30 December 2002: Jerusalem Post opposes ABC
The Jerusalem Post reports on what it calls 'The archbishop of Canterbury's moral surrender'. Simultaneously, the Arab News (Saudi Arabia) calls him a 'charismatic leader'.

29 December 2002: Staying home
Most of the world's newspapers that would print Anglican news had the good sense to let their employees take off work this week, so the world press contains almost nothing but wire stories. We found 111 copies of the Belgrade story and 57 copies of a story about UN inspectors in Iraq. The Guardian (London) points out that 'Everyone needs a break from news - especially journalists'.

29 December 2002: Vanishing churches? Vanishing faith?
The Herald Sun (Melbourne) reports that senior Anglican officials believe that Australia's mainstream Christian churches may be gone within 15 years.

29 December 2002: Vanishing priests?
The Associated Press reports that the Revd David Moyer, who is involved in a publicity-intensive dispute with his bishop, has been transferred to a diocese in central Africa. The article does not name the diocese, nor (at our press time) does the Breaking News section of the Forward in Faith website.

26 December 2002: Church and state in Serbia
The Serbian Ministry of Religion has apologised for an incident in which a group of people blocked the entrance to the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate, in which that city's Anglican community was preparing to hold a Christmas service.

26 December 2002: Churches full from fear of war
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the war against terrorism appears to be driving people to religion with attendances at many churches swelling.

25 December 2002: Entering a monastery
Exploring the ruins of one of the great monasteries of Britain, such as Rievaulx, one easily imagines a community bustling with people. Today when a single person took vows to become an Episcopal monk, it is international news, and the New York Times reports it as such.

24 December 2002: Bishops speak
Almost every bishop in the Anglican world has issued a Christmas message. We don't feel the need to quote all of them here. You can find many such messages using Google News, and some others at the Anglican Communion News Service. We enjoyed hearing from the Rt Revd Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, whose message was published in The Independent. The Independent managed to get a pre-release excerpt of Rowan Williams' Christmas speech. It's worth reading even if you think Rowan Williams is the antichrist, though, come to think of it, most such people stopped reading Anglicans Online some time ago, so never mind.

24 December 2002: Festooned with adjectives
The Guardian (London) printed a short editorial about various condemnations of Rowan Williams' recent Dimbleby lecture (see 20 December 2002).

22 December 2002: Virgin birth a humbug?
The Telegraph (London) reports that one quarter of Church of England clergy do not believe in the virgin birth. This was a survey commissioned by that newspaper itself, which leads us to believe that perhaps they are trying to sell more newspapers. The Telegraph also published this editorial about the survey.

22 December 2002: ABC: 'Gay priests are not on my agenda'
The Independent reports that the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, said that the issue of having gay priests in the Church was not on his agenda. The BBC reported the same event, in different words.

21 December 2002: Sacred Mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to an anthology of spiritual readings.

20 December 2002: ABC gives the Dimbleby lecture
The Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered the 2002 Richard Dimbleby lecture at Westminster School. It was televised on BBC1, a British national channel. There was significant press coverage. The Guardian published this review by Andrew Brown and this review, more focused on British national politics than the church itself. Ruth Gledhill, writing in The Times, called his speech a 'morality crusade' and said the speech was 'one of the most intellectually ambitious and far-reaching speeches from an Archbishop of Canterbury for 30 years'. Britain's Prime Minister had this to say.

20 December 2002: Bethlehem will be open for Christmas
The Church Times reports that the Israeli authorities have denied the charge that Bethlehem is closed to worshippers this Christmas.

18 December 2002: Training for priests in Illinois
The Daily Herald (Chicago) reports that the Diocese of Chicago has created a clergy training programme to supplement what clergy learn in seminary (theological college).

17 December 2002: Kenyan priests challenge election of bishop
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that three priests have obtained an injunction challenging the enthronement of Venerable Charles Mwendwa Ndiga as the second bishop of Meru.

16 December 2002: Blessing for gay couple planned in Vancouver
The Telegraph (London) reports that a small parish in the Diocese of New Westminster, in Canada, will openly celebrate the joining of a gay couple. The newspaper reports that ceremonies like this have been happening for years, but never before with this level of publicity.

16 December 2002: Acceptance and tolerance in ECUSA churches
The Telegraph (London) reports that even 'traditional' churches in the USA are often comfortable with diversity, including homosexuality.

16 December 2002: Rejection in African churches
The Telegraph (London) reports that African churches will have no part of acceptance of homosexuality.

16 December 2002: Another take on The Christmas Story
The BBC, The Guardian (London), and The Telegraph (London) report that the Rt Revd Keith Sutton, Bishop of Lichfield for many years, described in his Christmas message a version of the nativity story that is rather at odds with the usual version. Here is the text of that message on the Lichfield website, but we note that it was modified after the publication of those news stories; we forgot to save a copy of the earlier version.

16 December 2002: Obituary
The Telegraph printed an obituary for Canon Frank Wright, former Canon of Manchester Cathedral.

16 December 2002: Further word on Nancy Scott
The day-to-day struggle for survival of the Revd Nancy Scott is detailed here on her parish's website. It is clear that she was very badly injured and is clinging to life.

15 December 2002: Australian priest badly injured in church wall collapse
The Sunday Times (Perth) reports that the Revd Nancy Scott was gravely injured when four sliding partition walls collapsed at Minchin Centre in Middle Swan.

14 December 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to Methodists and angels.

13 December 2002: Church choir in Uganda
While scouring the world's newspapers to see if there might be more Anglican news this week, we stumbled across this report on a concert by the Namirembe Cathedral choir in Kampala, Uganda. We enjoyed reading it, so we list it here as if it were news.

12 December 2002: General Synod of the Church of Melanesia
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on the 10th General Synod of the Church of Melanesia, held recently in Honiara.

11 December 2002: Santa Claus asserts his existence
The BBC reports that Santa Claus has issued a press release asserting that he is real. This in response to a recent news story quoting an English vicar saying that he could not exist. (We are told that this press release is 'a clever ripoff' of something in recent British political news.)

10 December 2002: Anglican Congress meets in Atlanta
The Episcopal News Service (USA) reports on the recent Anglican Congress held in Atlanta by an alliance of conservative groups. The Anglican Congress website is here; at our press time we do not see a report of the conference on that site.

10 December 2002: "All Souls' Day group" releases statement on sexuality
The Church Times reports that a newly-formed evangelical group called 'The All Souls' Day Group' has released a statement entitled 'Leadership in Society Today'. Membership in this group includes 'Reform', the Church Society, a few bishops, and various other individuals. The statement includes a list of signatories. The Guardian reported 'Hardline Anglicans take shot at leader' and The Telegraph reported 'Church alliance warns Williams over gays'.

7 December 2002: Bushfire appeal in Australia
The Australian reports that the Anglican Church of Australia has launched an urgent appeal to provide assistance for victims of the NSW bushfire crisis. There are more than 80 separate wildfires burning in New South Wales.

7 December 2002: Royal wedding of the year in Anglican cathedral
The City Press (South Africa) reports on 'a glamorous and star-studded wedding outside Umtata in the Eastern Cape, Princess Nandi, daughter of King Goodwill Zwelithini, tied the knot with Prince Bovulengwe Mfundo Mtirara, a Prince of the abaThembu'. The first ceremony, in Umtata, 'in Western clothes', was an Anglican wedding presided over by the Bishop of St John's. The second ceremony, in 'traditional wedding attire', took place later, outside the city. If you are intrigued by this event and wish to read more about it, there is more coverage available.

7 December 2002: New director for Anglican Centre in Rome
The Anglican Communion News Service reports the appointment of the Rt Revd John Flack, currently Bishop of Huntingdon (Diocese of Ely) as Director of the Anglican Centre and the Archbishop's representative to the Holy See. As we go to press the ACNS does not yet have this announcement online, but you can read about it on the Diocese of Ely's website.

6 December 2002: Diocese of Melbourne to apologise for abuse
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the Anglican Church in Melbourne has moved to apologise to victims and the wider community for sexual abuse within the church, after an internal review condemned the way it deals with complaints.

6 December 2002: Three women to be ordained in Kenya
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports that three women will be among the sixteen ordinands in the Diocese of Mombasa. There are currently no ordained women priests in the Coast province of the Anglican Church of Kenya.

6 December 2002: Rowan Williams and the press
Damian Thompson, writing in The Telegraph, comments on press coverage of the relationship between the new Archbishop of Canterbury and his antagonists.

5 December 2002: Church and state in Nigeria
This Day (Lagos) reports that the Most Revd Emmanuel Kana Mani, Bishop of Maiduguri and Archbishop of Jos Province, has said that 'in the present ongoing political horse-trading, the north should forgo the presidency to other parts of the country'. The north of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim.

3 December 2002: 'Devastating' study of sex abuse in British churches
Reuters and The Irish Examiner report that Britain's and Ireland's churches were handed a report Tuesday detailing incidents of sexual abuse -- some committed by clerics.

3 December 2002: Bishop of Tasmania pleads for abuse reports
The Hobart Mercury reports that the Rt Revd John Harrower, Bishop of Tasmania, has urged anyone who had been sexually abused by a member of the clergy to go to the police.

3 December 2002: News coverage of +Cantuar's confirmation
The Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams was confirmed on 2 December as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. There was plenty of UK news coverage, including the BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Western Mail (Wales), and the Church Times. There was a smattering of coverage outside the UK, including Reuters, the Associated Press, Voice of America, and Agence France-Presse. Many other newspapers ran these wire stories; we shan't list them individually. South Africa's The Independent Online used the headline 'Honorary druid takes over Anglican church'. Andreas Whittam Smith, columnist in The Independent, argues that Rowan Williams will thrive on public controversy; the next day its columnist Adrian Hamilton wrote 'Forgive me if I lack faith in this new Archbishop'. Zoe Williams, writing in The Guardian, discusses sex, society, and the Church; the next day that newspaper ran an editorial stating 'New church head makes welcome waves'. The organisation known as 'Reform' issued another press release condemning Dr Williams. Will Hutton, writing in The Observer on Sunday, asserted 'Thank God for Rowan Williams'.

3 December 2002: Church and state in England
The Times reports that the new Archbishop of Canterbury has personally backed an inquiry into how the Church of England can loosen or sever its links with the State. It is usually impossible to read The Times' website from anywhere but the UK, but the story has been widely copied elsewhere, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Western Mail, and The Coventry News.

3 December 2002: Staff shuffles at Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Journal reports that Sam Carriere is the new acting director of the communications and information resources department, and that Leanne Larmondin is the new acting editor of the Anglican Journal.

1 December 2002: World AIDS day
Today is World AIDS day. The Church Times reports that churches have played a significant role in forcing Africa's leaders to recognize the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Link and Think online news has prepared a significant collection of links and information about World AIDS day.

1 December 2002: Editorials about the new Archbishop
The Independent today published an editorial 'The new Archbishop has a good voice. He must use it.'

1 December 2002: Retired Anglican bishop says that Roman Catholics should ordain women
The Independent reports that the Rt Revd Richard Holloway, retired Bishop of Edinburgh, says that celibate women should be ordained in the Roman Catholic church.

1 December 2002: Archbishop attacks Church pomp
The BBC reports that the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has criticised the pomp and circumstance of the church he now heads. Our European news correspondent, who has a videotape of this interview and has watched it more than once, reports 'The news reports of it, even the BBC, all suffer from taking individual snippets out of context.'

30 November 2002: Rowan Williams: the patron saint of disruption
Paul Handley, who is editor of the Church Times, writes for The Independent about Rowan Williams.

29 November 2002: Interviews with Rowan Williams
The Church Times has published the first half of an interview with Rowan Williams. The interview was sufficiently newsworthy that the Church Times and The Guardian both published news stories about it. The Church of England Newspaper has also published the first half of its interview with Dr Williams (each newspaper produced its own interview), though the CEN also published its second half today. The CEN published this news story about its interview. A week later the Church Times published the second half of its interview.

27 November 2002: Archbishop calls for religious harmony
The BBC reports that the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, who by the time you read this sentence will be Archbishop of Canterbury, has launched a project encouraging tolerance and understanding of different world faiths.

26 November 2002: Report on recent Church of England General Synod
Anglicans Online correspondent Peter Owen has filed this report of the Church of England's recent General Synod.

24 November 2002: Church power anti-Christian, says Archbishop
The Independent (London) reports that the new Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned the Church of England for being obsessed with anti-Christian trappings of power. The archbishop also had something to say about sex, but we chose to ignore it.

24 November 2002: New bishop enthroned in Kenya
The East African Standard reports that the Rt Revd Peter Njagi Njoka was enthroned as the first Bishop of Nairobi.

23 November 2002: News report that cathedral is to be renamed
In this virtuous world, something becomes news if you declare it to be so, and bad things have been known to happen to those who question whether or not a report is actually news. Thus, we choose not to question the news in the Sydney Morning Herald today (scroll to the bottom of the page) announcing that the Cathedral of St Andrew in Sydney is to be renamed the Cathedral of St Jensen. The report asserts that the change was approved by archbishop Nesbitt Jensen, after prayerful guidance from the Naming Committee led by Archdeacon Ezekiel Jensen and Prebendary Matthias Jensen, with invaluable help from Mrs Desmae Jensen.

23 November 2002: Church and state in England
The Telegraph reports that new British laws may make fundraisers too expensive for churches. Go figure.

23 November 2002: Vandals smash 24 windows at Gloucester Cathedral
The Telegraph reports that thousand-year-old Gloucester Cathedral has suffered significant attacks of vandalism recently. Its dean described the damage as 'the worst since the Reformation'. The Telegraph also explains that there is a great deal more to Gloucester Cathedral than Harry Potter.

23 November 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to the death of Myra Hindley.

23 November 2002: What would Jesus drive?
For many years, a popular automobile sticker in parts of the USA has said 'WWJD?', 'what would Jesus do?'. Recently an advertising campaign in the US has been promoting the question 'What would Jesus drive?'. While much of the world struggles with petrol costs of 1 euro per litre, the USA is buying more and more huge petrol-hungry SUV's. We wonder if Jesus wouldn't drive a Jensen Interceptor?

22 November 2002: Ray Owen case settled out of court
The Church Times reports that the Revd Ray Owen, who has been battling to keep his job as Team Rector of Hanley since July 1999, withdrew his case from the High Court on Tuesday, and accepted an agreement with Lichfield diocese.

22 November 2002: Church abuse inquiry extended
The Australian reports that an independent inquiry into past handling of sexual abuse complaints in the Brisbane Anglican Diocese has been given more time to complete its investigation.

21 November 2002: A church that matters
The BBC has published a transcript of a recent Radio 4 'Current Affairs' programme, in which Andrew Brown moderates a discussion among Dr Jane Freeman, Lord Hurd, Revd Nerissa Jones, Peter Selby, Graham Cray, Andreas Whittam Smith, and David Hope.

21 November 2002: Church parish system 'on brink of collapse'
Ananova reports that the Archbishop of York has asserted that the Church of England's parish system is on the brink of collapse due to a shortage of vicars. Should you be looking for a vicar for your parish, we'd like to remind you that Anglicans Online vacancy adverts are free of charge, and reach people all over the world. Meanwhile The Guardian reports that there are plenty of creative uses for church buildings that are rather larger than they need to be to support their parishes.

21 November 2002: Suggestion to ban Muslim clothing in Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a member of the Australian parliament, the Revd Fred Nile, has suggested that the wearing of chadors in public be banned in Australia, lest the women wearing them conceal weapons or explosives under them. This is the first time in our memory that a conservative Christian politician has demanded in public that women wear clothing that reveals what is underneath. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports on the political arguments that were triggered by this suggestion. The Australian and The Age report that the Diocese of Jensen in the Anglican Church in Sydney has moved to distance itself from Mr Nile.

20 November 2002: Residential schools settlement in Canada
The Anglican Journal reports that Canada's federal cabinet has approved an agreement with the Anglican Church of Canada that will limit the church's liability over Indian residential schools. The General Secretary of the ACC has issued this statement. News coverage includes The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, United Press International, Associated Press, the BBC, and CTV. The Globe and Mail also reports that 'Taxpayers left with most of school-abuse bill'. The National Post reports that 'a consortium of lawyers wants an Ontario court to order Ottawa not to settle the abuse claims of former native residential school students without first telling claimants about a class-action lawsuit that aims to win far greater compensation'.

20 November 2002: Anglican women in Sydney
Archdeacon Narelle Jarrett, who is responsible for women's ministry in the Anglican Church in Sydney, explains her point of view in the Sydney Morning Herald. The next day that newspaper ran a column by Dr Muriel Porter, commenting on the larger picture of the role of women in the Diocese of Jensen. And the day after that, The Age published a reply by Peter Jensen, primate of the Anglican Church in Sydney.

17 November 2002: Ecumenical bishops' meeting in Malta
The Times (Malta) reports that Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops are meeting for four days in Valletta, Malta. The Church Times has reported on the purpose of these talks.

16 November 2002: Building the Diocese of Jensen
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, less than a month after appointing his brother to a cathedral post, the Archbishop of Sydney has appointed his wife to a women's lay ministry whose purpose would appear to be to reduce the demand for the ordination of women. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the radio that he has been accused of nepotism. News Interactive (Sydney) reports that Archbishop Jensen said that having his brother, wife, and son in formal roles in the diocese does not constitute nepotism. We don't know whether or not he has a nephew.

16 November 2002: Church and state in Kenya
The Nation (Nairobi) reports on interdenominational discussions in Kenya to help ensure peaceful elections. The article quotes the Most Revd Benjamin Nzimbi, Archbishop of Kenya, asserting that the constitution should allow only heterosexual relationships.

15 November 2002: Uganda bishop wants the whip
The Monitor (Kampala) reports that the Rt Revd Elisha Kyamugambi, Bishop of Ankole, has called for a return to corporal punishment in schools.

15 November 2002: Ecumenical success in New South Wales
The Young Witness (Young, NSW) reports on a successful combining of Anglican and Roman Catholic congregations into a joint service.

15 November 2002: Freemasons have no place in the Church
The Independent reports that the new Archbishop of Canterbury has said he believes Christianity and Freemasonry are "incompatible" and has refused to appoint clergymen to senior posts because they are members of the Brotherhood. Here is the Freemasons' explanation of why Freemasonry and religion are unrelated.

15 November 2002: Church of England synod report
The best current coverage of the Church of England general synod, which ended today, is in The Church Times. Note added later: Anglicans Online coverage of the event, by Peter Owen, is now available.

15 November 2002: EU finds in favour of Owen
The Church Times reports that the European Parliament has voted 388-10 in favour of a resolution supporting the Revd Ray Owen's various legal claims about his employment status. In a story that may seem unrelated, The Telegraph reports that Church of England bishops voted for a 16.5 per cent pay rise for clergy at the General Synod last night, significantly boosting their incomes.

15 November 2002: Row over letter to Rowan
The Church Times reports that the Rt Revd Michael Turnbull, Bishop of Durham, is unhappy with The Church of England Newspaper (biggest competitor of the Church Times) for its handling of a letter to Rowan Williams of which Mr Turnbull is a signatory.

14 November 2002: Vancouver rector resigns over same-sex issues
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) reports that the Revd Timothy Cooke, rector of a church in North Vancouver, has resigned in protest of his diocese's willingness to bless unions of people of the same sex.

13 November 2002: Job interviews for English bishops
The Telegraph and The Independent and The Church Times (all of London) report that the next Archbishop of Canterbury—and all future candidates for the posts of bishop or archbishop—will face a job interview, for the first time in Church of England history.

12 November 2002: Church of England general synod on Iraq war
The Guardian and The Telegraph imply opposite outcomes of the Church of England's general synod debate about war on Iraq.

11 November 2002: Remarriage in church
The Telegraph (London) reports that 'the final obstacle to the Church of England allowing the remarriage of divorcees in church was overcome yesterday, despite an eleventh-hour effort by senior clergy to block the reform'. We recall once noting that the New York Times' style guide prohibited reporters from using the word 'reform' because it implied a value judgment. The BBC, The Independent, and The Guardian also filed similar reports. The Telegraph reported again, a few days later, saying 'Divorcees can now have full church wedding'.

11 November 2002: Dressing down in church
The BBC reports that England's general synod is debating a motion to allow clergy to dispense with their robes and go casual. Regardless of how it comes out, we'd like to remind you that the Anglicans Online Shop carries a nice long-sleeve T-shirt marked 'This isn't a T-shirt, it's a Vestment'. Ah, here we are: The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Independent all report that the general synod voted to keep the existing dress code. The Independent also ran a fairly silly editorial about church clothing. We do hope that everyone involved in this argument buys one of our T-shirts; we can really use the money.

11 November 2002: Bellringer shortage in Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the dwindling band of bellringers in New South Wales.

10 November 2002: Remembrance Day
The Rt Revd Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, writes of war, in The Observer.

10 November 2002: First US woman bishop retires
The Boston Globe reports on the retirement of the Rt Revd Barbara Harris, suffragan bishop in Massachusetts.

9 November 2002: Sydney society follows Rule 7, since there is no Rule 6
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the organisation wielding the power behind the cathedra in Sydney, the Anglican Church League, has called for the resignation of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury even before he is enthroned.

9 November 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to taboos and the comparing of taboos to morality. He points out that the confusion of taboo and morality leads some people to assume that an act that repels them must be immoral.

8 November 2002: It's not at all like an Iraqi election
Ananova reports that Dr Rowan Williams has been elected as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Never mind that he was the only candidate, and that his selection by HM the Queen had been announced months earlier. This makes it official.

8 November 2002: Surrender in the cathedral
The Independent reports that managers at Lincoln Cathedral have backed down over plans to lay off their world-renowned organist.

8 November 2002: Anglican communicators in Africa
The African Church Information Service reports on the meeting of church communicators in the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa. We note that African churches are using modern technology more effectively than are their sister provinces in the US and Britain, though they are spending far less money on it.

7 November 2002: Women clergy
The Church of England Newspaper reports that women priests claimed this week that discrimination in the Church was still rife. The Church Times reports that GRAS has produced a table of dioceses according to their treatment of women priests (the article will tell you what GRAS is). The Telegraph reports on the diocese-by-diocese parts of the GRAS survey.

7 November 2002: Continuing talk of diocesan merger
The Church of England Newspaper reports on the continuing gossip about a possible merger of the Diocese of Bradford with the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds.

7 November 2002: Obituaries
The Telegraph has published an obituary of Canon Donald Nicholson, who "belonged to a once vigorous but now largely forgotten element in the Anglo-Catholic tradition." Also The Telegraph has published an obituary of John Williams, church musician.

7 November 2002: Bishops to debate 'rift' fears with Williams
The Telegraph reports that senior bishops 'have offered to hold confidential talks with the next Archbishop of Canterbury amid growing fears that his liberal views will divide the Church.'

6 November 2002: Clergy trade unions
The BBC reports on the case of an English vicar, Ray Owen, who is managing his dispute with his former employer, the Church of England, as if it were an industrial position. While this is, at the moment, a peculiarly English phenomenon, we will monitor it as international news because it is rather precedent-setting. Coverage of this event includes 'Vicar gets MP's backing for battle' and 'Vicar's appeal backed by MEPs' in the BBC and 'Europe votes on Owen case' in the Church Times.

5 November 2002: Rowan Williams on war in Iraq
The Telegraph has published an essay by the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop-designate of Canterbury: 'Don't call us appeasers for hesitating at war with Iraq'. That newspaper also reported this essay as a news story, as did The Guardian and the Church Times.

4 November 2002: Conflict with Church of Kenya over AIDS
The East African Standard (Nairobi) reports on a dispute in Kenya about AIDS education.

3 November 2002: Pittsburgh resolution
The Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh) reports that 'Clergy and laity of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted overwhelmingly to reject the blessing of same-sex unions, gender-neutral liturgical language for the Trinity and any efforts by the national church to force bishops and priests to violate traditional Christian beliefs'.

2 November 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week used his column in The Telegraph to write about conflicts in the Welsh ecumenical movement.

1 November 2002: Words against war
Newsweek magazine reports that 'England’s incoming Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out against an assault on Iraq'. Even if you don't read the article, you must look at the picture. For months and months, the press has used the same tired collection of photographs of Rowan Williams. This is a new one.

31 October 2002: Resolution near at Lincoln Cathedral
The Church of England Newspaper reports that the messy dispute at Lincoln Cathedral could be ended soon. Many who live outside the Diocese of Lincoln have seen this as a tempest in a trompette, but in a slow news week we reach for stories.

31 October 2002: Same-sex blessing issues in Canada
The Anglican Journal reports 'Bishops divided on same-sex blessings; urge mediation'. Here is the text of the statement issued by those bishops. The Star (Toronto) reported this event with the headline 'Anglicans' gay union debate postponed for all but one'.

30 October 2002: Woman snubbed in Scotland
The Herald (Glasgow) reports that the hierarchy of the Church of Scotland was under fire last night after it again snubbed the only female candidate seeking to become moderator-designate of the General Assembly. Please note that the Church of Scotland is not part of the Anglican church.

28 October 2002: An archbishop's farewell
The Most Revd Dr George Carey retired as Archbishop of Canterbury this week. A report in the Church Times. The Times (London), in an article that seems to be available to readers who haven't paid a fee, also reports on his retirement. William Rees-Mogg, writing also in The Times, compares the resignation of Carey to the death of William Temple 60 years earlier. The Telegraph reports on a book whose release was timed to match Dr Carey's retirement, in which he was accused of shunning and abandoning women priests. Worldwide news coverage of this retirement includes Voice of America and Reuters (which reports him as strongly backing women priests).

27 October 2002: Archbishop's brother is now official
Peter Jensen's news service (Anglican Media Sydney) has reported that Phillip Jensen, the archbishop's brother, has been appointed Dean of Sydney. Numerous angry people from that diocese have sent us complaints, parody press releases announcing a change of name of the diocese to Jensentown, and so forth, but we shan't mention them further. Nor shall we contemplate moving to Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald reports on one person who chose to leave the cathedral parish as a result of this action. As the world's Anglican churches cope with declining membership, they try different approaches to prevent declines. In Sydney their strategy seems to be to change the meaning of 'Anglican' to better meet popular demand. This article in the Sydney Morning Herald offers a fascinating glimpse into how that works and what it means.

27 October 2002: Durham dean not bishop's brother
The British Government announces that the Queen has approved the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove MA, FRSA, Dean of Sheffield to be appointed Dean of Durham.

27 October 2002: Lunenburg a year later
The Halifax Daily News (Nova Scotia) reports on the feelings in Lunenburg a year after their church burned down. It was one of the oldest churches in North America, and it was still very much in use.

27 October 2002: New primate in IARCA
It happened two months ago, but it's only making the international press just now. The Latin America Press reports that Bishop Martín Barahona of El Salvador was installed on 24 August as primate of the Anglican Church of the Region of Central America.

27 October 2002: NIC parish builds a church
The Post and Courier (South Carolina, USA) reports on the construction of a new church building by a not-in-communion parish. This seems to us to be a much more appropriate way than a lawsuit to acquire a church building.

26 October 2002: Church is braced for election of gay bishop
The Telegraph (London) reports that the Anglican Church could soon have its first openly homosexual bishop.

26 October 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to a lament that most bishops are bland and boring.

25 October 2002: Judge throws out lawsuits against Anglican Church
The Globe and Mail (Toronto), the CBC, and the BBC report that a judge in Canada has ruled that the Anglican Church of Canada can't be sued over alleged physical and sexual abuse at residential schools. The government says it is considering an appeal, because it fears it will be held liable if the churches are not. The Globe and Mail also reports on a settlement plan offered by the Anglican church. The Anglican Church of Canada's official website has this related report, and also contains this very detailed explanation of the residential schools issue.

25 October 2002: Forward in Faith starts to plan for women bishops
The Church Times (London) reports that Forward in Faith, the umbrella group for those in the Church of England who are opposed to the ordination of women to the priesthood, is making 'contingency plans to cope with the situation that might arise if the Church of England starts to consecrate women bishops'.

25 October 2002: Churches Advertising Network
The Church Times reports on the latest advertisement from the creative minds at the Churches Advertising Network.

25 October 2002: Upcoming Synod in England
The Church Times reports that the Church of England General Synod will meet from a Monday to a Friday next month (11-15 November) at Church House, Westminster, with a heavy agenda unbroken by either a eucharist or presidential address.

25 October 2002: Denouncing sinners
The Church Times reports that the UK conservative evangelical group named 'Reform' have passed a resolution urging bishops to publicly denounce churchgoers who have sex outside marriage.

24 October 2002: Booklet warns that ABC will endanger souls
The Telegraph (London) reports that a young lecturer in church history has produced a 50-page booklet warning the faithful that Dr Rowan Williams, soon to be enthroned as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, will endanger souls.

22 October 2002: Pulpit politics
The Sydney Morning Herald has published an editorial asserting that 'clerics need to look to their own houses instead of government affairs'.

22 October 2002: Pulpit pay
In the Church of England, clergy salaries are determined centrally. The Telegraph reports that English clergy may get a 16.5% pay rise.

22 October 2002: Saints in slums
The Guardian (London) reports that a recent archaeological dig has determined that some of Britain's earliest saints lived in 'virtual urban slum conditions rather than in stained glass seclusion'. In reporting the same event, The Independent notes the connection to Dracula.

22 October 2002: Recife cathedral withdraws from its diocese
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the dean and congregation of Holy Trinity Cathedral in the diocese of Recife (Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil) has cut their relationship with the diocese. They have also removed their website, so we have removed it from our listings.

20 October 2002: Australia mourns
Most of the 180 victims of the terrorist attack last week in Bali were young Australians. Today Australia is in mourning for them. Reports in The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Sunday Tasmanian, The Sunday Mail, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (among many others).

20 October 2002: Argue about it, or just do it?
The Telegraph reports that a recent survey shows that vicars in the Church of England have been blessing hundreds of gay couples per year. A few days earlier that newspaper had reported that the Christian Institute has proposed the creation of an adoption card, that parents could carry around like an organ-donor card, to stipulate that upon the death of the parents, their children could not be adopted by a gay couple.

20 October 2002: Archbishop hires his brother
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that 'a storm is brewing among Sydney Anglicans following Archbishop Peter Jensen's decision to offer a senior post to his younger brother, the Rev Phillip Jensen'. Dr Jensen's press agency, Anglican Media Sydney, will most likely issue a press release supporting this decision, and Anglicans Together, an organisation of moderates in that diocese, will most likely disagree. As we go to press, neither has issued any statements online.

20 October 2002: Call for peace among religions
The Age (Australia) reports that a leading Anglican theologian yesterday urged rival world religions to begin talks aimed at defining "global ethical standards".

19 October 2002: Australian archbishop speaks out, annoys Foreign Affairs Minister
One might argue that one reason to have archbishops is for them to challenge prime ministers. Or not. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the Most Revd Dr Peter Carnley, primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, has spoken out linking the Bali bombing with Australia's support for war in Iraq, and gotten a response from Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister. Here is the ABC radio transcript of the interview that has raised the fuss.

19 October 2002: Diocese of Ottawa to vote on same-sex unions
The Ottawa Citizen reported that the Diocese of Ottawa will vote today on whether priests should be authorized to bless same-sex unions. The next day that newspaper reported that the outcome was a vote to set up a task force to examine the blessing of same-sex unions.

19 October 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to the Rosary.

19 October 2002: Modern life is too quiet
The BBC reports that the vicar of an English church built in the 15th century has started its old clock chiming again. After 115 years of public acceptance, there were complaints that the chimes were too noisy, so he had turned it off.

18 October 2002: Archbishop of York says he won't retire
Last week there was a flurry of articles announcing the imminent retirement of the Archbishop of York. Today the Church Times reports that he says he isn't about to retire.

18 October 2002: Homeless bishop
The Church Times reports that the appointment of the first bishop to the new Diocese of Angola has been postponed because he cannot be provided with a house.

17 October 2002: ABC to visit Toronto
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) reports on the Archbishop of Canterbury's upcoming visit to Canada. The article is mostly an analysis of the office and not the man who currently holds it.

17 October 2002: Anglican church in Harare an object of ridicule?
The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe) has published a letter from a citizen worrying that the feud between the bishop and the members of his diocese have made the church an object of public ridicule in Zimbabwe.

17 October 2002: Update on the goings-on at Ripon Cathedral
There's all manner of conflict at Ripon Cathedral. When we choose to report conflicts like this as international news, we try hard not to take sides. This appears to be so intricate that we're not sure we could learn enough about it to take sides. The Church of England Newspaper reports on the state of things.

17 October 2002: New suffragan bishop is Dr Carey's last consecration
The Diocese in Europe (Church of England) reports the consecration of the Rt Revd David Hamid as bishop suffragan in what will be the last consecration by the current Archbishop of Canterbury.

16 October 2002: Patrolling Lunenburg
Last year on Halloween the town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, lost its ancient Anglican church to a fire. The Herald (Halifax) reports that this year there will be dozens of teenage volunteers patrolling to prevent similar incidents.

13 October 2002: Persecution of Christians in Sudan
The Omaha World-Herald reports on the activities of the Rt Revd Nathaniel Garang, Bishop of Bor, in uniting Christians in southern Sudan.

13 October 2002: Churches in Sydney
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on progress of efforts in Sydney towards 'corralling 10 per cent of the local population into a "Bible-believing" church'. The article notes that many churches built as Anglican are now in use by other denominations. Another article in that same newspaper reports that not everyone in Sydney is thrilled with the plan to remove the requirement that Anglican churches be Anglican. One of the organisations that is not entirely thrilled has produced this web page about the 2002 Sydney Synod.

13 October 2002: Church and state in Zimbabwe
The Sunday Herald (Edinburgh) reports on starvation and death in Zimbabwe while the Anglican bishop of Harare preaches sermons comparing that country's president to Jesus. The Daily News (Harare) reports that Bishop Nolbert Kunonga's lawyer yesterday abandoned his application in the civil magistrates' court for a permanent order to bar a number of parishioners from entering the Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints and carrying out their duties. That newspaper also printed a plea from an overseas Zimbabwean not to resort to secular courts to settle church disputes.

12 October 2002: War in Iraq
Many of the world's Anglican bishops have issued statements about a war in Iraq. Rather than list them, or trying to keep such a list current, let us refer you to Google News to find the current collection. Pierre Whalon, a bishop who is a columnist for Anglicans Online, has his say on this topic in our Essays collection.

12 October 2002: Synod in Sydney
The Diocese of Sydney is having a synod this week, from 14 to 16 October. You can read the Synod homepage, you can follow Anglican Media Sydney's Breaking News column to see what the diocese has to say about itself, or you can use Google News to find out what (if anything) the world press is saying about the Sydney Synod.

12 October 2002: British clergy 'anxious' about attitude to gays
The Telegraph (London) reports that the chairman of the Church of England Evangelical Council has warned Rowan Williams that 'well over a quarter of the clergy, including a number of senior bishops, are deeply concerned about his liberal views on homosexuality'. The Guardian (London) describes this issue as arcane and of interest only to 'fringe groups', but notes towards the end of the article that the energy behind this issue derives largely from Africa.

12 October 2002: New archbishop enthroned in Nairobi
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Most Revd Benjamin Mwanzia Nzimbi was enthroned last month as Archbishop of Kenya, replacing David Gitari, who retired earlier this year.

12 October 2002: New archbishop enthroned in Dublin
UTV (Ireland) reports that the Most Revd John Neill has been enthroned as the Archbishop of Dublin.

12 October 2002: Rowan Williams' final address to the Diocese of Monmouth
The Most Revd Rowan Williams has been designated as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, but he is still the Bishop of Monmouth. News Wales reports that in that capacity he has delivered his final address to the Monmouth Diocesan conference. The Church in Wales has published the text of that address.

12 October 2002: Archbishop of York to retire
Ananova reports that the Most Revd Dr David Hope, Archbishop of York, has announced that he will retire next year. The BBC also reports his plans to retire, as did The Guardian a few days later.

11 October 2002: British medium on the British media circus
The Church of England Newspaper, which was recently described in a national British newspaper as 'a tiny weekly which is the house organ of the anti-gay forces', has published an article by Andrew Carey, sweet and full of grace, that begins 'To face resignation calls before even taking up your post is a rare indignity made possible by an intensely anxious and media-soaked world.'

11 October 2002: Diocese of Truro to sell property
The Church Times reports that Truro Cathedral hopes to raise up to £750,000 by selling off the residences of its Dean and Treasurer.

10 October 2002: Anglican Church in Australia hopes to corner ethical market
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Glebe Group, owned by the Anglican Church of Australia, is hoping to build on that nation's steadily increasing interest in ethical funds investment.

10 October 2002: Ugandan bishop urges parents to teach their daughters to read
The Monitor (Kampala) reports that the Rt Revd Henry Luke Orombi has spoken out to urge parents not to keep their daughters illiterate.

10 October 2002: Phoenix cathedral burns
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) reports that Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix has burned. Its sanctuary is described as 'a total loss'.

10 October 2002: British politics and the archbishop
The Guardian (London) has printed an opinion piece by David McKie on the relationship of politics surrounding the Conservative party and politics surrounding Rowan Williams. We don't live in Britain and we find this rather incomprehensible, but its language is amusing.

9 October 2002: What colour was Jesus' skin?
The Barbados Advocate reports on a dispute in that Caribbean nation over whether or not Barbados churches should display images of Jesus with white skin. The Anglican bishop took the middle road.

9 October 2002: Bishop lays foundation for new school
The Bay Post-Star (Eurobodalla, New South Wales) reports that the Rt Revd George Browning, Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, unveiled the foundation stone for the new St Peters Anglican College before a crowd of around 100 people.

8 October 2002: Church Society threatens 'direct action' against Rowan Williams
The Telegraph reports that Britain's Church Society promised to act against the next Archbishop of Canterbury unless he recanted his liberal views or resigned. The group named 'Reform' has issued this press release on Dr Williams.

8 October 2002: Evangelicals support Rowan Williams
The Guardian has published a letter signed by five notable British evangelicals who are supporting Rowan Williams. The Church Times reports on this split within the conservative community.

7 October 2002: Bishop of Fredericton to retire
The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal reports that the Rt Revd William J Hockin, Bishop of Fredericton, has announced that he will retire next year.

6 October 2002: They don't build English Gothic cathedrals like they used to
The Times Union (Albany, New York) reports on the efforts to complete the construction of the first Episcopal cathedral built in the United States. Construction was begun by the Rt Revd William Croswell Doane, first Bishop of Albany.

5 October 2002: Zimbabwe bishop banishes those who disagree with him
The Associated Press reports that a court has approved a petition by the Bishop of Harare to ban a group of Christians from church after they protested his outspoken support of President Robert Mugabe, the group's lawyer said Saturday. The Sunday Times (Cape Town, South Africa) reported the story this way. The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe) reported that one of the bishop's most outspoken critics received a death threat. London's Church Times published this story about events in Zimbabwe.

5 October 2002: Sacred mysteries
Christopher Howse this week devotes his column in The Telegraph to a discussion of war in Iraq.

4 October 2002: Sometimes the old ways are best
The Guardian reports that the use of medieval masonry techniques may be able to reverse damage caused to Fountains Abbey in a 1940's restoration attempt.

4 October 2002: Sometimes the old people are all that's left
The Nelson Mail (New Zealand) reports that the Rt Revd Derek Eaton, Bishop of Nelson, said there was a startling lack of people under age 40 in Anglican churches.

4 October 2002: Longest-serving diocesan bishop to retire
The Express and Star (Wolverhampton, UK) reports that the Rt Revd Keith Sutton, who has served as diocesan bishop longer than anyone else in the Anglican Communion, will retire soon as Bishop of Lichfield.

3 October 2002: More squabbling about sex
The British press this week carried a number of stories about the disagreement between conservatives and liberals on the stance of the church towards homosexual people. Someone somewhere is probably calling it a crisis. The Telegraph said 'Rift with church over gays deepens' and 'Another blow to new archbishop'. The Independent said 'New archbishop accused of "condoning immorality"'. The Guardian reports 'Archbishop-in-waiting rejects resignation call'. The Telegraph published this editorial in support of Dr Williams, the Archbishop-designate. The Telegraph reports that it conducted a poll of Church of England clergy and found that 54% of them oppose the ordination of homosexuals. The Church Times filed this report on Dr Williams' reply to one lobbying organisation. Meanwhile, in his capacity as Bishop of Monmouth, Rowan Williams has written this letter to his diocese. We think that everyone should read it carefully, and anyone who has recently screamed about a 'crisis in the church' should read it twice.

3 October 2002: Vancouver parishes ask for alternative episcopal oversight
The Vancouver Sun reports that a group of conservative bishops and archbishops recommended that an alternative or 'flying bishop' be appointed to oversee parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster that oppose that bishop's decision to bless same-sex unions.

2 October 2002: British church posters nominated for advertising award
The BBC reports that posters produced by the Diocese of Birmingham, created to publicise its website, have been nominated for a top advertising award.

2 October 2002: Nigerian bishop speaks out about money and corruption
It is hard to imagine that you have not received at least one 'urgent business proposal' email message from some practitioner of the Nigerian Scam. The Vanguard (Lagos, Nigeria) reports that the Rt Revd Michael Ipinmoye, Bishop of Akure, has called for the re-arrest of the son of the late dictator Sani Abacha. Perhaps this gives a glimmer of an idea where the scammers got their ideas from.

1 October 2002: Province of Canada rescinds email election process
The Anglican Journal (Toronto) reports that the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada, which earlier this year broke new ground and gained international attention by electing its archbishop by email, has rescinded the process that made that possible.