31 March 2002: Finding a new Archbishop of Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that the Most Revd David Gitari, Archbishop of Kenya, will retire in September, and that the race to replace him is on. We cannot imagine that the race in Kenya will be any more political or acrimonious than the English archbishopric race has been. That newspaper also reports that some previous successions to that post were not without political controversy. It also reports on the benefits to the officeholder, which are not insubstantial.

31 March 2002: Kenyan bishops speak out
The Nation (Nairobi) reports that the Rt Revd Stephen Kewasis, Bishop of Kitale, has called for the regional government to resign over its inability to control violence and tribal combat in the Rift Valley. It also reports that the Rt Revd Eliud Wabukala, Bishop of Bungoma, says that the new constitution should hold the government responsible for tribal clashes.

31 March 2002: Candidate speculation for new Archbishop of Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) postulates that the Rt Revd Joseph Otieno Wasonga, Bishop of Maseno West, is a potential candidate to be the next Archbishop of Kenya.

31 March 2002: Not all Christians are certain of the resurrection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in a recent survey, nearly 14 percent of those identifying themselves as Christians said either they did not believe in the resurrection or were unsure whether it happened.

31 March 2002: Nigerian bishops speak out
The Weekly Trust (Kaduna) reports that the Rt Revd Emmanuel Kana Mani, Bishop of Maiduguri, has spoken out on what we see as a complex tribal issue in Nigerian politics. (This item is about halfway down the page). And This Day (Lagos), reports that the Rt Revd George Bako, Bishop of Lokoja, has spoken out against political behaviour in general in that country. Speaking out is something that we think bishops and especially archbishops should do, and we hope that the upcoming selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury will produce someone who speaks out.

31 March 2002: Funeral arrangements for HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Every major newspaper in the English-speaking world carries this story today, so we can be brief. The BBC reports that the Queen Mother's funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 9 April. The Church of England has released Prayers at a time of mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Cambridge University Press has released Special Forms of Service in commemoration of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

30 March 2002: Wales or not
The Times, in a succinct opinion column, summarises the process of choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury as primarily one of deciding whether or not to choose the Archbishop of Wales, or someone else. In an interview in the Sunday Times, that very bishop said that Britain has become a “dangerously bored” and cynical society.

30 March 2002: Bishop of London would ordain women
The Telegraph reports that the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, would be willing to let go of his opposition to the ordination of women if he were to become Archbishop of Canterbury. That newspaper also published an opinion column that looks to us to be an endorsement of Chartres for ABC, and reported earlier this week that dozens of African and Asian bishops are preparing to inundate the Crown Appointments Commission with demands that Dr George Carey's successor hold 'traditional beliefs' on doctrine and morality. The Independent also seems to favour the Bishop of London in this contest.

30 March 2002: At your service
The Times' Ruth Gledhill, whose byline has been missing from that newspaper for months, today reports on a visit to an ecumenical service for the Women's World Day of Prayer. Welcome back, Ruth.

30 March 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his column in The Telegraph to a reflection on authority structures in the organised church, taking examples from Jesuit groups in California.

30 March 2002: Christians and non-believers are in agreement today—Jesus is dead
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Msgr Roderick Strange, Rector of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome.

30 March 2002: The resurrection is our defining moment
The Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester, writes this week's religion column in The Guardian.

30 March 2002: Gory crucifixion makes town's shoppers cross
The Guardian reports that a gory re-enactment of the crucifixion brought the centre of Reading to a standstill.

30 March 2002: Old churches become new homes
The Independent (London) reports that unused churches can be transformed into amazing homes.

29 March 2002: Zimbabwe bishop hit with US government sanctions
The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe) reports that the Rt Revd Nolbert Kunonga, Bishop of Harare, who is widely regarded as an apologist for that country's ruling political party, becomes the first clergyman in Zimbabwe to be slapped with personal sanctions by the United States government. Zimbabwe's official government newspaper, The Herald, accused the Anglican church, led by Bishop Tutu, of demonising that country's president.

28 March 2002: More ABC candidate profiles
The Times has published the fourth of its series of ABC candidate profiles with a profile of Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans.

26 March 2002: Australia's Governor-General faces victim
The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC report that the woman at the centre of the child sex abuse controversy met Dr Peter Hollingworth yesterday and accepted an apology. A few days later the Sydney Morning Herald reported that a support group for victims of sex abuse as children has accused the Anglican Primate, Peter Carnley, of attempting to silence it through intimidation and legal threats.

26 March 2002: Chair announced for Crown Appointments Commission
The British Government announced that Britain's Prime Minister has appointed the Right Honourable Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss DBE to be Chair of the Crown Appointments Commission for its consideration of the forthcoming vacancy in the Archbishopric of Canterbury. The Telegraph and The Times and the Church Times and The Guardian reported and commented on this appointment. The Telegraph reports the comments of the Bishop of Durham on this appointment and also reports, in a separate article, the full membership of that commission, which is now complete.

25 March 2002: Manicaland needs nurses
The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe) reports that the Rt Revd Dr Sebastian Bakare, Bishop of Manicaland, says that a shortage of nurses in Zimbabwe will limit the church's ability to run its rural health centres.

25 March 2002: Sex abuse by clergy
The Los Angeles Times, noting that the wave of clergy sex scandals now engulfing the Roman Catholic Church has battered other denominations as well, reports on the handling of sexual misconduct by various denominations.

24 March 2002: Stoking the fires of Sharia
The BBC reports that the Nigerian Government's declaration that certain aspects of the Islamic Sharia law being operated in 12 northern states are unconstitutional has re-opened the acrimonious debate on the contentious subject.

24 March 2002: Church and state in England
The Telegraph and the Church Times report that the Church of England is on a collision course with the UK Government over Iraq.

24 March 2002: Walking across Australia
The Walk for Christ Church Cathedral (932 leagues from Darwin to Melbourne) starts on Easter Monday. Consider supporting this audacious effort.

24 March 2002: Man bites dog
Ananova (UK) reports that many of the local populace oppose a diocesan plan to turn a pub into a church in the Diocese of Sheffield.

24 March 2002: Getting through Foot and Mouth
The BBC reports on how the church and the pubs (without merging) helped get farmers through the Foot and Mouth crisis.

24 March 2002: Religion in America
The Post and Courier (Charleston) reports that Georgetown University's Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life put out another interesting survey on religion in America.

23 March 2002: Life imitates art: second-degree burning at the stake
The Telegraph reports that a filmed reconstruction of the burning at the stake of Thomas Cranmer, the Protestant martyr, had to be abandoned when the 70-year-old actor playing the part caught fire.

23 March 2002: At your service
The Times' weekly column reports this week on a visit by Antony Bye to Our Lady of Hal, Camden Town, London. This is an RC parish and not an Anglican parish, but we find the report interesting.

23 March 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to discussion of the book Doing Business with Benedict.

23 March 2002: Secular mysteries
The Telegraph reports that an English vicar is giving his parishioners the chance to cheer England's footballers in the World Cup by screening matches in his church.

22 March 2002: No ABC candidate profiles
The Times has not published the next of its series of ABC candidate profiles. Perhaps after announcing who should win (Williams) and who should not (Nazir-Ali) they feel that further reports are superfluous. But the Telegraph reports that Roger Herft, Bishop of Newcastle (Australia) is attracting a considerable constituency. Will he be the Ralph Nader of the ABC election?

22 March 2002: With foxes we must play the fox
The Church Times reports that all of the bishops in the House of Lords voted the same, which is very rare, on the issue of fox hunting in Britain, also rare. Had Anglicans Online been granted a vote in the Lords (call us 'Lord AO _____') we would have voted to have the foxes hunt the bishops. The Church Times, noting that foxes cannot vote and men with guns can, offered this editorial.

22 March 2002: Former priest arrested in Cameroon for genocide in Rwanda
UNIRIN reports that a former Rwandan priest was arrested by Cameroonian police on the basis of an arrest warrant submitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) last week. We do not normally consider secular crimes committed by priests to be material for the News Centre, but somehow the genocide in Rwanda, and the attempts to hold people accountable for it, transcend the usual.

21 March 2002: Peace committee in Nigeria
This Day (Lagos) reports that more prominent people, including Anglican bishops, have joined the peace committee in Anambra State.

21 March 2002: Christian Science Monitor on Polkinghorne's Templeton prize
The Christian Science Monitor has weighed in on the award of the 2002 Templeton prize to Sir John Polkinghorne.

21 March 2002: No flying bishops in ECUSA
The Episcopal News Service released a statement that the recent covenant from Camp Allen, Texas does not institute a new policy with respect to Provincial Episcopal Visitors. If you don't know what this means, you're probably lucky; we don't recommend that you try to learn about it if you don't already know.

19 March 2002: More infighting in Diocese of Harare
The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe) reports that problems that have dogged the Diocese of Harare resurfaced last week, with the Revd Godfrey Tawonezvi, Dean of the Cathedral, suspending the two church wardens.

19 March 2002: Dean lied about having a PhD from Cambridge
The Times and the Telegraph and the Church Times report that a clergyman and cathedral dean who served as personal adviser to the former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned after admitting lying about his Cambridge qualifications. You'd think he would have remembered the ancient quote from Rocky and Bullwinkle: that trick never works.

18 March 2002: Church and state in Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that Archbishop David Gitari said that the Vice-president should be given precedence over other candidates in merger elections.

18 March 2002: Big row in UK over 'young earth' creationism
The News Centre is edited in the USA, where we are so accustomed to feuds about creationism in schools that we didn't notice this one as international news when it first cropped up last week. But the issue is hot in England right now. The Church Times reports that Durham diocese's director of education, Canon David Whittington, this week joined in the dispute over the teaching of creationism alongside evolution theory at Emmanuel City Technology College, Gateshead. The Telegraph reports that Oxford University scientist Richard Dawkins has spoken out in agreement with most bishops of the Church of England on the new (for Britain) dispute over 'young earth' creationism. The Christian Institute had a web page by Steven Layfield explaining its position, but that page was taken offline after newspaper publicity. Emmanuel College, where they are teaching religion in the science department, issued this press release explaining their position.

17 March 2002: Church and state in England
The UK Government has announced the appointment of the Revd Canon Nicholas Frayling as Dean of Chichester.

17 March 2002: Bishop of Gambia to lead child-sex inquiry in Sierra Leone
The Independent (Banjul, Gambia) reports that the Rt Revd Dr S Tilewa Johnson, Bishop of Gambia, will be travelling to Sierra Leone to join a team that has a profound concern about reports of sexual violence and exploitation of children of the community of uprooted people there.

17 March 2002: Church and state in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that the Archbishop of Uganda, Dr Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo, has cautioned Baganda against getting divided over religious differences, saying it could lead to the disintegration of the monarchy.

17 March 2002: Anglican Church of Australia apologises to sex abuse victims
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the main governing body of the Anglican Church of Australia yesterday offered a unified apology to victims of sexual abuse. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that story, but also mentions the new principal of Moore Theological College and reports the Anglican stand on stem-cell research in Australia. The West Australian, hometown newspaper of ACA's primate, reported the story but said that the decision to apologise was made by the standing committee.

17 March 2002: Compassion and compromise on the abortion issue in Ireland
The abortion referendum in Ireland is a complex issue that is generating a lot of good writing as Ireland collectively thinks through the issue. The Irish Times today published an opinion by Gordon Linney, Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin, which we find fascinating.

17 March 2002: Church attack in Pakistan
We have to mention this here, even though you have all seen it on television and read about it in your own newspapers, because if we don't, someone will snarl at us for omitting Anglican news. The BBC reports that unknown persons attacked a Christian church in Islamabad and killed five people with grenades, injuring dozens more.

17 March 2002: Archbishop murdered in Colombia
This isn't Anglican news at all, but killing anyone's archbishop is a bad plan. The BBC reports that Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino has been shot dead in Cali, Colombia, by unknown gunmen presumed to be involved in the drug business. Shortly thereafter, The Telegraph reports, English bishop John Oliver called for the decriminalisation of cannabis (a crop not grown in Colombia).

16 March 2002: Bishop attacks creationists in schools
The Guardian reports that the Bishop of Oxford accused teachers who promote anti-evolutionary theories of bringing Christianity into disrepute. The BBC web site has the full text of his statement.

16 March 2002: Heresy trial brewing?
The Irish Times reports that the Church of Ireland Dean of Clonmacnoise and rector of Trim and Athboy, the Very Rev Andrew Furlong, has refused a request from his bishop to resign from the church ministry.

16 March 2002: At your service
The Times' weekly report on a church visit is this week by Bess Twiston Davies, who reports on a visit to Wesley's Chapel, London.

16 March 2002: St Patrick went to love those who had kidnapped and enslaved him
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Geoffrey Rowell.

15 March 2002: Sir John Polkinghorne wins Templeton Prize
Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne has won the prestigious Templeton Prize for progress in religion. The press release from the Canyon Institute (which awards that prize) gives all of the facts; the reports in The Guardian and the Church Times are easier to read. Christopher Howse devotes his weekly 'Sacred mysteries' column in The Telegraph to Dr Polkinghorne.

15 March 2002: More ABC candidate profiles
The Times has published the third of its series of ABC candidate profiles with a profile of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales. You will have no trouble determining quickly what columnist Mary Ann Sieghart thinks of him.

15 March 2002: Obituaries
The Telegraph and The Times have published an obituary of Canon Arthur Gribble, 'one of the last of a breed of cathedral dignitaries who saw their responsibilities largely in terms of maintaining the regular round of daily worship and of pursuing their own scholarly interests.'

15 March 2002: Presler named seminary dean
The Episcopal News Service reports that the Revd Dr Titus Presler has been named dean and president of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest.

15 March 2002: Scottish priest to head Ethiopian treasure campaign
The Scottish Episcopal Church reports that the Revd John McLuckie has become chairman of AFROMET UK - the Association for the Return of the Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures UK.

14 March 2002: US bishops meet in Texas
The Episcopal News Service reports on the recent meeting of ECUSA bishops at Camp Allen, Texas. The ENS report is long, careful, and thoughtful. If you care about church politics you should read it.

14 March 2002: On the history of clerical collars
The Times (London) briefly answers a reader's question about the history of the clerical collar for Anglicans.

14 March 2002: Michigan priest accused of plagiarising his sermons
The Guardian and the Associated Press report on the accusation that the Revd Edward Mullins has plagiarised his sermons. Please take the time to read this New York Times editorial about this incident, even though it requires that you register as a reader. We think that it reports the issues in a good perspective.

13 March 2002: Official ECUSA report on suspended Pennsylvania rector
The Episcopal News Service today issued its report on the 4-March suspension of the Revd David Moyer in the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

13 March 2002: Church and state in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that the Rt Revd Nelson Orono Onweng, Bishop of Northern Uganda, is calling for peace talks between the Acholi and the Lord's Resistance Army.

12 March 2002: Australian report of possible Australian ABC
Recently Roger Herft, Bishop of Newcastle (the Australian Diocese of Newcastle, not the English Diocese of Newcastle) was proposed as a candidate for Archbishop of Canterbury. The Sydney Morning Herald had this to say about it. Test your knowledge of Anglican Communion trivia: what are the other two dioceses whose names are duplicated?

11 March 2002: Church and state in Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that the Most Revd David Gitari, Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, told Kenyans to resist all attempts to impose a leader on them ahead of the next general election. Gitari also condemned the macabre slaughter last week of 25 people in Kariobangi North and told Nairobi residents to resist all attempts to divide them along tribal lines.

10 March 2002: What Mark Santer actually said
The Diocese of Birmingham has published the actual statement made by the Rt Revd Mark Santer, Bishop of Birmingham, which caused some note in the British press. The BBC reported it this way, and the Guardian reported it this way.

10 March 2002: Inquest in Nigeria
This Day (Lagos) reports on the inquest into the recent death of 7 worshippers at an Anglican service in Enugu, Nigeria.

10 March 2002: Coadjutor ordination in Missouri
The Diocese of Missouri joyfully reports the ordination in a Roman Catholic church on 2 March of the Rt Revd Dr George Wayne Smith as (Episcopal) bishop coadjutor. Chief Consecrator was the Rt Revd J Clark Grew, Bishop of Ohio, President of Province V, joined by co-consecrators Bishops Epting (recently of Iowa, now of the National Church), Rockwell of Missouri, and ELCA Bishops Hougen of Southeastern Iowa and Freiheit of Central /Southern Illinois. Also in attendance, and participating in the processions was Roman Catholic Archbishop Justin Rigali, who is also Pastor of St Francis Xavier Church. Among the most touching moments in the liturgy was the singing of an anthem and the Agnus Dei composed specially for his father's ordination by the new bishop's son, Austin.

10 March 2002: Church pays millions to clergy who walked out over women priests
The Independent (London) reports that a decade after the first women were ordained, clergymen who left the church in protest are still receiving more than a million pounds a year in compensation.

10 March 2002: Eyebrows raised in Ireland over plan to convert bishop's palace into offices
The Irish Times reports that local government has asked for more information from the Church of Ireland on a controversial plan to turn the Bishop's Palace in Kilkenny into offices for the Heritage Council.

10 March 2002: Australian candidate for ABC
The Sunday Times reports that Australian Roger Herft, Bishop of Newcastle, has emerged as a surprise contender to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.

10 March 2002: Who gave God that colour chart?
We often get complaints here in the News Centre that certain articles are not adequately Anglican and should not have been included here. The complaints are especially fierce when the article presents a point of view with which the reader disagrees. Our European correspondent, in drawing this article to our attention, commented that 'this is only about God, and therefore has no Anglican content'.

10 March 2002: British government official attacks church leaders for stance on homosexuality
The Telegraph reports that a British government minister has launched an outspoken attack on Church leaders in a new collection of prayers written for homosexuals.

10 March 2002: Church and state in England
The Observer reports that the Bishop of Birmingham called for an end to the link between the Church of England and the State.

9 March 2002: Bishop apologises for insulting his clergy
The Telegraph and the Church Times report that the Bishop of Gloucester has apologised for referring to diocesan clergy as 'wet softies' in a diocesan newsletter.

9 March 2002: God loves us - but not in the way we may love spaghetti
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Brian Davies.

9 March 2002: The mother of all days
In many countries it is Mothering Sunday on 10 March. Martyn Percy today writes in The Guardian about Mothering Sunday and how it differs from Mother's Day.

9 March 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse uses his weekly column in The Telegraph to write about the Pope.

9 March 2002: At your service
The Times' weekly report on a church visit is this week by Bruce Dear, who reports on a musicless service at St Mary Aldermary.

8 March 2002: Zimbabwe church laments violence
The Zimbabwe Independent (Harare) reports that the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the Anglican church has called for an end to the violence there.

8 March 2002: Obituaries
The Times has published an obituary of Canon Paul Welsby, church historian and Chaplain to the Queen. The Times also published today an obituary of church musician Michael Howard, who died quite some time ago and whose obituary was in other newspapers a month ago.

6 March 2002: Nigerian diocese commends government
This Day (Lagos) reports that the Diocese of Kaduna has commended Governor Ahmed Makarfi for promoting peaceful coexistence in the state.

5 March 2002: Rector suspended in Pennsylvania parish
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Rt Revd Charles Bennison, diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, has suspended the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Revd David Moyer. Father Moyer is the national president of Forward in Faith, a conservative group that often disagrees with the governance of its provinces.

4 March 2002: English clergy pensions may diminish
The Telegraph reports that the Church of England is considering changing its clergy pension scheme to one that is popular with many large private employers because it often, um, 'costs the employer less money'. The Church Times responds by writing that 'clergy need to be educated in saving for retirement.'

4 March 2002: On the selection of the next ABC
Columnist Stephen Bates writes in The Guardian about the unpredictability of the decision-making process for choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

4 March 2002: More ABC candidate profiles
The Times has published the second of its series of ABC candidate profiles with a profile of Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester. You will have no trouble determining quickly what columnist Mary Ann Sieghart thinks of him. As usual, the letters to the editor in response to this profile started rolling in immediately.

4 March 2002: Free Rosicrucian memberships offered to priests in Nigeria
On the heels of some deep unpleasantness at the discovery that a dead government official was given a church burial even though he was a member of the Rosicrucians, This Day reports that its society, AMORC, is offering free membership to Anglican priests.

3 March 2002: Blackburn Bishop decides that a casino is the lesser of two evils
The Guardian reports that the Bishop of Blackburn, whose diocese includes Blackpool (where a casino has been proposed), has just returned from a fact-finding mission to Las Vegas. The Rd Revd Alan Chesters concluded that gaming is evil but that social deprivation is worse.

3 March 2002: Irish archbishop writes about abortion referendum
Archbishop Walton Empey writes in The Irish Times about the upcoming referendum on abortion in that country.

3 March 2002: Remembering the C in ABC
Besides his other duties as primus inter pares, the Archbishop of Canterbury is of course the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The Telegraph reports that the Diocese of Canterbury is demanding that its next archbishop is fully supportive of women priests.

3 March 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse uses his column in The Telegraph to write about Edward Norman's column about ethics and religion.

2 March 2002: Religion and advertising
The Guardian's columnist Mark Corner writes about the complex relationship between religion and advertising.

2 March 2002: Church and state in the USA
Columnist AC Grayling, writing in The Guardian (a British newspaper) calls the US Supreme Court cowardly for its recent actions in the realm of church and state.

2 March 2002: Obituaries
The Times, The Independent, and The Guardian ran obituaries of Roger Wilson, former Bishop of Chichester.

2 March 2002: Church repairs
The Times reports on the issues surrounding the high cost of maintaining and repairing church buildings. The BBC quotes the Archbishop of Canterbury as saying that perhaps churches could double as discotheques in return for government funding. We at Anglicans Online have always been very wary of dancing in government-funded discotheques; you will never see us stayin' alive in such a place.

1 March 2002: Dead flowers on your grave
The Guardian reports that the Church of England insisted yesterday it had the right to ban a man from leaving silk flowers at his mother's grave, claiming that if they were allowed, parishioners would next want 6ft pink statues of Elvis Presley. We've seen those statues, and they are white, and not even 5 feet tall. What's all this about feet, though? We keep reading that the USA is the only country in the world not using the metric system, and now we read about graveyard statues being reckoned in feet.

1 March 2002: Ethics and stem cells
The British press has carried numerous stories this week about the recent decision by Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority to grant special permission for a genetically-manipulated embryo. We chose not to link to the newspaper stories because they were either too political or too scientific. But the coverage in the Church Times is spot-on, and you should read it.

1 March 2002: Westminster Abbey to open Abbot's Dining Hall
The Times reports that 'A secret chamber at Westminster Abbey is to be opened to the public as part of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Historians say the medieval Abbot’s Dining Hall has been in continuous, but private, use for 600 years.' The BBC's report of the same event mentions that the room is used by students at the abbey's school to eat their meals.

28 February 2002: Christian mystery plays in London's West End
The Times offers an editorial opinion on, and a review of, South African Mysteries, a play at the Queen's Theatre. The Times says 'The Queen’s Theatre’s South African Mysteries have done what the Church of England has been striving to do for decades and given Christianity an audience.' The reviewer says 'It’s a South African adaptation of the 14th-century Chester Miracle Plays in four languages (English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu) and in every skin colour known to apartheid. It begins with the Creation and takes us to the Resurrection and beyond.'

28 February 2002: British columnist on Australia's Governor-General issue
Magnus Linklater writes in The Times on public opinion of the G-G's political problems. It is not difficult to divine Mr Linklater's stand on this issue. The next day the Church Times reported that 'Hollingworth row overshadows visit'.

25 February 2002: Who says the next ABC has to be English?
The Times (London) reports that Desmond Tutu has called on the Church of England to consider appointing a non-English bishop to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. And The Guardian has come out in favour of Rowan Williams, who is Welsh, to be the next Archbishop.

25 February 2002: Newspapers will always need news (but see Matthew 14:17-21)
The Times reports on the identities and politics of the twelve people who will decide the next Archbishop of Canterbury. They forgot to mention which of them are regular readers of Anglicans Online.

25 February 2002: More candidate profiles
It seems to be quite popular for newspapers in the UK to run profiles of the candidates for ABC. The Times has begun its series with a profile of Richard Chartres, Bishop of London. Nowhere in the profile do we find any mention of how he pronounces his name. It's 'Charters'. A few days later it published letters to the editor in response to that profile.

25 February 2002: Abandoned baby saved by religious mix
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a Palestinian baby found abandoned at birth in a roadside heap of trash was rescued by Palestinian doctors, nurtured by a group of nuns and had her heart repaired by an Israeli surgeon. 'The survival of tiny Salaam, whose name means "peace" in Arabic, has become a rare tale of the region's usually fractured and clashing peoples working together to save a life.'

25 February 2002: Woman archdeacon in Kenya
The Nation (Nairobi) reports that the Anglican Church of Kenya yesterday ordained the first woman archdeacon in 150 years.

24 February 2002: Margaret had a secret wish to be Roman Catholic
Christopher Morgan, writing in The Sunday Times, reports that the late Princess Margaret had a deep interest in conversion to Roman Catholicism.

24 February 2002: Controversy over allocation of BBC Good Friday slot
The Telegraph reports that the BBC has chosen a controversial former bishop who has questioned the divinity of Christ to present its flagship religious programme on Good Friday.

23 February 2002: More on Australia's Governor-General
The controversy over Australia's Governor-General is heating up. Although this is now primarily a story about politics and not religion, we continue to mention it because all of the conflict is over events that took place when he was the Archbishop of Brisbane. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation says 'G-G responds to cover up allegations' and 'G-G controversy touching Anglican church: leaders'. The Sydney Morning Herald says 'Defiant Hollingworth says he won't quit—and casts a few stones', 'G-G to fight back with statement on child sex scandal', and 'Church to improve guidelines' and 'G-G to face inquiry into abuse claims' and 'I did not seduce that priest: victim's fury at Hollingworth' and 'G-G refuses to go but apologises for comments'. The Australian reports 'PM, palace put G-G at arm's length'. There's lots more; if you go to any Australian online newspaper and search for 'Hollingworth' you will find stories. Anglican Media Sydney has collected a goodly number of links on their What's New page, and News Corp has assembled links to their Hollingworth stories here. The Telegraph (London) reports that the Queen will make a public show of support for Hollingworth when she arrives in Australia this week.

23 February 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his weekly column in The Telegraph to the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

23 February 2002: To share in the life of Christ is a calling that takes us into the wilderness
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe.

23 February 2002: At your service
The weekly column in The Times reports on a visit to choral evensong at Chichester Cathedral. We can find no by-line in the article, but it does not read as if it was written by Ruth Gledhill.

23 February 2002: Abortion in Ireland
The Irish Times reports that the (Anglican) Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe has described as 'disastrous' the Government's approach to the abortion referendum.

23 February 2002: Obituary
The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) published an obituary of the Revd Godfrey Diekmann, Benedictine monk at St John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. Fr Diekmann was one of the most significant forces in the development of modern liturgy in English.

22 February 2002: Rector gives up preaching for Lent
The Church Times reports that a Norfolk rector has given up preaching sermons for Lent.

22 February 2002: New code of conduct for C of E clergy
The Church Times reports on the publication of a new report, Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy.

22 February 2002: Singing lessons 'a miracle' for tone-deaf nuns
The Telegraph reports that elderly, tone-deaf nuns are alive to the sound of music after hiring a Benedictine monk to teach them how to sing.

21 February 2002: Another sex story
We're getting increasingly weary of reporting news of sexual misconduct by people associated with the church. But for some reason we keep on reporting it. The Times reports that a cathedral organist who was warned about his 'inappropriate relationship' with a 17-year-old choirgirl has resigned after police began investigating new allegations against him. The Telegraph reports that 'Organist quits after friendship with girl, 17'.

21 February 2002: Another gender story
The Times reports that a female vicar has been banned from giving Communion at a Church of England school after a complaint from a vicar who objects to the ordination of women.

21 February 2002: A resignation having nothing to do with sex or scandal
The Telegraph reports that Dr William Beaver, director of communications for the Church of England, has resigned to work with the Red Cross. The BBC's Religion and Ethics web page asks, as its weekly poll, 'Does the Church of England need a spin doctor?' Usually on these polls, if you cast a vote it will tell you the vote results; we voted and can tell you that at our press time the vote results are 48.7% Yes and 51.3% No.

20 February 2002: Archbishop looking forward to retirement
The Telegraph reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, is looking forward to retirement and freedom from his 'tyrannical diary'. Your News Centre editor offers that, if you appoint him to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, he will pay no attention to any diary or daily schedule.

20 February 2002: Asking for more: 'Anglicans, you need to thump a little harder'
Columnist Michael Wong writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that there is no fire in God's modern-day messengers.

20 February 2002: Asking for less: 'Enron's collapse teaches us the dangers of excess'
Dr George Carey, still Archbishop of Canterbury, writes in The Telegraph about the Enron affair.

20 February 2002: Having less: ministry in a rundown council estate
The Guardian, in its society pages, profiles an American priest who is working in a slum in Sheffield. We really enjoyed reading this story and we recommend it to you.

19 February 2002: Chester Cathedral returns to the old ways, brewing own beer
The BBC reports that 'Chester Cathedral is to return to a 1,000-year-old tradition by unveiling its own brand of beer'.

18 February 2002: More on church attendance in England
Columnist Clifford Longley asked in The Tablet 'Does size really matter?' The Church of England has online its official explanation of the statistics.

18 February 2002: Cathedrals draw up plans to charge tourists
The Independent reports that tourism and conservation specialists are to discuss whether visitor numbers to the nation's cathedrals and great churches should be restricted to stop wear and tear. Westminster Abbey will be highlighted as a role model for slowing the damage being caused to some of Britain's most popular attractions. The introduction of charges there has cut numbers and helped to restore a sense of calm.

17 February 2002: Another profile in the CEN
The Church of England Newspaper (not an official publication) recently published profiles of four of the leading contenders to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Today the CEN added another profile, that of the Bishop of Winchester.

17 February 2002: Life imitates art
The plot of PD James' Death in Holy Orders revolved around the closure of a fictitious theological college in East Anglia. Today The Telegraph reports that 'Radical proposals to scrap all the Church of England's theological colleges and replace them with one national centre have been drawn up by senior bishops.' The report in question can be found online, should you wish to read it.

17 February 2002: Ashes to ashes
Princess Margaret asked to be cremated at her death. The Sunday Herald writes about the history of cremation in Britain and of its theological consequences. The same Pope who declared Anglican holy orders to be invalid also asserted that cremation is against God's will.

16 February 2002: Former Australian archbishop still in political tangle
It is probably axiomatic that every political figure has enemies. The Governor-General of Australia was previously the Archbishop of Brisbane, and he continues to draw fire in the Australian press for events that took place some years ago. We try hard to leave national politics out of the Anglicans Online News Centre, but sometimes it is hard to know where to draw the boundary. The Australian reports that 'Hollingworth fears plot to undermine his office'. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that 'G-G spared sex-abuse bishop' and 'Hollingworth digs in with PM's backing' and 'Bishop regrets affair with girl'. We do not know enough about Australian politics to know who might be for or against Dr Hollingworth, but we see that Anglican Media Sydney has a large collection of links to newspaper stories about him. As far as we can tell from here, most Australian newspapers are owned either by the News Corp or by the Fairfax Group. The BBC reports that 'Governor apologises over sex scandal'. And The Age reports 'I won't resign, says Hollingworth'.

16 February 2002: At your service
The Times' weekly report on a visit to a worship service is this week by Bess Twiston Davies, about her visit to a Coptic Orthodox Church in Bournemouth.

16 February 2002: Talking about Lent
Times columnist Stephen Plant, a Methodist, writes about Lent. The Times also got 24 people each to write a few sentences about what Lent means to them.

16 February 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his weekly column in The Times to a discussion of toilets in churches.

16 February 2002: Royal funerals
Columnist Tom Utley writes in The Telegraph that a little bit of pomp at a royal funeral is good for everyone.

15 February 2002: Popular support waning for Queen as Supreme Governor
The Telegraph reports that a recent Church Times survey shows that less than half of clergy and churchgoers support the idea of Britain's monarch being Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reports on a new hymn written for the Queen's jubilee by Andrew Motion, Britain's poet laureate. Presumably Mr Motion is not one of those who oppose her role in the church.

14 February 2002: Oddsmaking in the ABC race
The Telegraph reports that 'the prospects of the leading evangelical contender in the race to be Archbishop of Canterbury seemed to be improving yesterday after a vote by the Church of England's bishops.' The previous day, The Telegraph expressed an editorial opinion that the choice was a political one, which would be made by Britain's Prime Minister. Columnist Simon Hoggart wrote in The Guardian that 'this is like having the foreign secretary chosen by Ronald McDonald'. Meanwhile the Church Times reports that 'Seats fill at the table for choice of new Primate.' The Revd Dr Jane Shaw writes in The Guardian that the exclusion of women from the entire process is unchristian.

14 February 2002: Arson in the cathedral
The Times reports on another attempt at arson in an Anglican cathedral, this time at Lincoln. Arson has always struck us as one of the most peculiar forms of political expression. Given the majesty of these old buildings, we'd much prefer to see these activists using self-immolation as their primary technique.

14 February 2002: Female chaplain in British Army
The Telegraph reports that the Revd Juliette Hulme will soon become the first female chaplain in the British Army. We believe this event to be unrelated to the Guardian's report of a (male) chaplain getting into a fight with another officer.

13 February 2002: Ugandan bishops told not to provoke Muslims
The Monitor (Kampala) reports that the Director General of the Foundation for Islamic Development has warned bishops of the Church of Uganda to stop provoking Muslims.

13 February 2002: Scrubbing St Paul's
The Telegraph reports that the newly-cleaned south transept of St Paul's Cathedral was unveiled and the identity of its mystery donor revealed.

13 February 2002: Church and state in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that former labour minister Philemon Mateke has said that Canon David Sebuhinja will not be allowed to become the next Bishop of Muhabura.

12 February 2002: Obituaries
The Telegraph has published an obituary of Prebendary Riou Benson, Welsh priest.

11 February 2002: Church and state in England
The British Government has announced the appointment of a new Bishop of Basingstoke, the Ven Trevor Willmott.

11 February 2002: Britain's Act of Succession
The Guardian reports on events in Britain's Parliament intended to repeal the Act of Succession, which bans Roman Catholics from the throne. Guardian columnist Clare Dyer writes about the political context and history of this law and attempts to repeal it.

11 February 2002: Taking grudges to the grave
The Evening Standard (London) reports that Princess Margaret carried a lifelong grudge against the Most Revd Dr Geoffrey Fisher, who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the Cold-War era.

11 February 2002: No resolution in Diocese of Nairobi
The Nation reports that plans to divide the Diocese of Nairobi continue to be divisive. The East African Standard reports that the Provincial Synod has unanimously endorsed the division of the diocese.

10 February 2002: Do-it-yourself churches in Tasmania
We forgot to list this last week, for which we apologise, but it is still quite interesting. The Diocese of Tasmania has launched 'Enabler Supported Ministry', which amounts to do-it-yourself churches for rural areas.

10 February 2002: Continuing news about the search for a new ABC
The Telegraph laments that the search for the next Archbishop has degenerated to innuendo, and has published a letter suggesting that Britain's Chief Rabbi would be the best choice.

10 February 2002: On the finances and expense of church weddings
An interesting letter to the editor from a church treasurer about the cost of a church wedding.

10 February 2002: Church and state in Nigeria
It was a matter of when, not whether. This Day (Lagos) reports that Muslims in Kebbi who do not attend a certain worship service will be jailed. Now, who gets to decide who is a Muslim and who is not?

9 February 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his column in The Telegraph to the giving of alms in Lent.

9 February 2002: At your service
The Times' weekly report on a visit to a worship service is this week by Bruce Dear, about his visit to St Bartholomew the Great in West Smithfield, England.

9 February 2002: Pancakes
The 12th of February this year is Shrove Tuesday, not just Mardi Gras but also the one day each year that many people eat pancakes. Your News Centre editor likes to make pancakes each Thursday morning. For the pancake-impaired, The Independent has written about the tradition and includes a listing of some pancake events.

9 February 2002: Coffee spam
Related to pancakes: today we received an avalanche of spam from some people trying to sell Christian Coffee. Good grief. What's next? Christian haemorrhoid treatment? We are afraid that these miscreants used Anglicans Online as a source of e-mail addresses to spam. If you got one of these vile spams, please don't even think about buying from them. You'll just reward their behaviour.

9 February 2002: Tabot reaches Ethiopia
The BBC reports that hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have packed the streets of Addis Ababa to welcome home an ancient Ethiopian relic looted by British troops more than 130 years ago. Meanwhile, UNIRIN reports that a campaign has begun in that country to demand the return of all of the plundered artefacts, most of which are in museums.

8 February 2002: Church of England Newspaper profiles of ABC candidates
The Church of England Newspaper has profiles of four of the major candidates to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the bishops of Rochester, Wales, London, and St Albans. Meanwhile the Diocese of Canterbury has named its four representatives to the selection committee.

8 February 2002: Just in time for Marriage Week: prayers for divorces
The Telegraph reports that prayers for divorces and the breaking-off of engagements have been published by church leaders in time for National Marriage Week.

8 February 2002: New bishop in Alabama
The Diocese of Alabama has consecrated the Revd Mark Andrus as bishop suffragan. ECUSA Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold spoke, and helped consecrate.

8 February 2002: Church and state in England
The British Government has announced the appointment of a new dean of Chester, the Revd Gordon Ferguson McPhate.

7 February 2002: Major conflict in Church of Uganda
The Monitor and New Vision (Kampala) report that more than 1000 people in the Diocese of Muhabura have again petitioned Uganda's presiding bishop to reject the newly-named bishop of that diocese.

7 February 2002: Archbishop Gitari defiant as row resurfaces in Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that the dispute over the split of the Diocese of Nairobi has resurfaced, with some threatening to take the issue to court. The Nation (Nairobi) reports on the threat of a lawsuit.

7 February 2002: A sermon to the English about ABC selection
The Times (London) has published an opinion column by by political writer David Rogers about the importance of the Archbishop of Canterbury to church and secular politics in that country. There is so much drivel being published about the ABC selection that you might be tempted to skip this one. We think it's worth your time.

6 February 2002: Celebrating the Accession
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth. That is Anglican news because, of course, Her Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England. We believe that the first celebration in the world took place at Nelson Cathedral in New Zealand, at 10h00 New Zealand time. We have no web page to which to refer you for more information, but a correspondent told us 'It was rather moving when about 30 people in a small cathedral chapel, many of whom were over 80, sang "God save the Queen" with real feeling.' Even if the Queen lives in British Standard Time, the church is global, and the sun rises in New Zealand sooner than in any other country having an Anglican church. Many hours later there was a service of celebration in St Paul's Cathedral, which was duly noted in the newspapers.

6 February 2002: Australian G-G acknowledges that abuse victims feel 'let down'
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Sydney Morning Herald report that the Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth, has admitted that victims of child sexual abuse at an Anglican school in Queensland feel they have been let down.

6 February 2002: After the fire at St John the Divine
Late last year a fire damaged the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in New York City. Today the New York Times reports on the status of the restoration work.

6 February 2002: Bishops lash out
The Times reports that the Bishop of Manchester, in a speech announcing his retirement, has complained that society has become far less community-minded than it should be. The New Vision (Kampala) reports that in Uganda, a bishop has lashed out at laziness among the young. The Nation (Nairobi) reports that the Archbishop of Kenya has lashed out at the police for shooting children.

5 February 2002: Church wedding rules in England
The Telegraph printed an editorial about the rules for church weddings in England. This editorial was spurred by the news that Laurence Olivier's daughter was not permitted to marry in the Olivier family church in Sussex. A letter to The Times from a would-be groom summarises the situation briefly and poignantly. It's no wonder people are getting married in pubs and amusement parks these days.

5 February 2002: Attendance reporting in the Church of England
The Telegraph, The Independent, The Times, and The Guardian all report on, and comment on, the Church of England's discovery that its vicars were fibbing about the number of people attending their churches. What a strange world we live in, where church staffs are motivated to report attendance as smaller than the truth. Reading these reports, especially the version in The Guardian, makes us wonder if election officials from Florida were sent to do counting in England.

4 February 2002: Bishops unhappy with arms-export legislation
The Times and The Telegraph report that more than 40 Anglican bishops attacked the (British) Government’s policy on the regulation of arms exports to the Third World, saying that it does not go far enough. The Times published a letter to the editor signed by three of them, and also a letter from the Director General of the Defence Manufacturers Association expressing disagreement.

3 February 2002: End of the Diocese of Cariboo
The Anglican Journal has reported the closure of the Diocese of Cariboo in Canada. If you are not familiar with the situation leading to that closure, the article has links to the whole sad story.

3 February 2002: US Federal judge orders break-up of God
The Onion (Madison, Wisconsin, USA) reports that a US district judge ruled Monday that God is in violation of antimonopoly laws and ordered Him to be broken up into several less powerful deities.

3 February 2002: Indian news magazine writes about Pakistani ABC candidate
The Week, a weekly news magazine published in India, profiles Pakistani bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, one of the contenders to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

3 February 2002: Church and state in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) reports on a situation in Zimbabwe in which it seems that the Anglican archbishop is siding with the government and other religious leaders are critical of it. Politics in Africa are always more complex than they appear.

3 February 2002: Church attendance fraud in England?
The Sunday Times reports that Anglican vicars have been deliberately underestimating attendance at services to minimise the amount of 'tax' they pay to central funds.

2 February 2002: Week of prayer for Christian unity goes largely unnoticed
The Guardian reports that the annual week of prayer for Christian unity ended last Friday amid a sense of relief and disappointment.

2 February 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his column in The Telegraph to the role of saints in society.

2 February 2002: Letters: clergy working conditions
Letters to the editor of The Times about clergy workweek numbers.

1 February 2002: Archbishop to be elected by e-mail
The Anglican Journal (Toronto) reports that the Province of Canada (one of four provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada) will save money by using e-mail rather than aeroplanes as the primary technology used to enable voting on its next archbishop.

1 February 2002: Church and state in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that Anglican bishops there are critical of the growing ties between Uganda and Libya. The newspaper itself is far less critical of those ties, referring to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi as 'a benevolent man'. The Monitor (Kampala) reports that this is part of an ongoing controversy over Uganda's membership in the Organisation of Islamic States, and that Anglican bishops are at the forefront of the campaign to remove Uganda from this organisation.

31 January 2002: Church and cows in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that religious leaders, including Anglican bishops, have issued a resolution calling for the branding of all cattle in Teso to prevent rustling.

31 January 2002: ABY may ask to be considered for ABC position
The Yorkshire Post reports that 'pressure is being put on Archbishop of York David Hope to allow himself to be considered as the next Archbishop of Canterbury'. The reporter later suggests that this is not likely to happen.

31 January 2002: Letters to The Times about the next ABC
There are several letters to the editor of The Times on the topic of the choice of a successor to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

30 January 2002: Conflict over Nigerian priest's association with Rosicrucians
This Day (Lagos, Nigeria) reports that the Bishop of Lagos has apologised for participating in the burial service of a murdered priest who was posthumously found to have been a Rosicrucian.

30 January 2002: British Muslims and Anglicans sign accord
The Associated Press reports that the spiritual heads of the Church of England and Sunni Islam signed a joint initiative to promote greater understanding and respect between Christians and Muslims.

30 January 2002: Church and football in England
The Times reports that a vicar has persuaded the BBC to delay the start of an FA Cup match because it will clash with his Sunday service; the delay will ensure that he will not miss the game.

30 January 2002: Church and football in the USA
The biggest game of the year of American football will be played this Sunday, but has been scheduled for 6pm ET in order not to conflict with churchgoing and, presumably, to allow fans more time to buy beer and new television sets.

29 January 2002: New bishop in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that the Revd Canon Dunstan Bukenya was consecrated as the third Bishop of Mityana.

29 January 2002: Theology students polled for views on next ABC
The Guardian reports on what it learned from asking theology students—in general, people training to be priests—about their desiderata for the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

28 January 2002: Sacred tabot returned from Scotland to Ethiopia
The Scotsman, The Times, and The Independent report on the return to Ethiopia of a replica of the Ark of the Covenant that was taken from Ethiopia to Scotland as war bounty in the 19th century. The church whose vicar had the good sense to recognise this object and the grace to know to return it has its own web page devoted to this holy object, and it has very good explanations as to what this tabot is all about and why it is important. A columnist in the Addis Tribune (Addis Ababa) has this to say about the event, and had this to say earlier in the week while waiting for it.

28 January 2002: Living low for Lent
The Times reports that a group of Anglican bishops and other clergymen are abandoning their usual comforts to try to live on the minimum wage for Lent.

27 January 2002: Who will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury?
The BBC has prepared a substantial web site devoted to the selection of, and candidates being considered for, the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It is done with the thoroughness that we have come to expect from the BBC. Hmm. This is the BBC writing about the ABC, isn't it? Shall we go check the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation?

27 January 2002: Church and sex in England
The Telegraph reports that a vicar is preparing to lead his parish to break away from the Church of England over the usual issues. The Independent reports that a former Bishop of Liverpool has stated that, whoever the next ABC might be, he must have a wife. That newspaper also granted him a column in which to express himself directly.

27 January 2002: Church and sex in Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald has (sigh) yet another article about the role of the Anglican church with respect to a convicted child sex offender. The newspaper claims that the Anglican church knew of the perpetrator's misdeeds for nearly 20 years and did nothing.

27 January 2002: Church and sex in South Africa
The SAPA reports that Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has accused his government of sinning against God by denying life-saving medication to mothers and children facing the threat of AIDS.

27 January 2002: Church in a suitcase in South Carolina
Dave Munday reports in the Post and Courier (Charleston) on the 'suitcase church' evolving at St Michael in Charleston, one of the oldest Episcopal churches in the USA.

26 January 2002: Before-and-after pictures of a burned church in Canada
Photographer Robert Stevens' web site has interesting before-and-after pictures of the devastating fire late last year at St John in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. This fire on 1 November 2001 nearly destroyed one of the oldest churches in North America.

26 January 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his weekly column in The Telegraph to a discussion of Candlemas.

26 January 2002: The spirit of humility lies at the heart of Christian leadership
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Geoffrey Rowell. He writes about the selection of the next ABC.

26 January 2002: Faith journey of the Bishop of Rochester
The Times reports, from Pakistan, on the history of Michael Nazir-Ali's religious affiliation. The Right Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, is a candidate to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

25 January 2002: John Bryson Chane is new Bishop of Washington
The closely-watched election of a bishop for the Diocese of Washington has resulted in the election of the Rev John Bryson Chane. Details, profile, and follow-up in the Washington Post, and, of course, on the Diocesan web site, which also has his acceptance speech.

25 January 2002: York Minster considering admission charges
The Guardian reports that York Minster, free to the public for 800 years, is considering an admission fee.

25 January 2002: English priest takes grievance to European parliament
The Guardian reports that the European parliament has agreed to review 'feudal' laws about church employment, in a case brought by a former Vicar in England.

25 January 2002: Fewer paid clergy
The Church Times reports that the new demands made on diocesan finances during 2001 are leading to a reduction in the numbers of stipendiary clergy.

23 January 2002: Bishop of Gombe attacked by armed robbers
The Vanguard (Lagos, Nigeria) reports that a gang of armed robbers attacked the Rt Revd Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, Bishop of Gombe, and took valuables worth thousands of naira.

23 January 2002: Bringing religion closer to consumers?
One danger of having government be too involved in religion is that there will be study commissions that publish reports. The Guardian lets politician Tony Benn report on a recent such report.

22 January 2002: Church and state in Britain
The British Government reports that the Queen has approved the appointment of a new Dean of Guildford. The Times reports that Baroness Perry has asserted that the Prime Minister must be stripped of control over the church. The Telegraph reports the Prime Minister's statements about how he will or will not choose the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The Guardian has run an editorial about this church/state issue. The Independent published an essay by politician Frank Field on the importance of the question of separation of church and state. The Sunday Times reports that Rowan Williams, considered to be a leading candidate for Archbishop of Canterbury, wants the Queen to step down as supreme governor of the Church of England. And the Sunday Times has published its opinion: 'Let the churchgoers vote'.

22 January 2002: Joint accord on the Holy Land
The ACNS reports on the recent joint declaration from religious leaders pleading peace in the Holy Land.

22 January 2002: Royal blemishes
Anthony Howard writes in The Times a reflection on monarchy and the church.

21 January 2002: Archbishop of Wales has more to say about his position on war and terrorism
The Telegraph reports that the Archbishop of Wales defended his attack on the West's war against terrorism yesterday while admitting that his remarks had 'rapidly reduced' his chances of becoming the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The Church Times reports that this isn't so, noting that a poll conducted by The Times has placed the Archbishop of Wales as General Synod members’ clear favourite.

21 January 2002: Cross-diocesan church planting in Australia
The Diocese of Sydney, which some call 'Anglo-Baptist', has planted a church inside the boundaries of the Diocese of Newcastle, which some call 'Anglo-Catholic'. The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the fracas.

21 January 2002: Anglican Church of Australia suggests it mishandled paedophilia case
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia's Anglican Church has suggested it failed in the handling of the convicted paedophile priest Robert Ellmore.

20 January 2002: News about the Canterbury archbishopric
The Times reports that the Prince of Wales is backing Richard Chartres. The Sunday Times offers an unemotional opinion about the qualities needed by the next archbishop. It also reports that the General Synod prefers Rowan Williams, and provides details of Synod representative opinions of other candidates. The Times points out that 'foreign' churches do not get any say in the choice of the next ABC.

20 January 2002: Opinions about the Canterbury archbishopric
Madeleine Bunting writes in The Guardian about the candidates and the selection process. Stephen Bates writes in The Guardian about dirty tricks and racism charges. The Times published letters to the editor about the selection process. Stan Hey writes in The Independent about the amount of news coverage being given to all this. The Independent writes about the Church as soap opera. Peter Owen Jones writes in The Independent about what the new archbishop must be. Christopher Morgan asserts in The Sunday Times that Dr Carey timed his resignation so that he could manipulate the choice of successor. Libby Purves writes in The Times that this should not be the Prime Minister's choice. Jeanette Winterson writes in The Guardian about everyone involved in the decision-making process being male. Matthew Norman writes in The Guardian about the state of the campaign. Rod Liddle argues in The Guardian that it doesn't matter, that 'one bearded, hand-wringing, God-botherer or another' won't change anything. George Austin writes in The Times that the current decision-making process breeds mistrust and must be changed.

(Taking a deep breath here before continuing. While breathing, we note that The Times has published an editorial asserting that this is the most interesting election in Britain for a decade.)

Tim Hames argues in The Times that the supposedly tempestuous Roman Catholic Church is a haven of peace and political innocence compared with the modern Church of England. More letters to the editor of The Times and then some more, about the selection process. We are particularly amused by the letter in the second batch written by David Richards. The Telegraph lists the thirteen people who will make the decision.

20 January 2002: Opinions about likely candidates for the Canterbury archbishopric
The Telegraph (London) reports that there is a 'secret list' of likely candidates for the ABC job. Simon de Bruxelles notes in The Times that Rowan Williams has had the good sense to remain silent during all this. (The compleat consumer of UK news will note that Dr Williams has not been silent at all, he's just not been talking about the ABC contest.) Stephen Pritchard comments in The Observer on the suitability of Rowan Williams. The Telegraph reports on John Gladwin and notes that he has declared his support for women bishops. Jonathan Meades writes in The Times that Lord Birt, former director general of the BBC, is his favourite candidate.

20 January 2002: Archbishop attacks Afghan bombing
The Sunday Times and The Telegraph and the BBC report that Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales, has criticised America's bombing in Afghanistan and questioned its morality. The Church in Wales has issued this press release on Dr Williams' new book Writing in the Dust.

20 January 2002: Remember Dean Furlong?
All of this news about the Archbishop of Canterbury has rather dried up the stories about Dean Andrew Furlong in Ireland. But the Irish Times, rather removed from Lambeth Palace, reports today on the continuing story of the Dean of Clonmacnoise.

19 January 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to a reflection on the upcoming interfaith meeting in Assisi.

19 January 2002: Why holy wars start and how to prevent them
This week's Credo column in The Times is by Bruce Dear.

19 January 2002: Prison sentence for sex-abuser priest
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a former Anglican rector with convictions for child sexual assault dating back more than 40 years has been jailed for a maximum 11 years for abusing three girls, one as young as eight.

18 January 2002: Profile of the new Bishop of Los Angeles
The New York Times has profiled Jon Bruno, bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

16 January 2002: Ugandan bishop wins Guinness award
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that the Rt Revd Nelson Onono Onweng, Bishop of Northern Uganda, has received the Guinness Power of Goodness Award.

16 January 2002: Carey welcomes interfaith scholars
The Telegraph reported that Christian and Muslim scholars would meet at Lambeth Palace to exchange views, encouraged by Tony Blair and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The BBC reported on what took place there. Probably out of desperation for some news that did not involve Al Qaida or the Archbishop of Canterbury, so did The Independent, The Telegraph, and The Guardian. While we have seen no reports of politicians kissing babies at this conference, it seems to have been that kind of event. Dawn, Pakistan's major English-language newspaper, published this article by Dr Carey and the principal of the Muslim College in London.

16 January 2002: Retiring Carey an 'inestimable gift' to Anglicans around the world
The Episcopal News Service reports that Archbishop Carey's retirement is a great gift to Anglicans around the world. OK, that's not what it reports, but we must confess that when we first saw the headline, that's how we interpreted it. We know perfectly well that the ENS is going to say only nice things about Dr Carey.

15 January 2002: Freemasons in Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Peter Jensen, is to meet the Grandmaster of All Freemasons in NSW and the ACT, George Curry, to iron out differences which have seen Freemasons banned from worshipping at St Paul's in Lithgow.

15 January 2002: Rector of largest church was born and raised Jewish
The Sun (Baltimore, USA) profiles the Revd Paul Tunkle, soon to be installed as the rector of the largest parish in the Diocese of Maryland.

15 January 2002: Judge orders Morehead City property restored to Diocese of East Carolina
The Episcopal News Service reports that a North Carolina judge has ruled that the property of a Morehead City parish belongs to the Diocese of East Carolina and not to a group affiliated with the Anglican Mission in America.

14 January 2002: Cardinal and bishop preach to the Queen
The Times and The Telegraph and The Guardian report on Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor preaching to the Queen. The Telegraph reports that Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, did the same thing a few days later.

14 January 2002: Legal challenge to retired Bishop of New York
The New York Times reports that a priest in the Diocese of New York has filed a lawsuit against the Rt Revd Richard Grein, former Bishop of New York.

14 January 2002: Canadian church organisations renew call for mediator
The Anglican News Service (Canada) reports that the Ecumenical Group on Residential Schools has asked Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray to agree to the appointment of a mediator to facilitate future negotiations between church organisations and the federal government around litigation arising from the legacy of Indian residential schools.

13 January 2002: RC Prelate criticises Anglicans in Zimbabwe
The Telegraph (London) reports that a Roman Catholic archbishop has accused the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe of aligning itself with 'forces of evil' in failing to condemn violence and human rights abuses.

13 January 2002: Obituaries
The Telegraph published an obituary of Sir Nigel Hawthorne, eccentric actor.

13 January 2002: Archbishop of Canterbury announces his retirement
The big news story this week is the retirement of the Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury. Our coverage is divided into three parts. Let us quote The Telegraph by way of summary: 'The Church of England was called the Conservative party at prayer. Now it seems more like the Conservative party at war. Less than a week after Dr Carey signalled the start of the process to find his successor, the Church has become embroiled in a dirty tricks campaign which would shame a Tory party leadership election.'

• Reports about Dr Carey, his resignation, and his life: The Times reports Dr Carey's resignation and published this profile of him and this editorial about his tenure. The BBC reported his resignation and published this report on national tributes. The Independent reported his resignation. Andrew Brown writes in The Independent about Dr Carey as comic vicar. David Harris reviews Dr Carey's tenure in Canada's National Post. The Church Times reported the resignation, and published a large collection of tributes.
• Reports about the search, and likely successors: Chris Gray summarises the field in The Independent. The Times reports that the search for a successor has started. Philip Pank and Ruth Gledhill report for The Times on the likely successors. The BBC published this report on likely successors. The Guardian reports on the search process and ran this editorial about what the church might become. The BBC reports that the Bishop of Rochester was once a Roman Catholic. The Telegraph reports that same situation as a racism story and carried this editorial about the backbiting that seeps through the search for an archbishop. The Times reports that 'Church investigates dirty tricks'. Bishop Nazir-Ali, one of the candidates, wrote a column in Saturday's Guardian. Times columnist Jack Malvern narrates the ABC race as if it were a horse race. The Church Times published this evaluation of the likely candidates. Ship of Fools got Andrew Brown to write this evaluation of the candidates. SoF readers overwhelmingly prefer Rowan Williams as the next ABC.
• Editorials and backgrounders about the office, the selection process, and past incumbents: Hywel Williams writes in The Guardian that 'the church needs a leader who can unshackle it from the state'. Paul Vallely writes in The Independent about what the ABC's job is. The Observer writes, disgustedly, that 'there is nothing like a row among Christians for sheer malevolence.' The Guardian notes that the next ABC may be the first since 1633 to have a beard.

13 January 2002: More on the Church of Ireland deposed Dean
The Irish Times and Church Times report that the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Walton Empey, has said that he is horrified by Andrew Furlong's view of the nature of Christ. That newspaper also published Dean Furlong's justification of his position. There are quite a number of letters to the editor on this topic; go to the Irish Times' archive search page and search on the keyword 'Furlong' for January 2002 if you wish to read them.

12 January 2002: Cardinal visits the Queen
The BBC reminds us that Queen Elizabeth has invited Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor to spend the night. The Telegraph reports on the significance of this visit.

12 January 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his column in The Telegraph to the canonisation of Juan Diego.

11 January 2002: Anglican Church in Burma is thriving
The Church Times reports that the Anglican Church in Burma (Myanmar) is thriving, despite living under a military regime in a country with an overwhelming Buddhist presence, said the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, on his return from a three-week visit to the province of Myanmar.

11 January 2002: Diocese of Cariboo
The Church Times' columnist David Harris has this week written about the issues surrounding the planned closure of the Canadian Diocese of Cariboo.

9 January 2002: Sydney Anglicans pull welcome mat from under bewildered Freemasons
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the parish of St Paul's, Lithgow, has split after an edict from the parish council that Freemasons abandon their beliefs or stop going to church. Somehow we at Anglicans Online have never been able to separate our emotions about Freemasonry from Rudyard Kipling's fictional 'The man who would be king'.

8 January 2002: Australian Governor-General meets with child welfare group
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that a children's welfare organisation has held talks with the Governor-General to discuss ways that he can help reduce the devastating effects of child abuse. If you don't understand the context of this report, use AO Search and look for the word 'hollingworth'.

6 January 2002: Rumours abound of imminent retirement of ABC
The British press this morning is chock-a-block with stories and rumours about the imminent retirement of the Most Revd Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury. The Sunday Times says 'Carey to announce his retirement'. The Sunday Telegraph says 'Carey starts race to find successor' and carries the sidebars 'Traditionalists and progressives in the Canterbury steeplechase' and 'Astute and warm pastor who lacked the cutting edge'. The Independent says 'Carey to announce retirement'. The BBC reports 'Carey "to retire this year"' and carries the sidebar 'The people's Archbishop'.

5 January 2002: The Astronomer Royal
In which The Times interviews Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal of the UK, and asks him if he believes in God.

5 January 2002: Church and state in Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada reports that Archbishop Michael Peers began the new year with a warning that Canada seems to be moving toward a secular society, devoid of any mention of faith.

5 January 2002: At your (carol) service
The Times' weekly 'At your service' column reports on a visit by Bruce Dear to a service of Christmas Carols at St Lawrence Church in Bourton-on-the-Water.

5 January 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse devotes his column in The Telegraph to the topic of Christian pilgrimage to the holy land.

4 January 2002: African bishops speak out
The Bishop of Maiduguri (Nigeria) has spoken out against the murder of that country's Attorney-General. The Bishop of Northern Uganda has spoken out in support of the president's pledge to resettle 460,000 refugees.

2 January 2002: The Hollingworth issue as seen from Scotland
The Scotsman, with the perspective of time and distance, has summarised the history and current state of the plight of Australia's Governor-General, the former Archbishop of Brisbane.

2 January 2002: English churchgoers found to be more conservative
The Telegraph (London) reports that a recent survey showed that regular churchgoers are more likely to be politically conservative. A mathematical corollary of this finding is that churchgoers are not representative of the population as a whole.

2 January 2002: Faith and extremism
The Rt Revd John Charles Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln, writes to the Times in response to last week's 'What are we doing, in God's name' (listed in our Worth Noting section, but no longer online except to paid subscribers).

1 January 2002: Andrew Furlong, suspended Irish dean
Some weeks ago the Dean of Clonmacnoise and Rector of Trim, Co Meath, the Very Rev Andrew Furlong, was suspended by his bishop for his unconventional views. Because his views did not represent the official parish position, his web pages were removed from his parish web site. Fr Furlong now has his own web site, from which you can decide for yourself whether his views are consistent with the Anglican church.