the Press and the Church of England PR machine'. Reporter Mike Ford and various others (and various others refusing comment) discuss the issues for nine minutes (RealAudio format).