29 September 2013: Could you lead Prince George's choir?
The Telegraph reports applications are currently being accepted for director of music for the Chapel Royal Choir. This is the choir who will sing at the christening of Prince George of Cambridge. The christening will be October 23rd in the Chapel Royal of St James Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury officiating.

28 September 2013: First woman Anglican bishop in India
The Times of India tells us 'In a historic decision, the Church of South India appointed its first woman Bishop, who hails from a small village in Kurnool.' The Church of South India represents the Anglican Communion in South India. The Revd E Pushpalalitha will be Bishop of Nandyal.

21 September 2013: Pakistan church attacked by suicide bombers
Reuters reports that All Saints in Peshawar was the scene of an attack by two suicide bombers as Mass was letting out. Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the death toll of 78 included 34 women and seven children, in remarks televised live from Peshawar. More than 100 were wounded. The Taliban-linked militant group TTP Jundullah claimed responsibility within hours of the attack. Anglican churches are not unusual in Pakistan; there are three parish churches in the city of Peshawar.

20 September 2013: Ireland appoints its first woman bishop
The Church of Ireland has announced that its House of Bishops has appointed the Revd Pat Storey as the new bishop of Meath and Kildare. She will be the first female bishop in Ireland or Britain. She was appointed by the House of Bishops, since the electoral college of Meath had Kildare, which met last May, had failed to choose a bishop. The Church of Ireland voted in favour of allowing women bishops in 1990. The Guardian (London) filed this report and the Irish Independent filed this report.

20 September 2013: Proposal from Leicester Cathedral for Richard III tomb
Cathedral has submitted its proposals for changes to the fabric, for the reinterment of Richard III. The document contains fine photos of the cathedral, though it was prepared for double-sided printing on A3 paper and is not easy to view online. The Anglican Communion News Service reported on the document.

19 September 2013: Kidnapped Nigerian bishop says police lied about role in rescue
The Premium Times (Abuja) reports that Nigerian archbishop Ignatius Kattey, kidnapped and held for a week before he was released, has disputed the national police's claim that they played a major role in his release.

17 September 2013: New bishop for Okinawa
The Anglican Communion News Service reports the consecration of the Rt Revd David Eisho Uehara as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Okinawa.

15 September 2013: Archbishop Kattey freed by Nigerian kidnappers
Last week we we reported the abduction of Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, Bishop of Niger Delta North and Archbishop of the Province of the Niger Delta, in the Church of Nigeria. BBC News now reports that he has been released by his captors, without a ransom, near Port Harcourt. Nigerian newspapers have of course also reported the event. We find the coverage in This Day to be the most informative.

15 September 2013: New bishop for Newcastle
The Newcastle Herald tells us that the Rt Revd Greg Thompson, Bishop of the Northern Territory, has been elected as the next Bishop of Newcastle. Before you get lost in wondering how the Diocese of Newcastle could acquire a bishop without the involvement of the Prime Minister, remember that there are two Dioceses of Newcastle, and this is the one in Australia, founded in 1847. The Church of England didn't create its Diocese of Newcastle until 1882, so it is entirely to blame for this name duplication.

14 September 2013: Obituary: Robert F Capon
The New York Times has published this obituary of the Revd Robert Farrar Capon, former rector of Christ Church in Port Jefferson, New York, USA. He wrote 27 books, but the book for which he is most remembered is The Supper of the Lamb, whose dust jacket says 'Combining a glorification of life with a celebration of food, the author presents his favourite recipes, information on cooking and feasting, and comments on beauty, love, and grace'.

12 September 2013: The Church in Wales votes to ordain women as bishops
The Church in Wales reports, on its website, that it has voted to ordain women as bishops. Women in the Church has issued this press release celebrating the vote, and Forward in Faith has issued this press release lamenting the vote. The Anglican Communion News Service filed this report, and Wales Online published this opinion piece by David Williamson.

12 September 2013: Paul Butler named new Bishop of Durham
The British Prime Minister's office ('10 Downing Street') announced that the Queen has approved the nomination of the Rt Revd Paul Butler 'for election as Bishop of Durham'. He was previously the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, which issued this announcement. His new bishopric, the Diocese of Durham, issued this announcement. To refresh your memory, the previous Bishop of Durham vacated the post to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

10 September 2013: Bishop of Ripon and Leeds to retire along with his diocese
Bishop John Packer of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds has announced he will retire in January 2014. The Diocese of Ripon and Leeds will cease to exist at Easter 2014, when it is folded in with Bradford and Wakefield to become the Diocese of West Yorkshire and The Dales. Therefore no interim will be appointed nor new bishop sought.

10 September 2013: Diocese of Auckland to divest from fossil fuels
Anglican Taonga reports that the Diocese of Auckland has become the first institution in that country to divest from fossil fuels. The best report on the divestiture is this one, published before the actual vote.

8 September 2013: Archbishop kidnapped in Nigeria
The Guardian (Lagos) reported Archbishop Ignatius Kattey and his wife were abducted Friday evening. After a police chase, his wife was freed; the whereabouts of the bishop are still unknown. Kattey is also the Archbishop of the Niger Delta Province.

7 September 2013: New Bishop elected in Melanesia
The Solomon Start reported the Diocese of Banks and Torres elected the Revd Patteson Alfred Worek as their third bishop.

6 September 2013: Annual Christmas advertising campaign launched
The Church Times reported on this year's advertising campaign by the ecumenical charity ChurchAds.net (which is supported by the Church of England). The theme this year is 'Christmas Starts with Christ'. Posters and other items are available here.

6 September 2013: New Bishop elected for Waikato
ONE News (New Zealand) reported the election of the Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley as Waikato's seventh bishop. Dr Hartley, ordained in the Church of England, will be Waikato's first female bishop.

5 September 2013: A new take on 'Never on Sunday'
Uganda's New Vision reported the Revd Levi Okello, priest at St Luke's Church (Diocese of Lira) in the Amolatar district, has said he will no longer preside over funerals on Sunday. Okello said the practice of burying the dead on Sunday has been affecting church programmes, like fund-raising activities fellowships and baptism services among others. He made the announcement at a Sunday funeral service.

1 September 2013: Obit: The Rt Revd Roy Davies
The Telegraph (UK) reported the Rt Revd Roy Davies, who was Bishop of Llandaff from 1985 to 1999 and spent his entire ministry within the Anglican Church in Wales, has died. He requested that there should be no eulogy at his funeral service in the church of the parish to which he had retired, neither should there be a memorial service in Llandaff Cathedral.

30 August 2013: ABC on the Church
Church Times reported on a speech by Archbishop Welby where he said the Church must not become like a marriage in which a couple have drifted apart and are content with their independent lives. Welby was speaking to the Evangelical Alliance in London.

30 August 2013: First-ever Anglican cross-province 'webinar'
The word 'webinar' is one of those twenty-first-century words that might or might not have a specific meaning but is nevertheless widely used in the business world. Because airplanes are so expensive and hour-long global television shows are even more expensive, an industry has sprung up that uses the internet to narrowcast (another one of those words) information to a diffuse set of people who want it. If you sign up for a seminar, you will have to travel to it or find a television channel that carries it. If you sign up for a webinar, you will just need a computer with a web browser.

That said, the Anglican Communion News Service has announced a webinar on 4 September 2013 that is thought to be the first-ever cross-Province seminar distributed live on the internet. It starts at 10h00 London time, which is 2am in San Francisco, 6:30pm in Adelaide, 9:00pm in Auckland, and 11:00pm in Honolulu. You can tell the frequent global webinar participants by the dark circles under their eyes.

30 August 2013: Harare Anglicans relaunch abandoned clinic project
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) reported the construction of a much-needed clinic has resumed. The Rt Revd chad Gandiya said, 'The initiative to build a health centre in Murewa is work in progress for the...Diocese as we rebuild the Church following five years of persecution by enemies of progress.' Other accounts about the rebuilding initiatives in Harare can be found at Zimbabwe's Voice of the People Radio (29 August) and The Standard Newspaper (1 September).

29 August 2013: One became two becomes one
The Dioceses of Chicago and Quincy (US) have issued a press release on their reunification effective 1 September 2013. The conventions of the two dioceses, which had split in 1877 to accommodate growth, had unanimously agreed to the reunion on June 6. The Episcopal Church (US) canons require that a majority of bishops and standing committees of elected lay and clergy leaders from other dioceses consent to the reunion. Those consents were received during the summer.

27 August 2013: New Bishop for Southern Malawi
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) reported the Revd Canon Alinafe Kalemba, Priest in Charge of Chirimba Parish, was elected by the Diocese of Southern Malawi to replace outgoing Bishop James Tengatenga who resigned after 15 years of dedicated service to the diocese. The BNL Times (Malawi) has a local report which includes a picture.

24 August 2013: Baghdad vicar urges calm amidst violence
BosNewsLife (Budapest) reports that the Revd Canon Andrew White, vicar of St George's Anglican Church in Baghdad, has warned Christians not to be alarmed amid warfare as dozens of people were killed nearby in the capital Baghdad, while neighboring Syria was rocked by chemical weapons attack revelations.

23 August 2013: Egyptian Christians depend on Muslims to resist violence
The Church Times tells us 'Christians in Egypt, still in shock after the wave of attacks on churches and other property over the past week, say that they remain confident of their future in the country. They live side by side with the majority of Muslims who, they say, do not share the aims of the Muslim Brotherhood.'

23 August 2013: Could there be a digital Anglican province?
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on a proposal for a digital missionary province.

21 August 2013: ABC warns church is on the brink of disintegration
The Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking in Monterrey, Mexico, has warned that the Anglican Church is tottering on the brink of disintegration amid disputes between liberals and traditionalists. Report in The Province (Vancouver, Canada).

21 August 2013: The 2013 Church Ads campaign to use words over pictures
The ChurchAds group in the UK, which in the past has produced some spectacular posters reminding people of the religious nature of Christmas, tells us that the 2013 campaign will feature a slogan and not a poster. The Anglican Communion News Service has a good report on the nature of this year's change.

20 August 2013: Egypt's Christians are facing jihad
The Christian Post includes Anglican congregations in its long list of Christian churches that have been attacked in Egypt. It is difficult to find coverage of these events, and the Chief Rabbi in Britain, Lord Sacks, has warned, in an interview in The Telegraph, that the plight of Christians in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Egypt is a tragedy going almost unremarked.

18 August 2013: Church in Wales to vote on women bishops
The Church in Wales has announced it will hold a vote in September to determine whether or not to allow women priests to be ordained as bishops.

17 August 2013: ABC snubs RSPCA
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1824 by an Anglican priest, the Revd Arthur Broome, and in the recent past has enlisted Archbishops Williams, Carey, Runcie and Coggan as patrons. But the current Archbishop, Justin Welby, has declined a role as vice-patron. Lambeth Palace explained that 'he has reluctantly decided to restrict his patronage to a manageable number of organisations, based on where he feels his support could be most beneficial.' The Telegraph suggests that many will see the rejection as a snub to an organization which faces accusations it has lost its way.

16 August 2013: Thief returns Bible stolen 40 years ago
The Hastings Observer reported on the unexpected parcel received by Holy Trinity Church containing a Bible stolen some 40 years ago. The 200 year old Bible is not of great monetary value, but the major story is the letter of confession that accompanied its return.

16 August 2013: Dedication of cardboard cathedral
The 'transitional cathedral' in Christchurch New Zealand, which nearly everyone refers to as the Cardboard Cathedral, has opened for worship and performance. Radio New Zealand reported 600 people attended the dedication of Christchurch's cardboard cathedral. A more detailed communiqué by AFP (Agence France-Presse) was published by France 24. The Press (Auckland) commented on its great acoustics. The Huffington Post noted the great joy at the event of its opening. The Verge has published some photographs of the first service held inside the new cathedral, and they do look very nice. If you want to go see it, you can. We certainly want to. A round trip coach air ticket from New York to Christchurch this week is US$1800 (stops in Los Angeles and Auckland). A round trip coach air ticket from London to Christchurch is £1350 (stops in Dubai and Sydney). From Sydney there's a nonstop for AUS$425.

15 August 2013: Dartmouth rescinds offer to Tengatenga
The Boston Globe (US) reported Dartmouth College in New Hampshire has withdrawn the appointment of the Rt Revd James Tengatenga as Dean of the William J Tucker Foundation at the college. The Tucker Foundation's mission is to 'educate Dartmouth students for lives of purpose and ethical leadership, rooted in service, spirituality, and social justice'. The president of the college decided that Tengatenga's past stances against homosexuality and his opposition to the election of the Rt Revd Gene Robinson (former bishop of New Hampshire) compromised his ability to lead the foundation. The Episcopal News Service (ENS) report can be found here. The Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) published a statement by the bishop on 16 August.

13 August 2013: Medieval rood screen panels stolen from Devon church
BBC News reported on the theft from Holy Trinity Church, Torbryan. The stolen panels are part of a rood screen dating from the 15th century - one of the few screens to survive the 'puritanical zeal' of the Reformation.

10 August 2013: Zimbabwe update: Post-election unease
The Christian Science Monitor reports on fears that defrocked bishop Nolbert Kunonga may be restarting a campaign using brutality, the courts and the police to seize Anglican churches and orphanages. An article in the Church Times highlights concerns that the elections were compromised.

9 August 2013: A new bishop in Sierra Leone
Awareness Times (Freetown) describes the consecration of Thomas Arnold Ikunika Wilson, son of a carpenter father and a seamstress mother, as third bishop of Freetown. The new bishop faces many challenges, and members of his church 'taking off in droves for Pentecostal Churches.' An account in Awoko (featuring our favourite headline of the week), however, noted that worshippers overflowed into nearby streets for blocks, belying the perception that the Anglican communion was dying.

8 August 2013: RIP: Sr Constance, aged 109
The Anglican Journal marks the passing of Sister Constance Elizabeth Murphy, of the Sisters of St John the Divine in Toronto. One landmark in her busy life was when she decided, at age 72, to get a master's degree in adult education.

6 August 2013: Synod in Sydney elects new Archbishop
The official website for Sydney has the official press release and account of the election of the Rt Revd Dr Glenn Davies as the next Archbishop of Sydney. The Church Times account of the event is here.

2 August 2013: Joy as Cardboard Cathedral prepares to open
Television New Zealand reports that Christchurch's new cardboard cathedral is now officially in the hands of the Anglican Church. It is already booked for several events from next week. You can see that there is still some work remaining, but it will very soon be usable.

2 August 2013: New bishops for Ebbsfleet, Tewkesbury, and Thika
Read the announcements: Ebbsfleet, Tewkesbury, and Thika.

2 August 2013: Church sign in Australia attracts attention
The Huffington Post reports on the reaction to a new church sign outside the Parish of Gosford. Salon.com had more extensive coverage.

26 July 2013: Welby admits gaffe on 'payday' lenders, renews attack
Reuters News Agency reported the Archbishop of Canterbury said on Friday he was embarrassed to find out that the Church of England's pension fund had invested a small amount indirectly in a short-term loan company which he had vowed only days earlier to drive out of business. The ABC has labelled such short-term loan businesses 'morally wrong' and plans to push ahead with his campaign to compete with, and eventually render these businesses obsolete.

26 July 2013: RIP: Archbishop Philip Russell
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) posted tributes paid to the Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Philip Russell, who died Thursday in Australia, aged 93.

23 July 2013: New bishop consecrated in Southwestern Virginia
Episcopal News Service reported on the 20 July ordination and consecration of the Rt Revd Mark Allen Bourlakas in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

19 July 2013: Cardboard cathedral damaged by rain
Three News (Christchurch) reported recent drenching rain damaged portions of some of the heavy duty cardboard tubes in Christchurch's transitional cardboard cathedral. A spokesperson says that the damage is an easy fix. The warped and discoloured sections can easily be pulled out and replaced, the tubes do not affect the stucture of the building, and the timeline for completion of the cathedral remains the same.

19 July 2013: Trust that supports churches marks its 60th anniversary
The Church Times notes that the National Churches Trust has marked its 60th anniversary by asking 60 prominent public figures (such as the Prime Minister and Michael Palin) to name their favourite church. You can see their choices here.

15 July 2013: Fighting increases agency's work for women in DRC
The Anglican Alliance has received reports from the Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of fresh fighting around Goma and attacks on women in the conflict zone. It has increased pressure on the project run by the Anglican church in Goma, in the Diocese of Bukavu, to support women and girls rejected by their families after being subjected to sexual assaults and rape—which is being used as a weapon of war.

11 July 2013: Cardboard cathedral to open late August
The Press (Christchurch) reported the temporary Anglican cathedral, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and incorporating 98 beams incased in cardboard, had been subject to normal construction delays. On 15 July, the Press reported the project frontman has lost his job because of budget cuts, but is so passionate about the project he will carry on as a volunteer labourer.

11 July 2013: Bishop of Southern Malawi reportedly resigns
The Nyasa Times reported the Rt Revd Dr James Tengatenga has resigned as Bishop of the Dioces of Southern Malawi to lecture at a university in the US. Tengatenga confirmed he has been offered a job at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, but said the Church will issue a statement on his status in due course.

11 July 2013: Benjamin West altarpiece can go to Boston
The Art Newspaper reported a Church of England court has ruled that Benjamin West's altarpiece, Devout Men Taking Away the Body of St Stephen (1776), which was made for St Stephen Walbrook in London (UK) can be sold for display in the US.

11 July 2013: First Motswana bishop to be consecrated
Mmegi Online (Gaborone) reported on the (upcoming) consecration of the fifth bishop of Botswana, the Rt Revd Metlhayotlhe Rawlings Ogotseng Beleme. Beleme is the first Botswana-born leader of the Diocese of Botswana since its foundation in 1972.

7 July 2013: Nigerian primate defends capital punishment
The Daily Post reported Archbishop Nicholas Okoh defended the recent execution of four men in Edo, and criticized those, such as the United Nations, Amnesty International and the European Union, who had opposed the action.

4 July 2013: 'All creatures great and small' debate: UK vs EU
The UK House of Commons took up the question of problematic bats inhabiting churches during Q&A with the Second Estates Commissioner, an MP who represents the Church Commissioners (Church of England) in the Commons. The transcript can be found here. The press has posted a number of articles and commentaries, with titles such as 'Bats in the belfry bigger threat to medieval churches than reformation, warns CofE' (Telegraph) and 'Bats: they've never had it so good' (Guardian). The BBC published a more balanced report. The EU website has posted a rebuttal to the flap pointing out 'Contrary to several reports in the UK media, EU laws do not prevent churches from taking steps to deal with bat infestations.'

6 July 2013: Tears of joy for new diocese
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reported on General Synod's unanimous concurrence of the resolution creating an indigenous diocese in northern Ontario. The new diocese—whose name will be determined by aboriginal elders and other church and community members in September—will cover 16 First Nations communities belonging to Treaty 9 around Kingfisher Lake, north of Sioux Lookout.