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ROME — A group of Catholic and Anglican theologians has publicly called on the Vatican to review and overturn a papal document from 1896 that declared Anglican ordinations “absolutely null and utterly void.” “Where we once walked apart, we now walk together in friendship and love,” wrote members of the Malines Conversations Group after tracing the history of ecumenical agreements between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion and, especially, reviewing examples of collaboration and gestures of recognition. The judgment made by Pope Leo XIII in his apostolic letter “Apostolicae Curae” in 1896 “does not accord with the reality into...

I was once again appalled to see an insulting, biased and unfunny cartoon by Steve Kelly on Oct. 29. Depicting a puppy trying to urinate on a picture of Dr. Anthony Fauci is the height of adolescent and hostile “humor.” Continuing to target the public face of the fight against COVID-19 is not just mean-spirited and uninformed but dangerous. It’s dangerous because making Dr. Fauci out to be some sort of bureaucratic bogeyman fuels conspiratorial anti-science, anti-government hysteria at a time when our country is still experiencing unnecessary illness and death at the hands of this deadly disease. We remain...

The Church of Ireland is to complete its divestment from companies that extract fossil fuels by the end of this year. Companies where more than 10 percent of turnover is derived from fossil fuel extraction will be excluded from investments made by the Representative Church Body (RCB). […] The Church of Ireland said through its climate change policy, the RCB seeks to mitigate and lower the climate change impact within its investment portfolios and “has taken several steps in this regard over the past number of years”. This includes collaborative engagement, investments in wind and solar energy and forestry, the...

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Like many of you, I have been soberly watching the situation unfolding in Afghanistan. I know it has surfaced many emotions for people across the world, especially those who have personal connections with Afghanistan and the Afghan people. Whether justified or unjustified, war is always a tragic consequence of the Fall. While in war we can witness the greatness of human courage and selflessness, we also realize the depths of human sinfulness, as poet Robert Burns wrote, “man’s inhumanity to man.” Please join me in prayer for the people of Afghanistan, those Afghans and...

Because our media establishment is total garbage, you probably haven't heard about this: Though barely mentioned in US media, 48 Christian churches in Canada have been vandalized or burned down in the past two months…Much of the arson appears linked to white progressives...” Heartbreaking, important story getting almost no coverage in U.S... Canada's churches are burning. Trudeau shrugs.. Yes, 48 churches in Canada have either been vandalized or set on fire in just TWO MONTHS. Here's one of them: Having a hard time processing this right now. The historic & beautiful St Jean Baptist’s parish in Morinville burned to the...

Petertide — the days around the feast of St. Peter on June 29 — is traditionally one of the most joyful seasons for the Church of England, a time for ordination of new priests and deacons. But this year’s Petertide has been marred by what many have interpreted as an attack on the future of Anglican priesthood itself. As Britain’s national church prepared to gather for its General Synod, which begins Friday (July 9), one of its most senior clerics submitted a paper for discussion arguing that the future lies not with clergy in the pulpit, but with worshipping communities...

Canadian churches, mostly Roman Catholic and Anglican and often historic, have been burned down or vandalised in remarkable numbers in recent days, as anger has been whipped up over the discovery of unmarked graved — often wrongly described as “mass graves” by the mainstream media — at the sites of former Indian Residential Schools; institutions typically run by churches which the government used to require First Nations children to attend, in what is now seen as a misguided effort to integrate them into the cultural mainstream. The schools date back to the 1800s, and at least some of the graves...

The Church of England announced that it is going to begin a formal “discernment and decision-making” process "about a way forward for the church" in regards to its teachings on sex, sexuality and marriage. Church leaders are aiming to come to a conclusion on the long-debated issues by 2022. The announcement came with the launch of the "Living in Love and Faith" resources, which more than 40 people, led by the Bishop of Coventry Christopher Cocksworth, worked on for three years to help people participate in honest discussions, listen to life stories and understand each other’s views. Part of the...

Conservative Christians are using religious liberty as a basis to oppress the marginalized as well as traumatize parents of children who identify as LGBTQ, according to a retired Episcopal Church bishop and a filmmaker. Retired New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson and filmmaker Daniel Karslake were hosted for a discussion by the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), an unofficial United Methodist LGBTQ caucus, on July 15. The bishop and the film producer equated God’s purposes with intersectional identity politics of the Left. Robinson was the first man openly in a same-sex partnership to be consecrated a bishop in the Episcopal Church and...

The Church of England is “too white” while “Jesus was a black man”, according to the new Archbishop of York. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Stephen Cottrell praised the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and said his inauguration this week as a white man replacing outgoing Archbishop John Sentamu — who is black — is “awkward” for the church. “The leadership of the Church of England is still too white, and I hope under my watch we’ll see further changes on that,” he said, asserting that the church has work to do “addressing the deep systemic issues of exclusion and...

Worshippers should be extra mindful of their personal hygiene to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Church of England has warned. The church has advised its congregations around the country to follow 'best-hygiene practices' at all services. Dr Brendan McCarthy, the church's health adviser, did not give any drastic new rules but used the coronavirus outbreak as a serious reminder to be hygienic. He said people with 'coughs and sneezes' should not drink wine from the 'Common Cup', should not dip bread into it, and should not shake others' hands during 'The Peace'.

The church must find ways to “facilitate a respectful and protected space for all members of the society in so far as they do not breach the rights of others in terms of liberty and justice”, and this includes women’s rights to abortion, a senior Anglican cleric in Jamaica said here last night. “To deny a woman access to safe and legal abortion is clearly an affront to ethical health practices; respect for self-determination; and most of all, the woman’s right to life,” said the Very Reverend Father Sean Major-Campbell, Dean of Kingston and Rector of Christ Church in Vineyard...

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York John Sentamu have apologized for a decree issued by the Church of England which said that only heterosexual married couples should have sex and that sex in gay or straight civil partnerships “falls short of God’s purpose for human beings according to scriptural teachings.” “We as Archbishops, alongside the bishops of the Church of England, apologize and take responsibility for releasing a statement last week which we acknowledge has jeopardised trust,” the archbishops said in a statement, according to Belfast Telegraph. “We are very sorry and recognize the division and hurt...

Home at Last: Church of the Apostles Ready to Reach A New Community Thanks to David Harper, shepherd of 26 years; Nick Braunschneider, our new Joshua; & especially Joe Acanfora, our Moses. During the service of consecration and thanksgiving for Church of the Apostles’ new church home in Fairfax, Virginia last month, I was surprised and filled with joy when I closed my eyes. Remaining behind closed eyelids was the image of the cross that was against the back wall of the chancel. I suddenly remembered how I used to love “seeing” that cross while praying at Church of the...

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," preached Rev. John Peter Muhlenberg, from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1. He closed his message by saying: "In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight." John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was a 30 year old member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, who was also a pastor. At the end of his sermon, January 21, 1776, John Peter Muhlenberg threw off his clerical...

Hundreds of Anglicans have called on Church of England bishops to speak out against proposals to decriminalise abortion. The open letter was signed by 384 people, including 49 members of the General Synod, concerned over the manifesto commitments by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Many church leaders signed the letter, including Revd Dr Ian Paul, a member of the Archbishops’ Council, Revd William Taylor of St Helen’s Bishopsgate, and Revd Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream. ‘Most vulnerable’ The signatories said decriminalisation of abortion “would remove all sanctions in criminal law for those who perform abortions outside the limits set by...

Glenn Davies, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, has a message for people who disagree with him, and his diocese, about same sex blessings – they should leave the church rather than fight. “My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our Church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views – but do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture,” he told his Synod (church parliament) in his final address to them. “Please leave us. We have far too much work to do in...

The Church of England faces serious issues: membership and attendance have continued to drop with no end in sight, theologically conservative bishops threaten a massive boycott of the upcoming 2020 Lambeth Conference, and the Brexit question continues to divide British society. Amidst this, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was interviewed before the attendees of Greenbelt, a liberal Christian conference and festival held annually since 1974. While the festival offers music and art, the conference elements focus upon the role of the church in modern society. During this interview the Archbishop fielded questions from presenters and from an audience. Welby was...

300,000 miles on horseback -Francis Asbury, Circuit Riding Preacher "one of the builders of our nation" The King of England was the head of the Anglican Church from the time of Henry VIII. Beginning in 1535, all English subjects, including those in English colonies, were required to the Oath of Supremacy: "I (state your name) do utterly testify and declare in my Conscience, that the King's Highness is the only Supreme Governor of this Realm ... in all Spiritual or Eclesiastical things ... So help me God." For most of England's history from 1535 to 1829, not to take the...

ROCHESTER, England, July 29, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The second-oldest cathedral in England has become a source of controversy for announcing it will soon host a decidedly unconventional secular feature within its historic walls: a mini-golf course. Founded in 604 AD, Rochester Cathedral is second in age among English churches only to Canterbury, and was consecrated by St. Augustine himself. Earlier this month, the cathedral’s current leadership announced it’s partnering with the Rochester Bridge Trust to temporarily install a “bridge-themed adventure golf course” in the Medieval Nave. Running through the month of August, the course is being billed as a free...