News for Week Ending 9/13/2010

Pope visits UK this week

The long awaited visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland and England takes place this week. The visit begins September 16, 2010, and ends September 19. The official Web site of the visit can be found here. The ostensible reason for the visit is the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the one-time nineteenth-century Anglican who converted to Roman Catholicism. A preview of the visit, which will include a service in Westminster Abby, can be read here. The Living Church offers a view of the divisions that provide a backdrop to the papal visit here. As usual, ongoing coverage of the visit can be expected from Thinking Anglicans.

Second Moravian body joins Episcopalians in full communion

Episcopal News Service reported September 10, 2010, that the Southern Province of the Moravian Church has voted for full communion with The Episcopal Church. As we reported in earlier—see Pittsburgh Update story here—the 2009 General Convention approved full communion with both the Southern Province and Northern Province of the Moravian Church, the latter of which approved the agreement on June 18. The ENS story pointedly notes that, on the same day that the Northern Province approved full communion with The Episcopal Church, the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, was telling The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council “that the communion’s ecumenical dialogues ‘are at the point of collapse’ because of the church’s decision to ordain as bishop an openly gay and partnered priest for the second time.”

Fort Worth bishop hopeful about litigation

According to Episcopal News Service, Provisional Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, “is optimistic about the progress of litigation over disputed property and assets in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, after several recent court actions.” Ohl also asserted, however, that legislation “is not the center of our diocesan life.” (The most recent Pittsburgh Update reports on the Fort Worth litigation can be read here and here.)

On September 2, 2010, a Hood County case involving a bequest to an Episcopal Church now held by a breakaway congregation was halted. It appears that the case will now be heard in the same Tarrant County court in which the Episcopal diocese and the breakaway diocese led by Bishop Leo Iker is being heard. Additional details can be found in the ENS story. The Episcopal diocese also has information on its Web site and links to pleadings here.

House of Bishops to meet in Phoenix

As reported by Episcopal News Service, the church’s House of Bishops will have its fall meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, September 16–21, 2010. According to ENS, discussions will be dominated by issues of immigration, a particularly hot topic in Arizona, and evangelism. Many bishops will visit the Arizona–Mexico border area in the days before the meeting to see conditions there. Additional details can be found in the ENS story here.

NW Pa. bishop offers update on abuse by previous bishop

Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, has again written his diocese concerning abuse by predecessor Donald Davis. (See earlier Pittsburgh Update story here.) His September 12, 2010, letter can be read here. Rowe reports that five additional women have come forth with charges against Bishop Davis. Three claim to have been abused as children, and two report being harassed as adults. Rowe intends to speak to other bishops in whose dioceses Davis has been resident when he attends the upcoming House of Bishops meeting. Episcopal News Service covered this story here.