The meeting between Pope Benedict and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had been billed as something of a showdown. It lasted exactly 20 minutes.

It was shorter than some previous encounters, but the official description of it was "cordial". The Pope presented Dr Williams with a gold bishop's cross.

The Vatican acknowledged that discussions "focused on recent events between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion".

However, the statement said both sides reiterated the "shared will" to achieve closer relations as it is the Christian duty to work towards unity.

But the twin issues of the ordination of women as priests and bishops and Dr. Williams' liberal attitude to homosexuality remain cutting edge issues and will not go away.

In a lecture he gave in Rome prior to meeting the Pope, Williams said the ordination of women is a secondary issue that does not amount to much and the Vatican would just have to get used to it. That seems very unlikely.

Forty years ago the Roman Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council seemed to promise a greater readiness to meet other churches half way in achieving greater unity. ARCIC talks held high hopes for both sides. Those are all dashed. ARCIC will limp along, but it will have no teeth and it has no future.

The only question now is: Who will accept the Pope's offer? We now wait and see. You can read a number of stories about this ongoing historic act by the Vatican in today's digest. Two Church of England commentators, John Richardson and Charles Raven believe that Dr. Williams has no ground for maneuverability or even negotiation as his views do not represent the vast bulk of the Anglican Communion who are succinctly and distinctly evangelical. There is more division within the Church of England now than there has ever been, divided as it is by liberals, revisionists, mainstream Evangelicals, FULCRUM evangelicals, women priests, homosexual priests, Anglo-Catholics and future women bishops. The deeper issue is why the Global South even bothers to play ball anymore with Lambeth Palace.

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The Vatican's offer led the ANGLICAN CHURCH IN AMERICA's Archbishop Louis Falk to offer up a wait and see approach and told his flock so this week. You can read his full letter in today's digest.

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They elected a new bishop in the DIOCESE OF OREGON this past week. The Rev. Michael Joseph Hanley was elected on the second ballot to be the 10th bishop of Oregon. Pending the required consents, on April 10 Hanley will succeed Bishop Johncy Itty, who resigned from his diocesan position at the end of 2008.

"You have all done such fine work over the past two years [since Itty's departure] and taken on so much leadership," Hanley told the convention. "I have a sense of giddy expectation and hope for the future. Thanks for letting us [him and wife, Marla] become part of what will be many happy years to come," he told an ENS reporter.

But that's not the real story. A former parishioner in Portland, a conservative cradle Episcopalian who has held hopes that TEC would turn around got her hopes dashed at the last diocesan convention. Evidently, St. Matthew's (a parish in Portland) was "invited" to select a portion of scripture to read at the convention. When the lady began to read from Timothy about the qualifications for bishop, she was constantly interrupted with loud laughter from the other delegates. She finally gave up and sat down. Another parishioner was so incensed and appalled at the rude treatment and scorn for scripture that she plans to take action. VOL will have more to say about this in due course.

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The DIOCESE OF DELAWARE announced that it will have to close its landmark cathedral for lack of parishioners. Bishop Wayne Wright wrote to the parish of St. John's saying, "It is with numbers that questions about the future arise: numbers of people and numbers of dollars." The number of people gathering for worship on Sunday mornings is way down from the heady days of yesteryear. In January, Bishop Wright will meet with the Vestry to decide the cathedral's future. "It is not news to most of you that the question about the future of the Cathedral is also fueled by a concern about dollars. The dollar amount of pledged income does not cover expenses." http://www.cathedralsaintjohn.org/images2009/2009_11newsSaintJohn.pdf http://www.cathedralsaintjohn.org/images2009/NewsSaintJohn_2009_09.pdf

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In the DIOCESE OF OHIO, the last Episcopal parish in the city of Galion will close after being a place of worship for more than 130 years. During the past decade, the congregation at 130 W. Walnut St., stayed at less than 10, mostly seniors citizens. The handful of members asked the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio to allow the parish to close. Other parishes in the area are also expected to close.

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Well, if you think that winning back the parish was the be all and end all of the discussion (and litigation) you would be wrong. Now that Episcopal dioceses are effectively using the Dennis Canon to take back a parish, a new legal twist has entered in. The Episcopal DIOCESE OF LONG ISLAND has filed suit against two law firms, seeking to reclaim $205,000 in legal fees, according to Courthouse News Service.

The majority of members at St. James' Episcopal Church, Elmhurst, N.Y., who voted to separate from the diocese and the Episcopal Church in 2005 lost in their struggle to keep the parish. The former Episcopalians regrouped as St. James' Anglican Church, affiliated with the nascent Anglican Church in North America. The diocese says the separating members paid legal fees from the parish's bank and stock accounts and they want it back.

Mark E. Jakubik, attorney for the parish wrote VOL and said, "The claim by the Diocese has no basis in either law or fact, and will be vigorously contested."

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A ground breaking presentation regarding the possibility of an Anglican church in Maryland, under the auspices and support of The Falls Church will take place December 12. The meeting will be at the Falls Church, that Saturday, starting at 9AM. Those living in the area are invited and are encouraged to bring anyone else who might think would be interested. Source: The Anglican Fellowship of Washington

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In VANCOUVER, BC, the courts handed a victory of sorts to Bishop Michael Ingham when Mr. Justice Stephen Kelleher of the British Columbia Supreme Court issued a mixed decision in the case involving the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), the Diocese of New Westminster and four Greater Vancouver parishes in the Anglican Network in Canada.

The four parishes - St Matthew's (Abbotsford), St Matthias & St Luke's (Vancouver), St John's Shaughnessy (Vancouver) and Church of the Good Shepherd (Vancouver) - had asked the courts in early September 2008 to clarify their Trustees' responsibilities in light of hostile action taken by the Diocese of New Westminster. All four parishes voted overwhelmingly in February 2008 to disaffiliate with the ACoC and realign with the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC). The bishop purported to terminate and replace the Trustees and take control of two of the churches' properties and their bank accounts. ANiC is now part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a new Anglican province formed as a result of the worldwide split in the Anglican Church over profound disagreement on issues of doctrine.

Kelleher found that the Bishop of New Westminster did not have legal or canonical authority for his purported termination and replacement of the Trustees, who were validly elected by the congregations and who control the use of the properties. However, he said the Trustees were required to exercise their authority "in relation to the parish properties in accordance with the Act, as well as the Constitution, Canons, Rules and Regulations of the Diocese." He then said he would "leave it to the parties to arrive at a workable solution". This clearly leaves the parties in a difficult position as they dispute the interpretation of those documents, particularly the Constitution.

Kelleher preferred to follow American legal principles rather than apply British and Canadian cases which have held that "As a rule, where a church organization is formed for the purpose of promoting certain defined doctrines of religion, the church property which it acquires is impressed with a trust to carry out that purpose, and a majority cannot divert the property to inconsistent uses against the protest of a minority however small." (See Anderson v. Gislason 1920 Man. CA) He also chose not to apply established British and Canadian "cy pres" trust principles in dealing with the church properties.

However, he did apply trust principles in finding that the $2.2 million bequest of Dr. Daphne Chun to "the building fund of the Church of Good Shepherd" should be held on trust for the building needs of the ANiC congregation.

"We are very grateful that Mr. Justice Kelleher understood and respected Dr. Chun's intention when she left her bequest to our building fund" said Eric Law, a Trustee of the congregation of Good Shepherd. "We look forward to using those funds toward the building we currently worship in."

Without deciding the issue, Mr. Justice Kelleher also expressed his opinion that "the parish properties are held on trust for Anglican ministry as defined by the [Anglican Church of Canada]." In recent years, the ACoC's governing body has changed church doctrine to the dismay of the global Anglican Communion.

"The 98 page decision is very complex and our lawyers will need some time to review it before we make any decisions about whether to appeal" said Cheryl Chang, Chancellor (in-house legal advisor) to the ANiC. "It is a great concern to hear that a majority can redefine and change the doctrine of the church and that those who wish to remain faithful to the church's teaching must change their beliefs or sacrifice their buildings. At the end of the day, if forced to choose, we will have to choose our faith over our buildings."

"People will turn to what is true," said Bishop Donald Harvey. "So, as Archbishop Bob Duncan, our ACNA Primate said last week, even if we have to leave our properties, 'We'll have the souls and they'll get the stuff. We'll get the future, they'll get the past. I'd rather have the souls and the future'. Our greatest concern is for the congregations and the ministries. We will continue to preach the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ, even if called to sacrifice buildings and money in the process."

ANiC now numbers 33 parishes and eight forming congregations in North America with more than 3500 in church on an average Sunday. Members of the Anglican Network in Canada are committed to remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that orthodox Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their Anglican brothers and sisters outside North America.

ANiC is under the Episcopal authority of Bishop Harvey and is a diocese in the Anglican Church in North America which unites over 100,000 faithful Anglicans from across this continent. ANiC is also affiliated with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (in South America) under Primate Gregory Venables.

What is Ingham going to do with a bunch of empty churches wrote an irate Anglican to VOL? "Of course, they're only buildings, but Saint John's especially has military veteran ties. It was the money of war vets that went into building it, as is reflected in one of its main stained glassed windows." Another source said Ingham may be forced to sell the three smaller parishes just to sustain St. John's which requires a huge budget just to maintain. At the end of the day, it will be a pyrrhic victory for Ingham. He might have the steeple, but he doesn't have the people.

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Religious leaders vow civil disobedience on anti-life issues. Some 150 leaders across a spectrum of conservative Christianity released a 4,700-word document vowing civil disobedience if they are forced to take part in "anti-life acts" or bless gay marriages.

Called the "Manhattan Declaration," the six-page, single-spaced document was drafted by Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson, an evangelical, and Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic. The signatories include a bevy of Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox bishops, archbishops and cardinals along with dozens of clergy and laity. Archbishop of Washington Donald W. Wuerl is one of the signatories.

"Throughout the centuries, Christianity has taught that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required," says the document which cited civil rights icon Martin Luther King and his willingness to go to jail for his beliefs.

"Because we honor justice and the common good," it states, "we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide or euthanasia or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family."

Marriage is under attack and many wonder if it will be preserved and defended for future generations. From rewriting definitions to legislative battles, lines are being drawn that will shape the nature of the marriage debate for years to come. In response to the growing tide of liberal definitions, the Manhattan Declaration seeks to send a clear signal to all those involved in the marriage debate: the institution of marriage is a gift from God and therefore must be taken on his terms, said Southern Baptist leader and Dr. Albert Mohler. "Marriage is a gift to society, not a product of society, and therefore cannot be defined by national whims and cultural trends." For more on the Manhattan declaration and signers click here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11600

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A Russian Orthodox priest who was known for seeking to convert Muslims has been killed by a masked gunman at his church in Moscow.

The official Web site of the Moscow Patriarchate said that the Rev. Daniil Sysoyev, 35, a father of three, died shortly after being shot in the head and chest by an unidentified assailant who entered his parish church of St. Thomas in southern Moscow late on 19 November.

The church's choir director was injured during the attack. Anatoly Bagmet, an official of the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, told news agencies that religion is being investigated as the primary motive.

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From the DIOCESE OF EUROPE comes word that 350 bells will ring out for climate justice. The 13th of December is the defining moment for faith organizations and churches to conduct a church service and ring bells, sound conch shells, or beat drums or gongs 350 times.

Why 350 times? 350 refer to 350 parts per million: This is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere according to many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments. For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 ppm of CO2, but now the concentration stands at 390 ppm. Unless we are able to rapidly reduce CO2 levels again, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost. melt.n.org/news/newsItems/2009/09_Nov_01.html

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Make the Bible go Viral. Christians are promoting the Bible this week on major internet websites including Twitter, FaceBook, and MySpace.

They are deliberately posting messages about the Bible and repeating other people's messages about the Bible.

The Bible As Poetry website has even prepared 200 Twitter- length messages about the Bible for people to use. Click here: http://www.bibleaspoetry.com/

Each of the Bible messages is less than 140 characters long because that is the maximum length allowed for messages on Twitter.com.

Christians can copy these short messages and make them their own messages on social networking websites.

The plan to increase the number of times the Bible is mentioned is called 'Make the Bible go Viral.' It runs until next Sunday night (November 29).

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When one surveys the church scene worldwide, it is the American church that is now the mission field. The church in Africa and Asia (yes, even in China) are where efforts to make disciples are now the most serious. The energy of church leaders must be turned toward enlisting younger men and women into apprenticeship to Christ. This assumes that existing leaders are living in such a way as to be good examples to the flock. "I have concluded that the priorities of church leaders must shift from corporate markers of success to personal ones. For it is in the common and personal life, rather than the public life, that real spiritual power is located. That is why it is far more important to be a disciple than to have a plan to make disciples. When people are disciples, they will find a way to make other disciples. In fact, they won't be able to stop themselves from doing it," writes blogger Bill Hull. http://blog.bible.org/hull/

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Let me close with the lovely collect for Thanksgiving Day:

"Oh most merciful Father, who has blessed the labors of many in the returns of the fruits of the earth; we give humble and hearty thanks for this bounty; we humbly ask for continuing loving kindness, that our land may still yield her increase and that it return to your service, for your glory, and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen. (Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, 1928)

VIRTUEONLINE wishes all its readers around the world a very blessed Thanksgiving.

All blessings,

David