News for Week Ending 5/14/2012

Ordinariate for Anglicans coming to Australia

Eurasia Review reported May 12, 2012, that Pope Benedict XVI will be creating an Australian ordinariate for Anglicans wishing to become Roman Catholic while preserving part of their Anglican heritage. The new quasi-diocese is to be launched June 15. The Australian ordinariate follows the establishment of separate ordinariates for England and Wales and for the United States. According the Eurasia Review, the first parish of the U.S. ordinariate will be opened in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in August.

Church of Ireland fails to break ground on sexuality issues

On May 12, 2012, after extended debate, the General Synod of the Church of Ireland passed a resolution on issues of sexuality that reaffirmed traditional dogma. The resolution said, in part: “The Church of Ireland recognises for itself and of itself, no other understanding of marriage than that provided for in the totality of Canon 31. The Church of Ireland teaches therefore that faithfulness within marriage is the only normative context for sexual intercourse.” Episcopal News Service reported on the resolution (reproduced in the ENS story) on May 14. Details of the debate can be found on Thinking Anglicans.

Chicago Consultation, Ujamaa Centre sponsor sexuality dialogue

The Lead reported May 14, 2012, on a three-day gathering in Durban, South Africa, of Africans, Episcopalians, and ecumenical guests. The group “prayed, studied the Bible and listened to presentations about issues of theology, sexuality and culture.” The conference, which took place last October, was an attempt to foster better understanding of diverse viewpoints within the Anglican Communion through face-to-face conversation. The Lead story includes a nearly 12-minute video of voices from the event and a link to a written report about it.

Court rules for L.A. Diocese

In a story on its Web site, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles announced that Orange County Superior Court Judge Kim Dunning, on  May 10, 2012, granted a motion for summary judgment against St. David’s Anglican Church in North Hollywood and All Saints’ Anglican Church in Long Beach. After a long legal battle that went all the way to the California Supreme Court—see Pittsburgh Update story here—the Los Angeles diocese is poised to see the return of the parish property in North Hollywood and Long Beach in the near future. The Los Angeles Times ran a story on the court decision.

Falls Church Anglicans hold last service in historic church

WTOP-FM reported May 14, 2012, that the breakaway Anglican congregation of The Falls Church, in Falls Church, Virginia, held its final service in its historic building May 13. As a result of a January court decision—see Pittsburgh Update story here—the parish property is being returned to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. The congregation is appealing the order to turn over the property, but its request to remain in place during the appeal was rejected. The church issued a press release about its situation May 10. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church, wrote about the departure of himself and his congregation in The Washington Post May 11. Responding to the Yates essay, Jim Naughton, on The Lead, accused Yates of wanting his own facts in claiming that the congregation remains part of the Anglican Communion.