31 March 2006: Bishop of Exeter (England) scolds US bishops
The Church Times reports that the Bishop of Exeter has warned the Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States that it could split the Anglican Communion and put an end to the Communion's dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and Muslims.

29 March 2006: ABC concerned about climate change ('global warming')
BBC Radio interviewed Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, about climate change. He has published this transcript of the interview on his website, and there is a report on the interview in the Church Times as well as a report on the BBC website.

29 March 2006: Melanesians warned against involvement in politics
Pacific Magazine reports that the Diocese of Hanuato'o of the Church of Melanesia in the Solomon Islands has warned church leaders on Makira-Ulawa against involvement in politics.

29 March 2006: Americans involved in politics
The Episcopal News Service reports that Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold joined the leaders of four other Christian denominations today in a statement calling on members of the House Budget Committee to "eliminate the inequities in its federal budget and instead act to pass a budget that meets the moral test of serving ‘the common good.’"

29 March 2006: ABC challenges faith communities
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on a lecture given by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at a Christian-Muslim conference in Washington DC. He told the guests that coming together meant addressing their differences seriously, but always in the context of their shared challenges.

24 March 2006: Email sparks conflict in Sydney
The Sydney Morning Herald tells the tale of escalating conflict in the Diocese of Sydney begun by an email from a female lay minister.

22 March 2006: News reports from US House of Bishops meeting
The scheduled meeting of the bishops of the US Episcopal Church was not open to the press, but the group issued this statement after the meeting, and both Reuters and the Associated Press published news reports about the meeting.

22 March 2006: Queensland cyclone damages (among other things) Anglican properties
Spero News reports that North Queensland experienced its worst cyclone on record. Anglican offices have been shut down, a church hall has been destroyed and a rectory roof has been ripped off.

21 March 2006: An interview with Rowan Williams
The Guardian (London) published this interview with Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. That interview engendered this news report on what Dr Williams said. Two days later there was a lot of coverage in the press, probably most of it in response to the news article rather than to the interview itself. Reports that seem worth your time to read include the BBC, the Associated Press, Reuters, Newsweek, and the New York Times.

21 March 2006: Mexico church closed by government
The Living Church reports that Mexican police have closed Christ Church in Mexico City, charging the capital’s English-speaking Episcopal congregation with violating local land-use ordinances.

19 March 2006: Ghana cathedral closed by government
The Ghana News Agency reports that Ghana's Western Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has closed down the Saint Andrew the Apostle Anglican Cathedral at Sekondi, expecting violence between the new bishop and some of the congregation.

19 March 2006: Three new candidates for US Presiding Bishop
The Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church serves a nine-year term. The next Presiding Bishop will be selected at this year's General Convention in June. The nominating commitee put forth a slate of four candidates. Since then, three additional candidates have been nominated by petition: Stacy Sauls, Charles Jenkins, and Francisco Duque.

19 March 2006: Anglican Church of Kenya apologises for past AIDS stance
The Telegraph (London) reports that 'Anglican leaders in Kenya, who have long been criticised for their lukewarm approach to tackling HIV and Aids, have apologised for turning their backs on Christians living with the illness.'

17 March 2006: Templeton prize awarded for 2006
The Church Times reports that a British cosmologist, Dr John Barrow, has won the £795,000 Templeton Prize. That prize is given annually to encourage and honour the advancement of knowledge in spiritual matters.

17 March 2006: More on bishop vs diocese in Pennsylvania
The Living Church reports that the Rt Revd Charles Bennison, Bishop of Pennsylvania, continues to be unwilling to resign despite a unanimous request from the standing committee of that diocese. The standing committee has issued this letter explaining why, as a result of this report, they want the bishop to step down.

13 March 2006: Fire destroys Alaskan church
The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Church of the Holy Trinity in Juneau, Alaska, classified a National Historic Landmark, burned to the ground. The parish website has some spectacular photographs.

12 March 2006: Update on Diocese of Lahore
The Pakistan Christian Post has published a press release from the Church of Pakistan on the conflict between Bishop Alexander Malik and his [possibly former] diocese. This situation has been simmering for many years, and we report on it from time to time.

11 March 2006: Canterbury and Rome
The Times (London) reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to make his first formal visit to Pope Benedict XVI in Rome this year in an attempt to heal the centuries-old rift between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. The Times also published this opinion column about such a visit.

10 March 2006: Former ABC backs formation of alternative Anglican province in USA
The Church Times reports that Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury has given his endorsement to a survey that has been sent to all bishops in ECUSA by an anonymous group calling itself Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Communion.

10 March 2006: Justice in Harare?
The Church Times reports that the Chancellor of the Diocese of Harare has called the events surrounding the trial of Bishop Kunonga a 'travesty of justice', and reprinted the Chancellor's statement.

10 March 2006: California inmate priest to be released
The Episcopal News Service reports that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, reversing an earlier position, has agreed with his state parole board’s decision to release a convicted murderer who became an Episcopal priest while behind bars. News reports include the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times, and the Church Times.

9 March 2006: ABC writes to Primates about Lambeth 2008
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has written a pastoral letter to the 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion and Moderators of the United Churches, setting out some thinking on the Lambeth Conference in 2008. Scattered press coverage has reported selectively on what it says. A lot of care seems to have been put into writing it; rather than read about it, why not read it yourself, with corresponding care.

7 March 2006: ACC Chairman apologises to ECUSA for 'ostracism'
The Episcopal News Service reports that John Paterson, bishop of Auckland and chair of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), spoke to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) and apologised for what took place at last year's ACC meeting in Nottingham.

7 March 2006: Standoff in Malawi
The Daily Times (Malawi) reports that executive committees of the Anglican Church refused to open locked offices of the Diocese of Lake Malawi until the issue surrounding the election of the new bishop is resolved.

6 March 2006: ABC asks world community to 'deliver now' on aid to Sudan
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury had a lot to say while he was recently in Sudan. Some of what he said is quoted in that report. News reports on that visit include the Church Times and Ruth Gledhill's blog at The Times. While the Archbishop was in Sudan, he was interviewed by David Frost; he has posted the transcript of that interview on his website.

5 March 2006: ABC fears 'rupture' of Church
The BBC reports that in a television interview, the Archbishop of Canterbury warned that the worldwide Anglican Church faces a fundamental 'rupture' on the issue of homosexuality. The Telegraph filed this report on his interview.

5 March 2006: Australian orphanage lawsuit over child abuse
The Australian reports that orphans from a children's home in Lismore are suing the Anglican Church of Australia for child abuse suffered there decades ago.

4 March 2006: Report from the front in Nigeria's war on gays and lesbians
The Vanguard (Nigeria) reports on the current state of gay rights in Nigeria, with statements from clerics of several faiths. The Church of Nigeria has published an editorial 'The absurdity of same sex union' written by the Bishop of Okigwe South.

3 March 2006: Clergy pension squeeze in England
The Church Times reports that 'churchgoers in England will have to increase their giving if the Church is to meet its clergy-pensions commitments.'

3 March 2006: Nigerian coalition requests ABC censure of Akinola
The Church Times reports that 'A coalition of volunteers in Nigeria has written an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury asking him to denounce last week's "irresponsible" statement by the Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, on the current Christian-Muslim riots.'

3 March 2006: Church and State in the UK
Ruth Gledhill, religion reporter for The Times (London) reports that a bill has been introduced in Parliament to remove all restrictions on the consecration of women bishops in the Church of England.

1 March 2006: US Presiding Bishop in Cuba for Ash Wednesday
The Episcopal News Service reports that US Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold ended a six-day pastoral visit to the Episcopal Church of Cuba with an Ash Wednesday sermon. He had previously preached this sermon during Sunday services at Havana's Episcopal Cathedral.

27 February 2006: Further report on ABC's speech at WCC
The Living Church (USA) has published a more-detailed summary of Rowan Williams' speech at the World Council of Churches meeting in Brazil.

26 February 2006: Tomb and shrine of St Chad uncovered at Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield reports that archaeologists working at Lichfield Cathedral have uncovered the church built to house the grave of St Chad; together with part of the shrine created around AD700 by Bishop Hedda to mark the resting place of Lichfield’s first Bishop. The Guardian (London) has a report, with photograph, on the rediscovery of the Lichfield Angel. The Diocese of Lichfield has published this statement on the significance of that angel sculpture.

26 February 2006: Archbishop visits Sudan, preaches tolerance
Reuters reports that upon his arrival in Sudan to begin a weeklong visit, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams appealed for religious tolerance and peace.

26 February 2006: A Gospel of intolerance?
The Rt Revd John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington, has written an article for the Washington Post entitled 'A Gospel of intolerance' that has been circulating widely by email.

25 February 2006: African rebels hail English vicar
The Mail and Guardian Online (South Africa) reports that supporters of the Revd Nicholas Henderson this week carried him shoulder-high and blockaded the offices of Archbishop Bernard Malango, head of the diocese of Central Africa, because he wanted to stop the vicar's move from London. The Nation (Malawi) reports that church members held the archbishop hostage in a demonstration.

24 February 2006: Winchester Cathedral to charge admission
The Church Times reports that Winchester Cathedral will introduce admission charges next month, to help defray operating expenses.

24 February 2006: ABY condemns US Guantánamo prison as 'animal farm'
The Church Times reports that the Most Revd Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, urged the UN Human Rights Commission to take legal action against the US for the conditions at Guantánamo prison. The Anglican Communion News Service distributed this brief statement from him about it.

24 February 2006: Nigerian bishops speak out
The Church of Nigeria reports on that country's Anglican bishops' involvement in an effort to stop recent sectarian violence. Christianity Today has excellent coverage of that violence.

24 February 2006: Communiqué from the Global South Primates Steering Committee meeting
The Anglican Communion News Service published this communiqué from the recent meeting in Singapore of the Global South Primates Steering Committee.

24 February 2006: Strong Anglican voice expected in World Council of Churches
The Anglican Communion News Service published this report on the recent WCC meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

23 February 2006: New Primate for Province of the Indian Ocean
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Most Revd Gerald James Ian Ernest was installed as 5th Archbishop of the Indian Ocean.

17 February 2006: Archbishop of Canterbury addresses World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches met in Brazil this week. The Anglican Communion News Service filed this brief report on the Anglican presence there. The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a keynote address and had this to say.

17 February 2006: Tongan bishop chosen as chaplain of Lambeth 08
Pacific Magazine reports that Tongan-born Reverend Winston Halapua has been chosen to be the chaplain of the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

17 February 2006: English church experiments with 'come and go' worship schedule
The Church Times reports on a church that has introduced 'come-and-go' worship on Sunday mornings, in an attempt to give members of the congregation more flexibility.

17 February 2006: English theologian attacks renewal plan document
The Church Times reports that a key document in the Church of England's strategy for renewal has been condemned as so theologically weak that it could stop the Church from developing.

17 February 2006: On the Church of England and its 'boycott of Israel'
Thinking Anglicans reports on the complex issue of the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group report on investment in companies involved in West Bank operations.

16 February 2006: Third woman ordained in Gambia
The Daily Observer (Gambia) reports that Margaret Rose Sock-Taylor has been ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Gambia, in the Province of West Africa, and that she is the third woman to be ordained in that diocese.

15 February 2006: Names of unsuccessful candidates to be kept secret
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the names of the 31 people considered but rejected as candidates to be the next Archbishop of Melbourne will be sealed and not released for 30 years.

13 February 2006: All Canadian dioceses approve Residential Schools settlement
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that all 30 dioceses have recommended that their diocesan councils or executive committees approve the revised Indian residential schools settlement agreement presented by the federal government last November.

13 February 2006: Vandalised Iqaluit cathedral cannot be restored
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that St Jude’s Anglican Cathedral in Iqaluit, Nunavut – known as the 'igloo' church for its distinctive dome-and-spire shape – has been declared structurally unsafe following an arson fire and cannot be restored.

12 February 2006: Discord continues in Diocese of Lake Malawi
The conflict between members of the Diocese of Lake Malawi and the archbishop of their province continues. This article from The Chronicle (Malawi) is a good summary of the stances. The Nation (Malawi) reports that the rejected bishop is making a personal visit to what would have been his diocese in spite of that rejection.

12 February 2006: Trouble in upstate New York
The Times Union (Albany, New York), in a detailed front-page story ('Spiritual Shift Splits Diocese'), reports on the financial difficulties of a small New York diocese about to elect a new bishop. Included are two supporting documents in PDF, from a trustee of the diocese and a former dean of All Saints Cathedral. The diocese responded with this note from its bishop suffragan, David Bena.

10 February 2006: Tutu urges Muslims to forgive Western press
The Islamic Republic News Agency (Iran) reports that retired archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu appealed for Muslims to forgive the offence caused by cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed and to reject violence.

10 February 2006: General Synod ends in England
The Church of England holds three General Synod meetings per year. Often they are uneventful. The meeting that just finished in England had several newsworthy events. Thinking Anglicans has full in-depth coverage of General Synod. Highlights include 'Church apologises for role in slave trade' in The Times, 'Church votes to sell off shares in Caterpillar' in The Guardian (triggering 'Lord Carey "ashamed to be an Anglican"' in the Jerusalem Post) and 'Synod rejects "single-clause" option for women bishops' in the Church Times.

10 February 2006: Anglican teenagers are sexually mainstream
The Independent Online (Cape Town) reports that Anglican teenagers are almost as sexually active as their peers outside the church.

9 February 2006: Jerusalem bishop comments on Palestinian elections
The Episcopal News Service (USA) reports that in a recent interview, the Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, speaks about the relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Jerusalem and responds to the January 25 Palestinian elections.

9 February 2006: Archbishop of Canterbury stresses respect and civility
In a recent after-dinner speech, the Archbishop of Canterbury asserted that respect and civility are vital to a healthy society. The Anglican Communion News Service reported the speech, which in passing referenced the recent furor over Danish cartoons.

5 February 2006: Singapore bishop installed as Archbishop of Southeast Asia
Channel News Asia reports that the Most Revd Dr John Chew, former Bishop of Singapore, has been installed as Archbishop of the Province of Southeast Asia. Dr Chew was elected to this post last year. The Anglican Communion News Service distributed this press release.

4 February 2006: Commentary on ECUSA Presiding Bishop nominations
Last week the US Episcopal Church announced its slate of nominees to be the next Presiding Bishop. Evaluations and commentary are starting to show up. We find worth reading the comments in the Church Times, The Guardian (London), the Houston Chronicle, and the Associated Press. There are many opinions being expressed online, but few of them seem guided by intellect or faith.

3 February 2006: Bishop of Sydney says that homosexuality is a life and death issue
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the Most Revd Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney, told an English audience that the very existence of the church is endangered by the issue of homosexuality.

2 February 2006: Record number of men ordained in Sydney
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the ordination of 47 men in the Diocese of Sydney, a record number.

30 January 2006: Communiqué from Anglican Lutheran International Commission
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Third Anglican – Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its first meeting, in Tanzania, and issued a communiqué.

29 January 2006: Bishop of Pennsylvania vs diocesan Standing Committee
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the entire standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania has asked Bishop Charles E. Bennison to resign or retire, but Bennison said he was "absolutely not" stepping down.

29 January 2006: Thurgood Marshall considered for inclusion on Episcopal Church in the USA calendar
Although it fumbled with the terminology ('sainthood'), the Washington Post reports on an initiative to place the late Supreme Court justice on the church's calendar of 'lesser feasts and fasts'.

28 January 2006: Bishop murdered in Nigeria
The Nigerian Tribune reports on events surrounding the murder of the Rt Revd Elisha Yisa, a bishop in the Diocese of Bida.

28 January 2006: Diocese of Lokoja to require prenup HIV test
The Nigerian Tribune reports that the Bishop of Lokoja has instructed his clergy to require HIV tests of all couples preparing to marry.

25 January 2006: ECUSA Presiding Bishop candidates announced
The Episcopal Church USA has announced the nominees for its next presiding bishop: J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta; Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop of Kentucky; Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada; and Henry N. Parsley, Jr., Bishop of Alabama. More information is available in English and in Spanish, and with photographs (only in English).

25 January 2006: Inaugural meeting of the Christian-Muslim forum
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on the speech delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the inaugural meeting of the Christian-Muslim Forum. The Church Times reports on what Britain's Prime Minister had to say.

20 January 2006: Wellington has its own plan for bird flu
The New Zealand Herald reports that the Diocese of Wellington has in place a plan for dealing with an outbreak of avian flu there.

17 January 2006: Severe money shortage in Church of England
The Times (London) reports that the Church of England will ask for a government cash injection of £55 million a year to avert an 'apocalypse' with the closure of hundreds of churches.

16 January 2006: Compromise in England over women bishops
The BBC reports that a Church of England group has devised a compromise designed to allow the ordination of women bishops without causing a split.

13 January 2006: New Church of England attendance figures
The Church of England has released a report on attendance in 2004. We're not sure why it took them a year to process the data; perhaps their abacus was in the repair shop and they needed to do it by hand. In any event, the report is interesting. Released at the same time was a report noting heavy attendance for Christmas 2005.

13 January 2006: Africans and Americans meet in Alabama
The Associated Press reports that 'Nine Anglican archbishops from overseas are in the United States supporting a burgeoning movement that began with Episcopalians disenchanted over liberal theology'. ChristianToday (London) filed this report on the meeting.

13 January 2006: The end of the Nolbert Kunonga trial
The Church Times reports that the Archbishop of Central Africa, the Most Revd Bernard Malango, has closed the case against the Bishop of Harare, the Rt Revd Nolbert Kunonga, and dismissed all charges. Commentary on this perplexing action appeared in several African newspapers including Sokwanele, African News Dimension, and SW Radio Africa, and in Pravda.

11 January 2006: Starting over on bishop for Lake Malawi
The Nation (Malawi) reports that the Anglican Church has resolved to start all over again the election process of the new Bishop for the Lake Malawi Diocese.

8 January 2006: Former Bishop of London suggested as RC Cardinal
The Universe Catholic Newspaper (London) reports that several British politicians have asked the Pope to consider making Msgr Graham Leonard, once Anglican Bishop of London, into a Cardinal. Fr Leonard swam the Tiber in 1992.