News for Week Ending 6/7/2010

Canadian General Synod meeting

The triennial General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 3–11, 2010. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Information about the Synod and daily summaries are being provided by the church here. Links to news reports and other information are available from Thinking Anglicans. Anglican Journal is also providing coverage.

The Canadian primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, covered a variety of topics in his introductory address to the General Synod. Thinking Anglicans links to the full address and excerpts a section relevant to Anglican Communion disputes here. Episcopal News Service reported on the address here.

Scotland Synod to meet

The Scottish Episcopal Church will hold its annual General Synod June 10–12, 2010. Coverage will be available on the church’s Web site. The agenda and papers for the Synod are available here. The agenda includes a resolution that would ask the Faith and Order Board to propose to the 2011 General Synod a process for considering the proposed Anglican covenant.

An interesting audio interview with the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church is available here.

CoE to allow divorced bishops

The Telegraph reported June 6, 2010, that the Church of England will allow divorced persons for the first time to become bishops. Under current rules, even a priest who is the second husband of his wife cannot become a bishop. The policy change was agreed to by the House of Bishops in May, the Telegraph said. Opposition by traditionalist groups to new policy is strong. The Rev. Geoffrey Kirk, a frequent spokesman for the Anglo-Catholic wing of the church, said, “Promoting divorced bishops is a far more serious matter than homosexual bishops because it is undermining one of the fundamental teachings of scripture.”

Communion tensions increase

In response to the recent Pentecost letter from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams—see Pittsburgh Update story here—Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued her own letter to The Episcopal Church. Although polite, it is difficult not to see the letter as defiant. Comment on the letter has been extensive. Reuters covered the story here. (See also Thinking Anglican posts here and here.)

While many Episcopalians were cheering the June 2, 2010, missive from their primate, news came from Anglican Communion News Service June 7 that the sanctions “proposed” by the archbishop had, in fact been implemented unilaterally. Episcopal News Service reported later in the day what Episcopalians had been dismissed or demoted by Rowan Williams. As this is being written, analyses are only just beginning to appear. No doubt, Thinking Anglicans will do its usually fine job of collecting links to news stories and commentary on this latest development.

Portugal sees first gay marriage

Associated Press reported that the first gay marriage of a lesbian couple took place June 7, 2010, under a new Portuguese law. The event is notable, as Portugal has a predominately Roman Catholic population.