29 June 2008: Tutu urges African Union to intervene in Zimbabwe
Agence France Presse reports that Archbishop Tutu thinks there is 'a very good argument' for the AU to send in an international force. And the Archbishop of York calls for Britain to close its embassy in Harare. The Church Times reports that life in Zimbabwe has 'degenerated beyond description'.

28 June 2008: GAFCON ends in Jerusalem; many statements issued
The Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON) has ended in Jerusalem, issuing this statement. The Jerusalem Post reported 'African Anglicans aiming to usurp UK Archbishop'. The Guardian reported 'Conservative Anglicans form global network' and then 'Conservative Anglicans form breakaway church in revolution led from the south'. The Sydney Morning Herald reported 'Anglicans' new group denounces liberalism'. The New York Times reported 'Anglicans Face Wider Split Over Policy Toward Gays'. The BBC's headline amused us: 'Anglican conservatives form group'. What manner of group? The Guardian's amazing religion reporter, Riazat Butt, has noted that white men are beginning to pull the strings, squeezing their African brothers out of the picture. If you're hungry for more detailed coverage of GAFCON, there are hundreds of articles in the world press, but be careful to understand each writer's politics before taking anything as Gospel. If you're hungry for more analysis and commentary, please wait a week to give the analysts and commentators time to understand it.

27 June 2008: Virginia trial court rules on breakaway parishes
The US Episcopal News Service reports 'Virginia court rules application of 'Division Statute' is constitutional'. It is the nature of the US legal system that this ruling is not definitive. A final decision could be several years in the future.

26 June 2008: Bishop of Pennsylvania found guilty of misconduct
The Associated Press reports that the Rt Revd Charles Bennison, Bishop of Pennsylvania, has been found guilty of engaging in conduct unbecoming of the clergy. The US Episcopal News Service filed this report, which includes links to vastly more detailed coverage should you be interested.

24 June 2008: +Akinola and +Orombi on violence against gays?
The Episcopal News Service reports that, pressed by the media at a news conference, the two primates declined to condemn violence against homosexuals. Religious Intelligence reports that a few days later, Archbishop Peter Jensen (Sydney) declared that any violence against a person is wrong, and the primates assented.

29 June 2008: Tennis star a nun
The Observer (London) reports that Andrea Jaeger, Wimbledon's youngest quarter-finalist, is now an Anglican Dominican nun and a founder of Athletes for Hope.

27 June 2008: Crimean memorial
Today's Zaman (Istanbul) tells the story of Christ Church, built to highlight tolerance of a religious minority and the Ottoman British alliance. It was closed in the 70s, but reopened in 1991 after the arrival of Sri Lankan refugees.

22 June 2008: Another Australian diocese clears the way for a woman bishop
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Diocese of Brisbane, at its Annual Synod, has cleared the way for its first woman bishop. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that Brisbane's Annual Synod 'has voted to automatically de-frock priests who are jailed for child sex offences'.

22 June 2008: Church and State in Malawi
The Nyasa [sic] Times (Malawi) reports that Malawi's High Court 'has temporarily lifted, on a technicality (due to undated papers of affidavit by the plaintiffs' Commissioner for Oaths) the injunction against the House of Bishops, brought by members of the clergy to stop the Bishops imposing their own candidate on the Diocese of Upper Shire, elections to vacant bishopric'.

20 June 2008: Church of England archbishops rebuke London priest
The Anglican Communion News Service has released the text of a terse joint statement by the archbishops of Canterbury and York on last week's blessing of vows between two clergymen in London. Church Times and BBC coverage of that statement is vastly longer than the statement itself.

20 June 2008: Summary of upcoming Church of England General Synod
The Church of England holds three General Synod meetings per year. The Anglican Communion News Service has released a briefing on what to expect at the next such meeting, from 4 to 8 July. The Church Times reports on one of the more contentious topics, that of women bishops, and also suggests that it is likely to dominate the Synod.

19 June 208: Obituary: Henry Chadwick
The Guardian published this obituary of Henry Chadwick, written by Rowan Williams. It begins with a quote: 'The Anglican church,' it was said, 'may not have a Pope, but it does have Henry Chadwick.' Obituaries also in The Times, The Telegraph, and the New York Times.

19 June 2008: GAFCON begins, moves quickly to Jerusalem
The Global Anglican Future Conference was to have begun in Jordan and then made a 'pilgrimage' to Jerusalem, but the US Episcopal News Service reports that some key participants were denied entry to Jordan so the whole affair was moved to Jerusalem. The US ENS noted 'On June 19, GAFCON's organizers released a document, "The Way, The Truth and the Life," which, according to a news release on the conference website, "sets out to define authentic Anglicanism, discuss what is at stake in the conflict, and what the future holds for orthodox Anglicans."' There is passable coverage of GAFCON in the secular press, and it seems in general that the significance of this conference is defined by its press coverage. The Telegraph, a London-based UK national newspaper usually noted for its conservative stance published this exasperated take on GAFCON and the reaction of the average resident of Angle Land to being instructed on the nature of authentic Anglicanism.

The Anglican Communion News Service appears to be on holiday, but the US Episcopal News Service (one of whose reporters is based in London) is doing a quite credible job of reporting on international Anglican news such as GAFCON. For example, the US ENS reports on the speech given by the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, to GAFCON participants.

15 June 2008: Conservative anger at same-sex exchange of vows in London
The BBC reports that traditionalists were angered at the exchange of vows in a London church by two clergymen who were already civil partners. The Press Association reported it as 'Anglican church's first gay "wedding"'. Thinking Anglicans has gathered a good bit of commentary here.

15 June 2008: Anglican Benedictine priory on the market
The property section of The Times (London) reports that the numbers at Burford Priory have dwindled, so they hope to sell up and move to a more modest home. Visit their website (designed by Perpetual Curate) for a fine image of their labyrinth on a frosty morning. We thought it would be crass for us to mention the asking price here, but come to think of it, that asking price is why this is news.

15 June 2008: Recycled water for baptisms?
The parish of St James, Toowoomba, in the Diocese of Brisbane, has embraced eco-spirituality, and has discovered that its energy-saving steps, including solar panels on the roof, pay financial benefits as well, reports the Courier-Mail (Queensland).

12 June 2008: Prime Minister apologizes for Canada's role in residential schools
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) wrote this editorial about the Canadian government's apology to aboriginals for its policy of assimilation through residential schools. That apology has been widely accepted as an important step in the process of reconciliation. The Anglican Church of Canada, which ran about 30 of those residential schools, apologized 15 years ago; this recent retrospective in the Anglican Journal gives an overview.

11 June 2008: California bishop urges all couples to seek civil union before church blessing
Bishop Marc Andrus of the Diocese of California wrote this letter to his diocese and thinks that such a policy would treat all marriages equally. The San Francisco Chronicle, newspaper in Bishop Marc's See city, wrote this expansive report on the issue. Catholic Online reported it as 'Bishop "Downgrades" Marriage'.

11 June 2008: Hugo Rifkind: Gordon Brown's moral compass is more like a dodgy satnav
In the Spectator, a self-described heathen takes a light-hearted look at the recent report produced for the Church of England. "It has got to be a tough gig, producing a report for the Church of England. Whatever the question, the answer has got to be 'the Church'."

10 June 2008: Sydney says No
The Sydney Morning Herald has published this long and detailed essay on why the Archbishop of Sydney and his flock are not going to the Lambeth Conference.

7 June 2008: Dealing with a painful past
The Vancouver Sun tells how the Kwakwaka'wakw people are dealing with the legacy of the residential school in their community. The Anglican and other churches had operated the schools for the federal government to force children to abandon their native culture.

7 June 2008: 'Moral, But No Compass'
A soon-to-be-published report commissioned by the Church of England says it feels betrayed by the Labour government's embrace of a secular agenda. Read accounts in The Times and The Telegraph. Reliable sources tell us that this account in Ekklesia is much more accurate. We're pretty sure that this BBC report actually references the same topic. It is startlingly different from newspaper reports. Maybe you should wait for the report to come out and then actually read it. Thinking Anglicans also is reporting on this.

7 June 2008: New Zealand Installs Bishop
Rt Revd David Rice was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Waiapu. Read the report from Hawke's Bay Today and a longer story, with photos, here.

6 June 2008: Envoy from Episcopal Church experiences Zimbabwe's crisis
Bishop Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts reports on the ongoing repression he saw of the Anglican church in Zimbabwe. The account in the Boston Globe includes a video clip in which he describes being locked out of church.

1 June 2008: Church of England priest to head Sydney University
The Sydney Morning Herald, seemingly a bit wary of Anglican clergy, reports that 'The most surprising thing about the choice of Michael Spence as vice-chancellor of Sydney University is not his relative youth, but that he is an ordained priest.'

1 June 2008: English Bishops alarmed about the poor quality of vicars
The Telegraph peeks into a confidential report that suggests thousands of clergy are not up to the job.

31 May 2008: New bishops consecrated
The US Diocese of Rochester (in New York) consecrated the Rt Revd Prince Singh as diocesan bishop (see this newspaper report and this press release), and the Diocese of Melbourne (in Victoria) consecrated the Rt Revd Barbara Darling as assisting bishop (see this newspaper report and this press release).

31 May 2008: Becoming a woman bishop in Australia
This isn't exactly a news story, but it's about a news story. The Age explains how Barbara Darling came to be an Australian bishop (see above).

31 May 2008: Catfight continues in England over women bishops
Thinking Anglicans has gathered lots of material about the ongoing squabble over women bishops in the Church of England, but there's no one link we can give you that will take you to collected material. To educate yourself, read 'petitions in support of women as bishops', 'petitions opposed to the "Single Clause" option', 'women as bishops: further items', and 'women bishops: more about the laity petition'. Or ignore it all and read what the New York Times has to say about the Vatican's recent reaffirmation of its policy that clergy are men. You can probably still buy Julian calendars somewhere. Try eBay.

30 May 2008: In lino veritas
We couldn't help noticing the juxtaposition of two stories on the News page of this week's online edition of the Church Times: 'Chaos warning as rumours fly after Bishops' meeting' and 'Report urges Church to face up to its bullies'.

30 May 2008: Government takeover of Anglican churches in Harare is complete
The Church Times reports that all Anglican churches in the diocese of Harare have now been barred to all except the handful of people who support the excommunicated former bishop. The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop Cape Town spoke to the Secretary General of the United Nations to express their grave concern about the increasing violence against the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe.

29 May 2008: Bishop of Rochester on being Muslim in Britain
The Telegraph reports on a recent article by the Rt Revd Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, about Christianity vs Islam in Britain, in a new conservative magazine. The Church Times' editorial cartoonist, Dave Walker, has what might be the best summary of responses.

29 May 2008: Melbourne nursing home collapse blamed on Sydney diocese
The Age (Melbourne) reports that the former manager of the failed Bridgewater nursing home in Melbourne has blamed its collapse on the Diocese of Sydney. We're dubious, but you can read it (and this background piece) and form your own conclusions.

28 May 2008: Israeli High Court rules diocese owns disputed school
The Episcopal News Service reports that the former bishop of Jerusalem failed in his attempt to claim ownership of Christ School in Nazareth.

27 May 2008: Huron approves blessings of same-sex marriages
But the bishop will follow the lead of Niagara, Montreal and Ottawa by consulting with other bishops before acting on the vote, according to the Anglican Journal.

25 May 2008: Alarmist reaction to women bishops in England
The Sunday Telegraph (London) reports that 'The church of England faces a mass exodus of priests and worshippers after plans were approved to allow women to become bishops without protection for traditionalists.' We much prefer Dave Walker's simpler summary of the situation.

25 May 2008: Kenya bishops called cowards
The Sunday Nation (Nairobi) published an opinion piece by former cabinet minister Charles Njonjo entitled 'Failing to attend the Lambeth Conference is cowardly'.

24 May 2008: New bishop for Texas
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Revd C Andrew Doyle was elected as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.

24 May 2008: More redundant buildings
The Telegraph (London) warns that many landmark Anglican and Roman Catholic buildings (including St Peter in Brighton) will be made redundant, and has an online petition to Save our Churches. If there's any consolation, the Church of England is growing elsewhere — in France.

23 May 2008: First woman bishop for Australia
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports on the consecration of the Australia's first female bishop, the Rt Revd Kay Goldsworthy. The Age (Melbourne) notes that she is unlikely to visit Sydney anytime soon. The Sydney Morning Herald filed this report.

23 May 2008: Church and State in Zimbabwe
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Anglican Bishop of Harare has issued a statement condemning the brutality of the local police who have repeatedly persecuted and assaulted Anglicans in an attempt to stop them from attending Sunday church services.

21 May 2008: Actual advertisements in US Episcopal Church
The US Episcopal News Service released a print and video advertising campaign encouraging people to slice carrots. To our ears, hardened by decades of exposure to commercial and public broadcast television, the voice in the video (just reading word for word from the print advert!) does not sound like a professional announcer and in fact seems to have a very slight speech defect. It's a start, for sure.

21 May 2008: Anglican Churches in the Americas plan February mission gathering
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the first large-scale gathering in the Anglican Churches of the Americas will be a February 2009 conference on 'mutual responsibility and mission'.

20 May 2008: ABC awards Lambeth Degrees
The Archbishop of Canterbury announced that ten people will receive Lambeth Degrees this July. We are delighted to note that Church Times writer Margaret Duggan, whose work we have admired for years, is to be one of them.

19 May 2008: Land stewardship in Barbados
According to The Nation News (Barbados), the Diocese of Barbados has pledged to make its extra lands available for housing and agriculture. 

18 May 2008: 'Vinegar Bible' returning to Nova Scotia
The Toronto Star reports that a 1717 bible (which recounts the parable of the vinegar, instead of the parable of the vineyard) will be returning to Lunenburg.

17 May 2008: Church and State in Britain
The BBC reports that former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has made a direct appeal urging those holding five British hostages in Iraq to free them. The Guardian (London) reports that the British Foreign Office was alarmed by his action, and IC Wales points out that his action was in defiance of a government-ordered news blackout.

16 May 2008: Bishops still saying 'yes' to Lambeth 2008
The Church Times reports that bishops are still signing up to the Lambeth Conference, two months before it opens in July.

16 May 2008: GAFCON announces more than 1000 have signed up for its Jerusalem pilgrimage
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) has announced that more than 1,000 conservative Church leaders from 17 Anglican provinces have registered for the Jerusalem pilgrimage that is part of that conference. There is no mention of how attendees' travel expenses are being funded.

16 May 2008: Church and State in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean (Harare) reports that the army and the national police are continuing to harass and attack Anglican congregations in Harare. The New York Times filed this report, and The Telegraph (London) filed this report and mentions that national police have seized control of all Anglican churches in Harare.

16 May 2008: Canadian newspaper notes a first: diocese has two women bishops in a row
The Edmonton Journal notes that the new Anglican bishop, Jane Alexander, is the first woman diocesan bishop to succeed a woman diocesan bishop. At school in England, her anti-church father did not allow her to attend religious classes. She showed him, eh?

15 May 2008: Uganda archbishop responds to US objection to 'incursion' into Georgia
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Archbishop of Uganda has responded to a May 12 letter to him from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, saying that he is visiting a congregation in Georgia because it is now part of the Church of Uganda.

12 May 2008: Archbishop of Canterbury writes to Anglican bishops
The Archbishop of Canterbury has released this letter that he has written to the bishops of the Anglican Communion.

10 May 2008: Interview with Gene Robinson
The Church Times has unlocked its interview from April 2008 with the Bishop of New Hampshire, which had previously been available only to paid subscribers.

9 May 2008: Fewer conservatives plan to boycott Lambeth
The Church Times reports that several well-known conservative bishops have announced that they will be attending the upcoming Lambeth Conference in order to have more influence on what happens there. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has issued a press release saying 'that would be us'. We note with interest that Pittsburgh has quietly changed its web presence from 'pgh.anglican.org' to 'pghanglican.org' (removing a dot), so that if they decide to break away from the Anglican communion, they can keep their name. (Unless a UDRP is successfully filed, of course.)

9 May 2008: 2 new bishops in Uganda
The New Vision (Kampala) reports that Church of Uganda House of Bishops has appointed the Revd Canon Samuel Kaziimba as Bishop of Mityana and the Revd Canon Patrick Gidudu as Bishop of Mbale.

8 May 2008: Church of Nigeria bans polygamy
The BBC reports that the primate of the Church of Nigeria has told its members to give up their extra wives. There is no mention of what will become of those wives after they are shed.

8 May 2008: Grey-haired sleuths solve a Christie mystery
The Times reports that more than 3 million pounds worth of lead was stolen from Anglican churches in Britain last year.

6 May 2008: Canadian court rules for Diocese of Niagara
The Anglican Church of Canada announced that a Superior Court judgment has ordered three parishes in the diocese of Niagara to share the use of their property with the diocese. Canada's Anglican Journal has this excellent report on the ruling and its impact. We note that the judge's ruling (paragraph 58) had little sympathy for the argument that churches' teaching or practice should not be allowed to evolve.

6 May 2008: Trevor Williams elected bishop of Limerick and Killaloe
The Church of Ireland announced the election as the new Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe of a Belfast rector who had led the Corrymeela Community, an ecumenical peace-building centre in Northern Ireland.

3 May 2008: Stephen Lane consecrated coadjutor in Maine
The Diocese of Maine reports on the consecration of the Rt Revd Stephen Lane as bishop coadjutor of that diocese. The Bangor Daily News filed this report, which has an excellent picture of him.

2 May 2008: Time for women bishops in England
The Church Times reports that 'A new report ... says that the Church of England should no longer delay to implement its decision to consecrate women as bishops.' Another article summarizes the contents of this Manchester Report. Freelance reporter Andrew Brown wrote this analysis of the situation. George Pitcher, writing for The Telegraph, sees it differently.

2 May 2008: South American archbishop licenses 30 priests in Canada
The Church Times reports that 'More than 30 clergy received licences to serve in the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) from the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone....' Ruth Gledhill of The Times (London) published this brief interview with that Presiding Bishop, Gregory Venables.

1 May 2008: Canadian archbishop announces support of breakaway parishes
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that the archbishop of Athabasca has announced his support of churches that have left the Anglican Church of Canada, and his criticism of bishops who have used the legal system to try to get their diocese's property back.

1 May 2008: Dave Walker to report from Lambeth
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that Dave Walker will be at the Lambeth conference this summer, drawing events as they happen and distributing his drawings over the usual channels.

30 April 2008: Gene Robinson told not to preach while he is in England
Thinking Anglicans reports on (and adds some excellent commentary to) the email sent to the Bishop of New Hampshire refusing to grant him the right to preach or preside at the eucharist when he is next in England, and on the various reactions thereto. The BBC reports on Bishop Robinson's criticism of Archbishop Williams and his handling of that and other situations.

29 April 2008: US primate calls South American recruiting visit an 'unwarranted invasion'
The Episcopal News Service reports that the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church has written to the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, calling his visit an 'unwarranted invasion'.

28 April 2008: Brazilian bishops respond to Draft Covenant
Brazilian blogger and Anglican priest Francisco Silva reports that the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil generated an official response to the Anglican Covenant, which concludes that there is no need for a new covenant.

25 April 2008: Another woman bishop in Australia
The Age (Melbourne) profiles Barbara Darling, who will be consecrated as Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne on 31 May. We are intrigued that The Age ran this story on the day after Anzac Day. When you read it, you'll see why.

25 April 2008: Bat management in the UK
The Church Times reports on the publication of a new guide on bat management, published recently by the UK government. If your church has more bats than worshippers, this guide could be for you. On the other hand, the guide says that when people and bats are in conflict, the bats must by law prevail. Though it is legal to cover your furniture to protect it from bat droppings.

25 April 2008: Hiltz asks Venables to stay away. He doesn’t
We're slightly apologetic about having cribbed the headline under which the Church Times reports that the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Most Revd Fred Hiltz, has protested strongly against a visit to Canada by the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Greg Venables. But after seeing that headline, how could we say it any other way?

25 April 2008: Church and state in Fresno
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and The Episcopal Church (TEC) filed a complaint in Fresno County Superior Court on April 24 "to reclaim possession of the real and personal property belonging to the diocese."

24 April 2008: Church and state in Zimbabwe
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued a joint statement this morning concerning the deteriorating situation of ordinary people in Zimbabwe.

24 April 2008: Church and state in Virginia
The Diocese of Virginia has made public an Amici Curiae brief in support of its position in its legal battle with breakaway parishes. An Amici Curiae brief is an Amicus Curiae in which there is more than one Amicus.

23 April 2008: ABC lectures on YouTube
The Archbishop of Canterbury has uploaded to YouTube a 7 minute and 23 second video message about the upcoming Lambeth Conference. For those of you who have difficulty understanding his Welsh accent on your tiny little computer speakers, or if you are lulled to sleep before it's over, the US Episcopal News Service has published a transcript of what he said. The transcript may well also be on the Archbishop's shiny new website, but we couldn't find it. Ah, wait, here it is, albeit without any paragraphing.

22 April 2008: New primate enthroned in The Episcopal Church (the one in Sudan)
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on the 'joyful celebration and colourful ceremony' in Sudan by which the Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul was enthroned April 20 as the fourth primate of the Episcopal Church.

21 April 2008: Australia's independent Anglican national newspaper closes its doors
Market-Place, which for more than a decade was Australia's only national independent Anglican Newspaper, ceased publication on dead trees and has switched to an online-only format. Even though we lament the demise of its paper edition, we must confess that we live very far away from Australia and hardly ever got to read it. We're delighted to see that Market-Place will be available to us online.

20 April 2008: Bishop of New Hampshire will attend Lambeth conference
The Times (London) reports that the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, will attend the Lambeth Conference even though he has not been invited. Ah, we wish we didn't have a holiday rental during Lambeth; it will probably be fun to be a spectator.

20 April 2008: Primates on tour in USA
Katharine Jefferts Schori, Desmond Tutu, and Pope Benedict XVI are all touring the USA right now. The Pope is getting all of the headlines. He's not Anglican, so we'll let you read about him in your local newspaper.

20 April 2008: New Archbishop in Sudan
The Sudan Tribune (Juba) reports that plans for the enthornment [sic] of the Rt Revd Daniel Deng Bul as Archbishop of Sudan are on track and that the event will happen April 21. We note that the web server for the Sudan Tribune is safely located in Paris. The US Episcopal News Service offered this report of the event.

19 April 2008: Tom Wright vs GAFCON
Thinking Anglicans has gathered together all of the messy pieces of the ongoing squabble between Tom Wright (Bishop of Durham) and the organizers of the GAFCON conference. This one has more depth than the average power struggle.

18 April 2008: Society still needs religion
The Archbishop of Canterbury might not have a clue how to handle all of the power politics swirling around him, but he is still one of the great theologians and teachers of our time. His lecture at Westminster Cathedral is absolutely worth your time to read.

18 April 2008: Canadian bishops decline request for national talks
The Anglican Journal reports that bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, at their recent meeting, declined a request for national-level negotiations over church property from the Anglican Network in Canada.

15 April 2008: Anglican covenant conference elicits varied viewpoints
The US Episcopal News Service reports that several divergent viewpoints were asserted at the Anglican Covenant conference held at the Desmond Tutu Center in New York City. One keynote speaker spoke strongly in support of the covenant; another worried aloud that it serves primarily to keep privilege and power in the hands of those who already have it. Definitely worth reading carefully. The Church Times filed this brief report on the event.

12 April 2008: First woman bishop for Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Ven Kay Goldsworthy, archdeacon at St George's Cathedral in Perth, will be consecrated Bishop of Perth on 22 May. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has this report with a better photograph. The Courier Mail reported the story this way.

11 April 2008: Give it for good
This being an election year in that country, the US government has announced plans to send a large number of its citizens some money as a "rebate". The government has asked people to spend the money to help bolster the economy. Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation suggests that people donate those moneys to an organization that is helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

11 April 2008: Vicar of Trumpington commanded to leave his parish
The Guardian reports that the Church of England vicar accused of spitting at a churchwarden and using the pulpit to settle personal scores was ordered by his bishop to leave his parish yesterday. Ah, the joys of parish life.

10 April 2008: Archbishop of Canterbury condemns threats and violence against gays
The BBC reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned death threats made against the leader of a group representing homosexual Anglicans in England. It also notes that 12 Church of England bishops have signed a letter addressed to traditionalist leaders asking them to moderate the language that they use to denounce homosexuals, suggesting that this language might encourage violence. The recipient of those death threats said that comments made by conservative Anglican church leaders had unintentionally encouraged death threats against him. Thinking Anglicans has the text of the letter noted by the BBC. Changing Attitude, whose members are the primary recipients of this violence, have issued this statement urging GAFCON leaders to repudiate violence.

9 April 2008: Bishops in Brazil protest unauthorized visit by Southern Cone bishop
The US Episcopal News Service reports that bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil issued an open statement April 9 expressing their "strong repudiation" of a recent unauthorized visit by Southern Cone Archbishop Gregory Venables

6 April 2008: Canadian Supreme Court judge orders diocese to allow breakaway group back in
The Canadian Press reports that a Supreme Court judge in British Columbia has ordered the Diocese of British Columbia to allow members of St Mary of the Incarnation to use the church building even though they had declared that they were no longer part of their containing diocese. The Bishop issued this response, which is actually worth reading.

5 April 2008: Virginia judge allows court case on Episcopal property dispute to proceed

The New York Times reports that 'Eleven congregations in Virginia that broke away from the Episcopal Church have won an initial round in their court fight to retain church property.' This very complex case is also reported in the Washington Post, Time, and elsewhere. The official US Episcopal Church responses are here.

2 April 2008: Church in Wales vote fails to permit women bishops
The Church in Wales reports that its Governing Body held a vote on whether or not to permit women bishops, but that the required 2/3 majority was not achieved, so there will be no change in its policy. The Church Times published this report.

2 April 2008: Call for moratorium on building new mosques in Britain
The Times (London) reports that 'A prominent evangelical member of the Church of England’s General Synod has called for a ban on the building of any more mosques in Britain.' Most UK newspapers had something to say about it.