31 March 2005: Bishop loses foot and ankle to disease
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Rt Revd Jon Bruno, Bishop of Los Angeles, needed to have his left foot and ankle amputated to stop a staphylococcus infection. Here is the press release from the diocese.

29 March 2005: Women bishops in the Church of England?
The Church of England has published a 'study programme' to 'help parishes, deaneries and dioceses engage with the Rochester report, Women Bishops in the Church of England?'

27 March 2005: Easter message from the Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has released this Easter message to the Anglican Communion.

26 March 2005: New Bishop of the Seychelles
We've heard from an offline source that the Revd Santosh Marray has been elected bishop of the Diocese of the Seychelles. He replaces the Rt Reverend French Chang-Him. When we find an online announcement, we'll link it here.

25 March 2005: UK government appoints new Bishop of Derby
The Church Times reports that the Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern, currently Suffragan Bishop of Grantham, is to be the next Bishop of Derby. Here is the announcement on the Derby website. The See of Grantham is part of the Diocese of Lincoln.

25 March 2005: Canada's primate talks about politics in England
The Church Times reports that the Most Revd Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has suggested that the blessing of same-sex relationships is much more prevalent in England than in Canada.

23 March 2005: Events in Scotland
The Scottish Episcopal Church released a statement in response to the Windsor Report, then, after various press coverage, released this statement regarding that press coverage. You can find all of that press coverage over on Thinking Anglicans.

22 March 2005: Uganda rejects money from US diocese
The Guardian reports that the Bishop of South Rwenzori has rejected a large sum of money intended for AIDS victims because the source of the money was a US diocese whose bishop approved of the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Earlier the Bishop of Kampala had written a letter to the editor suggesting that the church should listen to all marginalised persons, after which the New Vision reported that the Church of Uganda threatened to bring charges against him if he continued such talk. The Sydney Morning Herald published this interview with the primate of the Church of Uganda.

19 March 2005: A report from Toronto
Thinking Anglicans has a report on a recent meeting in Toronto at which Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, spoke about the recent Primates' meeting in Dromantine. The Canadian Press reported 'Anglican Church ‘broken’ over same-sex debate'. A day later the official version of that story went up on the Diocese of Toronto website.

18 March 2005: Pastoral letter to Nigerians
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria has issued this press release and pastoral letter on the ordination of women.

18 March 2005: New plan of action for South African Church
The Church of the Province of Southern Africa has issued this report on its recent three-day meeting.

16 March 2005: A word to the Church
The House of Bishops of the US Episcopal Church has finished its annual spring meeting in Texas. When the House adjourned, it issued this Word to the Church, and this Covenant Statement. The US Episcopal News Service issued this press release. The Archbishop of Canterbury issued this statement. The Times (London) published this editorial comment by Ruth Gledhill. The Church Times reported 'US dons sackcloth and bans all new bishops'. The Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDAP) issued this statement, and the American Anglican Council issued this statement. Noting those statements, Reuters reported 'Conservative U.S. Anglicans Attack Bishops’ Move'. The Living Church reported 'Presiding Bishop: Primates “Out for Blood” at Meeting'. (We are reminded by this episode of the sweet but mythological story about King Christian X of Denmark and the armbands with yellow stars.)

15 March 2005: Ten new bishops consecrated for Church of Nigeria
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on the consecration of ten new bishops in the Church of Nigeria, for ten new dioceses.

12 March 2005: English clergy shun their bishop
The Telegraph reports that a group of conservative priests in the Diocese of Chelmsford have told their bishop that they refuse to share communion with him because he announced his support for liberal North American churches.

10 March 2005: Obituary
The Rt Revd Peter Nathaniel Nyanja, Bishop of Lake Malawi, died recently. A report and later tribute is in The Nation, Malawi's national newspaper.

9 March 2005: Canadian primate accuses ABC of snub
The Globe and Mail reports that the Most Revd Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has accused the Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams of snubbing North American bishops by refusing to meet with them.

8 March 2005: Nigerian Standing Committee meets in Kaduna
The Church of Nigeria reports that its Standing Committee was to meet in Kaduna from 9 to 12 March. We have, as of our publication date, not seen a news report issued from this meeting.

8 March 2005: Statement from Chair of Anglican Consultative Council
The Rt Revd John Paterson has issued this statement after the recent Primates' meeting.

6 March 2005: We continue to digest the Windsor/Primates situation
Nothing but posturing has actually happened yet in response to the primates' statement, so technically there is no news. Since this is the News Centre, and not the Opinion Centre, you will find our coverage of all of the speculation and posturing to be sparse. We find the best survey and collection of the various opinions to be that at Thinking Anglicans. If you don't have time to wade through the whole section (it's in reverse time order, just like this News Centre) you should read this summary of the responses from special-interest groups, this weekly wrap-up of newspapers' search for news, and this summary in the Church Times.

6 March 2005: Obituaries
The Rt Revd David Sheppard, retired Bishop of Liverpool, has died. Obituaries in the Liverpool Daily Post, The Observer, the Sunday Times, the BBC, and The Telegraph. Rowan Williams issued this tribute to Lord Sheppard. The Rt Revd Richard M Trelease, retired Bishop of Rio Grande, died last week. Obituary in the Albuquerque Journal.

6 March 2005: Southern Virginia bishop to resign
No, not that one. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that the Rt Revd Carol Gallagher, suffragan Bishop of Southern Virginia, has agreed to quit. Everyone who knows either bishop in Southern Virginia seems to have strong opinions about the conflicts there. We know neither.

4 March 2005: Church and State in Zimbabwe
Ecumenical News International reports that an Anglican priest in Zimbabwe, suspended by his bishop for allowing an opposition lawmaker to donate money at a public thanksgiving service last year, is reported to have resigned.

4 March 2005: Old church in Jamaica badly damaged by fire
The Jamaica Observer reports that the historic Church of St Mark, in Rio Bueno, Trelawny, has suffered extensive fire damage.

4 March 2005: Final report on Church of England Synod
Each time the Church of England General Synod holds session, Peter Owen writes a summary report for Anglicans Online. Here is the report for the sessions of 14 to 17 February 2005.

3 March 2005: Bishop consecrated in San Diego
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports on the consecration of the Rt Revd James Mathes as fourth Bishop of San Diego.

3 March 2005: Los Angeles church dispute ordered to mediation by civil court
The North County Times reports that the Diocese of Los Angeles and three breakaway parishes were ordered by a judge to try to settle a dispute over church property in non-binding mediation. This is international news because every time churches fight in civil court, there is a possibility of a legal precedent being set.

27 February 2005: The Primates' statement is its own news
The world has had several days to read and comprehend the statement from the Primates' meeting. There are hundreds of news stories attempting to interpret it, dismiss it, make dire predictions, predict the collapse of the church, or gloat, depending on the beliefs of the writer. Simon Sarmiento has written this careful analysis of what the Primates said and how it is similar to, or different from, the Windsor Report. The Anglican Communion News Service has issued a briefing explaining what the Anglican Consultative Council is and is not. We found value in reports by the BBC, the Globe and Mail, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. We found it very instructive to read the presentation about the Windsor Report given to the primates by Archbishop Robin Eames, chairman of the commission that wrote it, and to read the Church Times report on the press conference that was held at the end of the meeting.

25 February 2005: St Albans bids for its psalter
The Church Times reports that the City and District Council of St Albans is bidding against major academic institutions to bring a 12th-century book of psalms back home.

24 February 2005: Statement from the Primates' meeting, and comments thereon
The Primates assembled in Northern Ireland have scheduled a press conference for Friday, but have already issued this Communiqué. A goodly number of people seem to claim that it says what they want it to say; perhaps, just like the Bible, they are only paying attention to the parts that excite them. The Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church has issued this statement. So many newspapers have articles indicating a complete misunderstanding of the communiqué and its context that we choose not to link any of them here until the reporters do a better job. We are particularly startled at the erroneous coverage by CNN and the US ABC News. Update: The New York Times has an article indicating that they have actually read the communiqué.

20 February 2005: Primates' meeting this week, in Northern Ireland
The Primates of the Anglican Communion will meet this week. The Church Times' report on that meeting notes that 'Few details of the meeting have been released, other than that it begins with two days of retreat and Bible study.' Anglicans Online will wait until the meeting is over and something has happened before we comment or speculate. We suspect that worldwide, most people aware of both will spend more time thinking about the Academy Awards than about the future of the Anglican Communion or its potential splinter groups. (We suspect that most of the world's people will care about neither.) The Associated Press sums up most opinion with 'Expectations Low for Anglican Meeting'.

20 February 2005: Australian primate to expel flying bishop
The Courier Mail (Brisbane) reports that the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia will expel from that church a conservative cleric who plans to act as a flying bishop for parishes opposed to the ordination of women.

17 February 2005: General Synod of the Church of England
The Church of England held its General Synod this week. Simon Sarmiento has written this report. There is more coverage in Thinking Anglicans.

13 February 2005: Church of England General Synod is this week
The US Episcopal church has its General Conventions every 3 years, so each one is rather newsworthy. The Church of England has several General Synod meetings per year, so the news comes out in dribs and drabs. Thinking Anglicans does a terrific job of following England's General Synod.

10 February 2005: ABC welcomes non-church marriage of Prince Charles
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, 'has welcomed the announcement that HRH Prince of Wales and Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles are to marry'. If your happiness depends on having church politics to fret about, this one can keep you pondering for weeks. The Church Times has good coverage of the upcoming wedding and its implications.

10 February 2005: English diocese soon to permit artificial flowers
The Church Times reports that the Diocese of Lichfield 'could be the first officially to allow artificial flowers on gravestones, a practice that is currently banned by Church of England guidelines'. The cartoon accompanying their article is priceless.

8 February 2005: ECUSA Presiding Bishop comments on US Federal budget
The Episcopal News Service carried the text of the comments on the US Federal budget issued by the Most Revd Frank Griswold, Primate of the Episcopal Church. [Editor's note: we thought we ought to use here the proper title of the organization that most call 'ECUSA', but after wasting 5 minutes on its dreadful website, we gave up looking]

8 February 2005: Logistics of Primates' meeting announced
The Anglican Communion News Service has announced press details of the Primates' meeting, to be held in the Dromantine Conference Centre near Newry, Northern Ireland, between 21-25 February 2005. We anticipate some extreme behaviour by adults regardless of the outcome of this meeting, if it has an outcome. The Anglican Communion Office has good and extensive answers to most questions surrounding 'What is a primate and why do they meet?'

7 February 2005: Jack Horner Ordained as Anglican Priest
Most of the world's Anglican newsmakers appear to be off someplace refining their extreme positions in advance of the Primates' Meeting. We are therefore delighted to be able to spend our time hunting down news that actually matters. For example, the Falkland Islands News Network has reported that the Revd Jack Horner was ordained as a Priest in the Church of God by the Lord Bishop of St Helena. Somehow in this first week of Lent it seems to us that the ordination of one good priest is more important than the endless conflicts and power grabs that usually fill the news. We offer our congratulations to Fr Horner, and, if he sends us his postal address and a suggested size, we will send him a free Anglicans Online T-shirt.

6 February 2005: Finding Australia's next primate
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the scramble to be the next primate of the Anglican Church of Australia after the retirement of the Most Revd Dr Peter Carnley, its current primate. The Age (Melbourne) ran an abbreviated version of the same story, but titled it a 'Battle for the soul of the Anglican Church'.

3 February 2005: Bishop consecrated in Botswana
The newspaper Mmegi (Gaborone, Botswana) reports on the consecration of the Rt Revd Trevor Mwamba as Bishop of Botswana, in what that newspaper called 'the biggest ceremony in the church's history'. Botswana is part of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, which also includes Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.

3 February 2005: Bishop elected in Virgin Islands
The Episcopal News Service reports the election of the Revd Edward Ambrose Gumbs as Bishop of the Virgin Islands.

2 February 2005: Virginia legislature looking at changing church ownership laws
The Washington Post reports that a bill being debated in the Virginia legislature would allow congregants to vote to leave their denominations and keep their church buildings and land, unless a legally binding document such as a deed specified otherwise. Currently dioceses and the national church own parish properties in almost all cases. An editorial in that newspaper is scornful of the bill and its introduction. The American Anglican Council, ever eager for schism, issued a press release supporting that bill.

1 February 2005: Canadian churches revisit shared ministry ideas
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada have resumed talks on shared ministries.

31 January 2005: Montreal to sell bishop's residence
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that the diocese of Montreal is selling its bishop’s residence. It is reported to be one of the few large private residences left in the historic district of Montreal.

30 January 2005: Obituary
The Telegraph (London) carries the obituary of the Revd Professor Peter Ackroyd, Old Testament scholar.

30 January 2005: Church and State in Kenya
The Standard (Nairobi) reports that the Diocese of Mumias, in Kenya, has put together what it calls 'a report of shame in the Cabinet' with a list of corrupt and incompetent ministers whom it wants either fired or transferred.

30 January 2005: Episcopal/Lutheran unity in Mississippi
The Associated Press reports that officials of Mississippi's Episcopal and Lutheran churches have announced the creation of a joint mission organization, noting that this new organization is the first of its kind in the USA. The Natchez Democrat comments on the new mission organization, and reports that the Bishop of Mississippi hopes that its impact will go beyond those churches and that state.

29 January 2005: Church of England bishops back Windsor report
The Church Times reports that the Church of England’s House of Bishops has backed the Windsor report.

29 January 2005: African bishops reject apology by US bishops
The Standard (Nairobi) reports that African archbishops rejected the apology by the US Episcopal Church over the ordination of a homosexual bishop. The US-based Associated Press also reported the story.

26 January 2005: Turmoil in Adelaide over commemoration of ex-archbishop
The Advertiser (Adelaide) reported that the Anglican Church is under pressure to cancel a planned commemoration service honouring former archbishop Dr Ian George, who resigned in the aftermath of the church's handling of sex-abuse complaints. The next day, that newspaper reported that the church 'bowed to intense criticism from sexual abuse victims and cancelled a planned service of recognition for former archbishop Ian George'. A former Archbishop of Adelaide has said that it's a pity that this cancellation was necessary, and that the circumstances of his resignation overshadow a lifetime of good works.

23 January 2005: Across the cathedral's back fence
The Telegraph has managed to get its hands on an angry email sent by Celia McCulloch, whom it describes as 'the formidable wife of the Bishop of Manchester'. We shan't try to explain the email; just read the article. Bishop McCulloch often describes himself as the communications strategist for the Church of England. Wasn't it Cardinal Richelieu who advocated the strategy 'Never write a letter...and never destroy one'?

21 January 2005: Six US bishops comment on ECUSA response to Windsor Report
PBS (the US's Public Broadcasting Service) has published a transcript of recent interviews with six bishops of the US Episcopal Church. Thinking Anglicans has an analysis of those interviews.

20 January 2005: Anglican Church of Canada studies sex issue
The Primate's Theological Commission of the Anglican Church of Canada met recently 'to review, consider and report to the Council of General Synod, by its spring 2006 meeting, whether the blessing of committed same sex unions is a matter of doctrine." They released this statement.

20 January 2005: ABC insists church cannot change its opposition to euthanasia
Reuters reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said that the Anglican Church could not change its opposition to euthanasia. Dr Williams' opinion was in an article in The Times (London), which most AO readers cannot access, but it is reproduced here on the Archbishop's own website.

20 January 2005: Solomon Islands bishop says peace mission is failing
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Rt Revd Terry Brown, Bishop of Malaita has made the claim that Australia's peace mission to the Solomon Islands is doomed and the country is already slipping back into lawlessness.

19 January 2005: Africa must set its own agenda
Christian Today (London) reports that the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, encouraged Africa to set its own agenda for the future.

18 January 2005: Anglican Communion Office commissions new Secretary General
The Anglican Communion News Service (part of the Anglican Communion Office) reports that the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon was officially commissioned as Secretary General of that organisation. The Archbishop of Canterbury, known online as the ABC, gave this address.

16 January 2005: Church of England changes position on euthanasia
The Observer (London) reports that the 'Church of England took a radical step towards backing "mercy killing" of terminally ill patients.' The Telegraph also reported this news, but who's going to believe The Telegraph about the Archbishop of Canterbury any more?

16 January 2005: Episcopal Church (US) consecrates 1000th bishop
The Associated Press reports that the Diocese of the Rio Grande has consecrated the Rt Revd Jeffrey Steenson as Bishop Coadjutor. Bishop Steenson is the 1000th bishop in the US succession. Samuel Seabury was the 1st, in 1784, and Gerald Francis Burrill was the 500th, in 1950. It took 166 years to consecrate the first 500 bishops, and 54 years to consecrate the second 500 bishops.

14 January 2005: Interview with the soon-to-retire Archbishop of York
The Yorkshire Post published this enjoyable interview with the Revd Dr David Hope, who by the time you read this will no longer be Archbishop of York.

14 January 2005: Attendance increase in Church of England
The Church Times reports that more people attended Anglican churches in England in 2003 than in 2002.

14 January 2005: Episcopal church declares moratorium on weddings
The New York Times reports that St Thomas in New Haven, Connecticut, has declared a moratorium on weddings until marriage laws change to be more inclusive.

14 January 2005: On whom the bell falls
The Church Times reports that a Welsh bellringer narrowly escaped death when the bell that he was ringing fell on where he had been standing before he fled.

13 January 2005: US House of Bishops meeting ends and reports
After its 2-day meeting in Utah to discuss the Windsor Report, the House of Bishops has issued this communiqué. Simon Sarmiento has compared what the Windsor Report requested with the contents of that communiqué. Press comments include the Associated Press and Reuters; most US newspapers ran some version of those reports. Dissenters issued this press release. The Associated Press later reported that the Bishop of Pittsburgh was not happy with the House of Bishops letter.

13 January 2005: Church and State in Zimbabwe
The Episcopal News Service (USA) reports that a feud is raging between an Anglican parish in a township in Harare and the head of the church, a supporter of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.

12 January 2005: Anglican AIDS education initiative in South Africa
The South African Press Association reports that the Anglican Church in South Africa is launching a US$10 million educational programme, funded by the US government, aimed at preventing the spread of HIV by promoting abstinence among young people.

12 January 2005: Australian appointed manager of Lambeth 2008
The Anglican Communion News Service reports the appointment of Sue Parks, an Australian native resident in the UK, as the conference manager for the Lambeth Conference 2008.

9 January 2005: US Episcopal Bishops meet in Salt Lake City to discuss Windsor Report
The ECUSA House of Bishops meets for two days this week, entirely for the purpose of discussing the Windsor Report. The best summary coverage we've found is in Thinking Anglicans.

8 January 2005: Review of a review of the church year
Thinking Anglicans has assembled a package of the year-end reviews published by the Church Times. One would expect the Church Times to do that themselves, but they didn't, at least not in their online edition.

2 January 2005: Church officials comment on tsunami aftermath
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Peter Jensen, Dean of Sydney, said that disasters were part of God's warning that judgement is coming. Numerous Sydney clerics, including the RC Dean of Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral, have called Dean Jensen's comments 'horrible'. Nearly every bishop around the world issued a statement of sympathy and support for the tsunami victims; the Anglican Communion News Service has gathered a few of them here. Desmond Tutu's comments are part of an interview he gave to Newsweek. The message from Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury is here. Dr Williams also wrote this column about disasters testing faith for The Telegraph. That newspaper's report on his column offers quotes that we cannot find in what he wrote.

1 January 2005: Anglican church in Car Nicobar obliterated by tsunami
The inhabited Nicobar Islands -- all six of them -- are arguably the most Anglican place in the world. 98% of the Nicobarese are Anglican, by way of the Church of North India. New Kerala reports that the oldest and most famous Anglican church in that archipelago also serves as the Cathedral, John Richardson church in Car Nicobar. It was destroyed by the tsunami, as was the bishop's residence. Asia News, a Roman Catholic site published in Italy, reports that the Bishop has taken refuge somewhere in the jungle. Earlier Reuters had reported that Action for Churches Together (Geneva) had been in contact with the Bishop of Andaman and Car Nicobar Islands, the Rt Revd Christopher Paul.

1 January 2005: Windsor Report activities
The January edition of the Anglican Journal (Canada) has numerous articles about Canada's reception of the Windsor Report. There being no equivalent in the USA of Canada's Anglican Journal, we find the best coverage and commentary on US reception to be in Thinking Anglicans, from the UK.