News for Week Ending 8/2/2010

Standing Committee completes its work

The Standing Committee, representing the primates and the Anglican Consultative Council, completed its London meeting on July 27, 2010. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Anglican Communion News Service issued two additional stories about the closed-door meetings this past week. (They can be found here and here.)

On the final day of its meeting, the committee returned to the question of consequences of moratoria violations. Members agreed to a statement to the effect that the Standing Committee “regrets ongoing breaches of the three moratoria that continue to strain the life of the Anglican Communion; regrets the consequential resignations of members of the Standing Committee which diminish our common life and work on behalf of the ACC and the Primates’ Meeting; recognises that the ACC and the Primates’ Meeting are the appropriate bodies to consider these matters further.”

On July 27, Episcopal News Service ran a story titled “Standing Committee members celebrate commitment to transparency.” Indeed, ACNS has provided more information than usual about the Standing Committee meeting. By contrast, The Lead, citing the just-released minutes of the last Standing Committee meeting in December, pointed out the newly disclosed fact that, at that meeting, a resolution was proposed (and rejected) that would have asked The Episcopal Church to absent itself for a time from additional Anglican meetings. The Living Church also addressed the transparency issue in its story “Standing Committee Adjusts to Scrutiny.”

Modern Church attacks covenant

The UK-based Modern Church, formerly The Modern Churchpeople’s Union, has come out strongly against the proposed Anglican covenant. It has added a collection of pages to its Web site that argue that the covenant is un-Anglican and “will not create open, forward-looking, twenty-first century churches. (The pages can be accessed here.) Also, Modern Church’s general secretary, the Rev. Jonathan Clatworthy, has written an essay, “No covenant please, we’re Anglican” published by the Guardian.

CoE bishops pledge continued opposition to women bishop legislation

Thinking Anglicans reported August 1, 2010, that 15 Church of England bishops have written a letter expressing their continued opposition to the proposed conditions under which the church proposes to begin consecrating women bishops. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The letter, which was sent to sympathetic clergy, suggests how opponents of women bishops may react if special provisions are not made for them, but it does not suggest that all opponents will react the same way. More votes are required before women can become bishops in the Church of England, perhaps as early as 2014.

Post-Gazette: Episcopal leaders addressing sex abuse

In an August 2, 2010, story, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews efforts by The Episcopal Church to deal with clergy sexual abuse. The story appears as reports of clergy abuse in the Roman Catholic Church continue to appear and after abuse by the former bishop of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Donald Davis, was revealed. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The story, by reporter Ann Rodgers, makes clear the conflicting imperatives experienced by interested parties in sex-abuse cases.

PEP schedules annual picnic

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh has scheduled its annual picnic for Monday, August 16, 2010. PEP members and friends are invited. Details of the event, as well as a poster, are available here.