Anglicans could receive Roman Catholic communion, Archbishop suggests

The ban on Anglicans receiving Roman Catholic Holy Communion could be relaxed as part of moves to bring the two churches together after centuries of division, one of Britain’s most senior Catholic clerics has suggested.
By John Bingham

11 Oct 2013

 

The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Bernard Longley, signalled that restrictions, which can be traced back to the Reformation, might be “reconsidered” as a result of “deeper sharing” between the two churches.

 

Although he insisted that he was expressing a “personal view”, the Archbishop’s comments will be closely watched as he is the senior Catholic cleric responsible for dialogue with the Anglican churches.
 

His remarks were warmly welcomed by leading figures in the Church of England who said it was time for closer ties. the rest

Powerful Cyclone Phailin forces massive evacuations in India

By Mark Magnier

October 12, 2013

NEW DELHI -- India was battered by a massive cyclone Saturday as nearly half a million people evacuated to shelters in vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas amid power outages, large storm surges and canceled trains and flights.

Officials said Cyclone Phailin was expected to affect 12 million people in the eastern states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh with the potential to become a “super cyclone,” which occurs when wind speeds exceed 135 miles per hour.

"This is one of the largest evacuations undertaken in India," Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told reporters in the capital, New Delhi. “Our priority is to minimize loss of life.”  the rest

A.S. Haley: Judgment in Quincy; Chicago Denied Substitution, $1.1 Million Released

Friday, October 11, 2013

On October 9, 2013, Judge Thomas H. Ortbal of the Adams County Circuit Court entered a final judgment against ECUSA and its (no-longer-existent) “Diocese of Quincy”. The judgment decrees and declares that the Anglican Diocese of Quincy is the sole owner of its real and personal property, including approximately $4 million in its bank accounts that has been frozen ever since ECUSA first wrote a letter to its bank in January 2009.

In order to keep the funds frozen, ECUSA had filed a motion to stay enforcement of the judgment pending its appeal to the Fourth District Court of Appeals. It also filed a motion to substitute, in place of its former “Diocese of Quincy”, the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, into which the former Diocese of Quincy merged ecclesiastically effective September 1.

In a separate order, also entered October 9, Judge Ortbal denied on technical grounds the motion to substitute in the Diocese of Chicago, and stayed the main judgment as to all but the real property and $1.1 million of the funds on deposit. He did not require any bond from either side.
The judgment as entered makes several key findings of fact: the rest

Comments at Stand Firm

SC Judge upholds injunction against TEC
St. George, SC, October 11, 2013 – South Carolina Circuit Judge Diane S. Goodstein today ruled in favor of the Diocese of South Carolina’s position that her injunction, which prohibits The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Episcopal Church in South Carolina (ECSC) from using the names and seal of the Diocese of South Carolina, should remain in place.

Judge Goodstein issued the injunction and temporary restraining order in January.

“I’m not going to disturb the injunction,” she said.  The judge said it will remain in place to protect the diocese’s duly registered marks. Under South Carolina civil law those are entitled to protection.
“I’m encouraged by this ruling, for the clarity it allows us in continuing with the mission and ministry of the Diocese,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, bishop of the diocese...

Archbp. Welby on confession; Porn: the new narcotic; Britian in danger of becoming anti-Christian...more

Another ObamaCare Success Story: Thousands of Connecticut Doctors Fired by United HealthCare
...In the midst of major changes in health care, United HealthCare has sent thousands of pink slips to Connecticut doctors.

Termination letters went to physicians caring for Medicare patients.

Those letters were sent out to doctors caring for ‘Medicare Advantage’ patients...

'Catholic' confession is good for the soul - says Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is encouraging Anglicans to adopt the practice of going to confession, a tradition more commonly associated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Priest Threatened With Arrest, Says Mass in Park
...For a man who has offered sacraments under fire, one imagines government bureaucracy is not a very intimidating challenge. Undeterred by the restrictions he faced against saying Mass on base, Fr. Shaughnessy found a way to serve the soldiers he is so dedicated to...

Bishop Nazir-Ali warns Britain in danger of becoming “anti-Christian”

...Drawing on his own experience of persecution, both personally and as President of OXTRAD, Bishop Nazir-Ali said that persecution "always begins with marginalisation and discrimination in the workplace and in public life".

He added that Britain is in danger of becoming not just "unchristian" but "anti-Christian" unless the growing marginalisation of Christian faith in Britain is addressed...

Mennonite Art Gallery Owners Sue State Civil Rights Commission Over Hosting Same-Sex Marriages  ...The Odegaards allege that their "religious beliefs forbid them from planning, facilitating, or hosting wedding ceremonies that contradict their religious understanding of marriage."...

Albert Mohler: How Pornography Works: It Hijacks the Male Brain
...And then, enough is never enough. “If I take the same dose of a drug over and over and my body begins to tolerate it, I will need to take a higher dose of the drug in order for it to have the same effect that it did with a lower dose the first time,” Struthers reminds us. So, the experience of viewing pornography and acting out on it creates a demand in the brain for more and more, just to achieve the same level of pleasure in the brain.

While men are stimulated by the ambient sexual images around them, explicit pornography increases the effect. Struthers compares this to the difference between traditional television and the new high definition technologies. Everything is more clear, more explicit, and more stimulating...

Porn: The New Narcotic
...Neurological research has revealed that the effect of internet pornography on the human brain is just as potent—if not more so—than addictive chemical substances such as cocaine or heroin...

CT: Outlawed Episcopalians, now Anglicans, Given Baptist Church for Free

By David W. Virtue
October 8, 2013

It took them five years of persistent prayer, fasting and believing God would answer their prayers.

This week He did just that. Trinity Episcopal Church in Bristol, Connecticut (now Holy Trinity Anglican Church), one of the original Connecticut 6 who stood up to the Diocese of Connecticut and its Bishop Andrew D. Smith and the Episcopal Church over the authority of Scripture, the public acceptance of pansexual behaviors and said "NO MORE", unexpectedly saw God answer their prayers.

"We prayed persistently and with faith for the Holy Spirit to guide us to our future home. After 5 years in the 'desert' (read Forestville, Conn.), our prayers were answered. A Baptist parish about two miles from our worship home had lost all but 6 of its members and decided to close its doors. They graciously gave us his church building and property. No strings attached, no cost, no hidden charges," said Fr. Don Helmandollar, rector of Holy Trinity Anglican.

Their minister met with Fr. Don, now an Anglican priest in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), which reports to the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion. CANA is a constituent member of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Their new bishop is the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs.  the rest

What 'gay marriage' did to Massachusetts

Oct 7, 2013

The consequences of homosexual marriage: Most people have no idea what REALLY happens when "gay marriage" is imposed.

The decline of the art of Anglican lying

by George Conger
posted October 9, 2013

Excerpt:
The political currents in the Church of England do not favor Archbishop Welby’s public embrace of the Gafcon movement. At the 2008 Gafcon meeting in Jerusalem, Bishops Michael Nazir Ali and Wallace Benn of the Church of England were among the leaders of the gathering. While there will be a large number of English participants at Gafcon, I do not believe there will be any bishops.

And, the battles within the Church of England over women bishops and human sexuality, coupled with a hostile culture and government have focused the church’s gaze inward in the past few years. There is not the overt hostility to Gafcon this time around as there was in 2008 in some quarters – but the case has yet to be made to the institutional CoE why the global reform movement should be embraced, not feared.

Factor into this equation the fact that of all the diocesan bishops, Justin Welby of Canterbury is likely the most favorable to the ideals of the Gafcon movement. The African bishops understand Justin Welby cannot deliver his church, cannot deliver upon a commitment without synodical and episcopal backing.

As of Friday of last week the Anglican world had reached equilibrium over Gafcon. Archbishop Welby would be there in spirit, but not in person. The scenario that was likely to unfold was that the conference leaders would produce a grand statement laying out their beliefs and points of contention with the progressive wing of the church. But they would also find a way to give aid and support to Justin Welby – even if they managed a kick or two in the Church of England’s shins over civil partnerships.

Monday’s announcement that Justin Welby would be meeting with the Gafcon primates before the conference will  enlarge but not alter this scenario. We will still see a statement of beliefs from the conference around their future hopes for the Communion, but I expect a greater degree of sympathy for Archbishop Welby’s position within the Church of England.  the rest