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By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent (Filed: 01/03/2004) Anglicanism's most senior critic of homosexuality is to embarrass the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, by boycotting a top-level meeting in Canterbury today in protest over its first openly gay bishop. The Primate of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, is refusing to attend the meeting of Church leaders, hosted by Dr Williams, because he objects to the presence of the leader of the liberal American Church. The Archbishop, who heads 17 million Anglicans, is a leading opponent of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Frank Griswold, who defied colleagues by leading the consecration, last November, of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Dr Akinola has told friends that to attend the week-long gathering of primates and senior Church members would be a betrayal of his views and those of a majority of Anglicans worldwide. He has described the consecration as "a Satanic attack on the Church." The snub is the most dramatic indication yet of the splits at the heart of the worldwide Church, and it will fuel speculation that Archbishop Akinola is prepared to break away and lead a rival Anglican Church. Another critic of Bishop Griswold, the Primate of Central Africa, Archbishop Bernard Malango, is expected to attend the meeting, but only after issuing a scathing attack on the American Church. The Archbishop accused the liberal leadership of the Episcopal Church of inflicting "a desperately grave wound to the Church", warning that, if it failed to repent, separation would be permanent for the "spiritual safety of our people." His comments contrasted with those of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former Archbishop of Cape Town and a leading liberal, who said at an Ash Wednesday service in London last week that Anglicanism must include everyone, regardless of their sexuality. The latest hostilities have undermined the efforts of Dr Williams to encourage talks between the warring parties and of the Lambeth Commission set up in October to try to avert schism. The commission, which is chaired by the Primate of All Ireland, Dr Robin Eames, urged both sides last month to end their use of "strident language" which is threatening to tear the Church apart. Insiders say that efforts by the commission to broker a deal between the conservatives and liberals, which could allow them to co-exist, has reached a "stalemate." The meeting in Canterbury of the joint committee of the Primates' standing committee and the standing committee of the Anglican Consultative council is not directly related to the commission, but is regarded as crucial.

Church of Apostles no longer funds diocese, national church By Frank E. Lockwood HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER PRESTONSBURG — Leaders of a Lexington Episcopal congregation, objecting to the consecration of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson, are no longer sharing communion with Lexington Bishop Stacy Sauls. Church of the Apostles, a 7-year-old evangelical parish, has stopped giving money to the Lexington diocese and the Episcopal Church USA. The congregation, with an average attendance of about 110 people, has contemporary worship services — no pews, prayer books or pipe organs. But it adheres to traditional scriptural interpretations, and is in "impaired communion" with the diocese, said its minister, the Rev. Martin Gornik. The Lexington parish is the second parish to publicly challenge Sauls. Saint John's Church in Versailles split in January after diocesan leaders dismissed that church's governing board. Earlier this month, the church's governing board voted unanimously to join the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes — a national group which claims the Episcopal Church has abandoned "the historic faith of the Bible." Yesterday, at the diocese's annual convention, Gornik and four members of his congregation declined to take bread and wine which Sauls had consecrated. They sat in silence while others went forward. "Clearly, this is an unusual thing," Sauls said afterward. The impaired communion capped a day that featured diocesan elections, a worship service and a brief debate about marriage for gays. Asked whether he thinks Apostles will leave the Episcopal Church, Sauls said he doubts that will happen, but added, "It certainly is a possibility that can't be ruled out." Gornik said the congregation is committed to the Anglican tradition. But locally, Apostles will continue to dissent "until there is a change in direction by the leadership of the diocese." Relations have been strained since Sauls voted to approve the election of Robinson, a Lexington native, as bishop of New Hampshire. "It is serious and grievous that our diocese cannot affirm what we understand to be basic and central teachings of the faith," Gornik said. Sauls said he respects Gornik and hopes the relationship will be restored. "I do not consider myself in impaired communion with them in any way," he said. "But I respect the fact that they see the relationship as impaired from their perspective." In recent weeks, Episcopal leaders have downplayed the importance of correctly interpreting scripture. The Episcopal bishop of Virginia, Peter James Lee, recently told his diocese's annual convention: "If you must make a choice between heresy and schism, always choose heresy." Sauls put it differently. Saying that "Scripture is full of logical inconsistencies," he told his annual convention Friday that "when it comes to family, how I love matters more than how I think." Loving each other, Sauls told the convention, "matters more than how many other commandments, laws or rules I can quote or how many specks I can see in the eyes of others while ignoring the log in my own." Gornik said he can't support efforts "to revise and change what has been understood as traditional and historic teachings of the church, based on scripture." Since founding Church of the Apostles in 1996, "We have taught, preached, discipled and formed people in the orthodox traditions of the church. That's who we are." In other convention business: • A resolution opposing marriages for gay couples in the church, tabled by the convention's resolutions committee, remained off the agenda — despite protests from some deputies. Lay deputies voted 54-46 not to debate the issue now, siding with a resolutions committee which Sauls had appointed. Clergy voted 19-7 to delay the discussion. • The convention voted to oppose the death penalty for juvenile offenders and to increase assistance to Haiti. • Deputies approved a resolution praising Sauls' "perseverance, wisdom and visionary leadership."

February 27, 2004 (CNA) Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon, former Vatican representative to the Beijing Summit on Women, argues that same-sex marriage is not a civil rights issue — but a bid for special preference. She states: “What same-sex marriage advocates have tried to present as a civil rights issue is really a bid for special preferences of the type our society gives to married couples for the very good reason that most of them are raising or have raised children.” Glendon raises three major concerns: Children’s Rights: Legalizing same-sex marriage would endorse the idea that children do not need both a mother and a father, and would normalize the view that “alternative family forms are just as good.” Sex-education and marriage-prep curricula would include homosexual practice, and objecting parents would be “branded as homophobes.” Religious Freedom: She warns of “an era of intolerance and discrimination the likes of which we have rarely seen before.” Religious institutions refusing to recognize same-sex unions would face lawsuits and public vilification. Distributive Justice: “How can one justify treating same-sex households like married couples when such benefits are denied to all the people… caring for elderly or disabled relatives whom they cannot claim as family members for tax or insurance purposes?” She insists the decision belongs to the democratic process — not courts — and must be preceded by full public debate. Citizens deserve the right to vote on whether childless same-sex unions should receive the same legal and financial privileges society reserves for families raising children. NEW HAMPSHIRE: ROBINSON’S ELECTION “RIGGED”, PLANNED A YEAR IN ADVANCE By JoAnn Samson February 28, 2004 A lay Episcopalian from St. Paul’s Church, Concord, NH, JoAnn Samson alleges that the election of V. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire was “rigged”—orchestrated over many months, possibly years. Key claims: Bishop Douglas Theuner (Robinson’s longtime superior and Canon employer) actively campaigned for Robinson, “cajoled, pushed and twisted arms,” and handpicked delegates favorable to his election. The groundwork was laid during the Righter trial (1990s), where Theuner served as a “judge” in the case of a bishop who ordained a non-celibate gay priest — establishing precedent and alliances. Though presented as a Spirit-led open process, Samson asserts the outcome was predetermined. Following the vote, many orthodox members resigned or left within 24 hours. Samson also critiques Robinson’s theology: In a sermon on Abraham and Isaac, he speculated Abraham “maybe thought he was to sacrifice Isaac because that’s what the pagans did” — implying doubt that God spoke. He identified himself as both “wheat and weeds,” contradicting Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13), where the two are ultimately separated. Post-election, he embarked on a global “gay rights advocacy” tour — despite claiming he didn’t want to be “a gay bishop,” but “New Hampshire’s bishop.” One supporter reportedly said Robinson was “so busy he did not have time to pray or read the Bible.” More broadly, Samson warns of deeper heresies beneath the sexuality debate: Rejection of biblical authority Denial of sin as objective reality Universalism (“everyone is saved”) Relativism (“all religions are equal”) She cites liturgical erosion: communion now offered “whether you believe in anything or not,” and sermons (e.g., on “Why Jesus Died”) that omit sin entirely — replacing atonement with vague notions like “Claudia’s dream.” She concludes: “The stakes are far higher than just homosexuality or marriage. They are the basic beliefs of the Christian faith… God has said to me that Gene’s rise to international involvement… is not unlike what will happen with the Antichrist.” “Do not be fooled into believing that what is going on is harmless. It is not. It is the power to kill and destroy.” She urges believers to “speak the Truth in love” and remain watchful — citing Jonah, the lying spirit in 1 Kings 22, and the inevitability of apostasy before Christ’s return. CENTRAL AFRICA: SEPARATION WITH US EPISCOPAL CHURCH INEVITABLE GABORONE — February 27, 2004 The Episcopal Synod of the Anglican Province of Central Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe) declared formal separation from The Episcopal Church (USA) inevitable unless ECUSA repents for consecrating a sexually active gay bishop. Archbishop Bernard Malango of Malawi stated: “The ordination has inflicted a desperately grave wound to the Church and the Communion… ECUSA has ignored the clear voice of God contained in the Bible.” He accused the 62 consecrating bishops of disregarding global Anglican leadership, including repeated pleas from the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council. “ECUSA’s arrogance has irreparably shattered trust and fellowship… Sincere repentance is the only thing that could rescue those involved.” The Province declared: “The relationship is fractured and communion is impaired… separation is necessary for the maintenance of Gospel integrity and spiritual safety of our people.” Malango affirmed that Scripture does not permit compromise on sin, and noted that Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda have already severed ties with ECUSA.

By David W. Virtue In a sermon delivered in Chicago honoring Absalom Jones—the first African-American priest ordained in the Episcopal Church—Bishop V. Gene Robinson equated racial oppression with the Church’s rejection of homosexual practice: “People of color. Women. Gay and lesbian folk. The physically disabled. The aged. All oppressed… and all offered liberation by this great God of ours.” Robinson cited Isaiah 61, claiming it speaks to “the kinds of oppressions that we are all dealing with,” and implied the controversy over his election was part of God’s call to “go deeper… into deeper waters.” His remarks outraged several Black Anglican leaders. The Rev. James Johnson, a Black priest from Philadelphia, called the sermon “deceptive and insulting”: “What is tragically ironic is that this very passage… which Mr. Robinson uses to argue explicitly for gay liberation… in actuality calls upon him and us all to repent of our sinful ways.” Johnson emphasized that Isaiah 61 is a Jubilee text—calling for repentance and deliverance for penitent sinners, not affirmation of sin. He rejected Robinson’s “false parallel” between race and sexuality: “Skin pigmentation is a small part of the beautiful diversity of the good created order… Homosexuality, by contrast, is not part of God’s design but a manifestation of the Fall.” He noted that Scripture consistently portrays marriage — male and female in covenant — as an icon of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31–32), and that homosexual behavior is presented as a dramatization of idolatry: the exchange of worship of God for worship of self. Dr. Michael Howell, a Black Episcopal layman and professor of marine geology, likewise condemned the sermon as “a very dangerous combination of ignorance and deceit.” He stressed: Race is genetically determined and unchosen; homosexuality is a pattern of behavior, not a fixed genetic trait. Peer-reviewed science does not support the “born this way” claim for sexual orientation in the way it does for race. Unlike racism — which Scripture opposes (e.g., Numbers 12, Galatians 3:28) — homosexual practice is uniformly condemned in both Old and New Testaments. “Scripture never condones slavery and eventually advocates its eradication… But homosexual behavior is clearly against God’s created order.” Both leaders warned that conflating civil rights with sexual morality distorts the Gospel and undermines biblical authority.

By Christopher S. Johnson April 25, 2004 Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold’s December 19, 2003, letter to Patriarch Alexy II of the Russian Orthodox Church was found to be almost identical to his August 19, 2003, letter to the Anglican Primates — raising charges of “episcoplagiarism.” Both letters open: “I write to you with a heavy heart…” and proceed, in numerous paragraphs, with near-verbatim repetition — including appeals to Scripture, claims about discernment and unity, and justifications for the consecration of V. Gene Robinson. For example: Frank to the Patriarch: “I see my ministry now as helping our church to find a way forward that both preserves the unity of the church and honors the deeply held divergent points of view among us.” Frank to the Primates: identical. Frank to the Patriarch: “I am now obliged to ask what potential gift is buried beneath the surface of this present situation… I find myself asking God to show me how this occasion might be used for the good and to build up the life we share in Christ.” Frank to the Primates: same wording, same prayer citation. The justification regarding Scripture is also identical: “...if I believed in any part of my being that the consent to this election was unfaithful to an authentic way of reading Scripture and contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit, I could no longer serve as the Presiding Bishop…” Further overlap includes commentary on resolutions about blessing same-gender relationships, distinctions from Holy Matrimony, and citations from St. Paul (Ephesians 3:20). The only notable variation is audience-specific framing — e.g., “the DECR’s press release” for the Patriarch, versus “a number of you have raised” for the Primates. This extensive self-plagiarism raises serious questions about the authenticity of pastoral communication, the depth of theological reflection, and the integrity of leadership in crisis.

An Anglican cleric who led the protest against the blessing of same-sex unions is to address Church of Ireland clergy in the coming week. The Rev. David Short, rector of St John’s, Shaughnessy, Vancouver, made his protest after his Bishop in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster permitted rites for so-called ‘gay marriages’. His parish, along with ten others, formed a coalition, the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW), which has been recognised by the past and present Archbishops of Canterbury. Currently, the ACiNW represents 25% of the worshipping community in New Westminster. Chief among their concerns is the departure from traditional Biblical Christian faith and morals within the Church and the threat to those who practice orthodox Anglican Christian faith. Mr. Short will be addressing Church of Ireland clergy and lay readers at a lunchtime meeting in Portadown on Wednesday, organised by the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy. Its chairman, Canon Clive West, explained the purpose for this meeting: “David will be sharing his experiences of living in a church structure which is hostile towards Biblical faith and informing us of developments internationally.” The meeting, entitled “Thinking for the Future”, takes place in the Fergus Hall (St Mark’s Church Hall), Portadown from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2004. An Australian by birth, David Short is married to Bron and they have two sons, Ben and Josh. He says of the current situation in New Westminster: “I believe that we are in a Diocese that has unilaterally severed its connection with the global Anglican Communion by being the first to officially bless same-sex unions.” The Anglican Communion, of which the Church of Ireland is a part, is presently facing great controversy over homosexuality. In the past year, the Diocese of New Hampshire, USA, has elected a practising homosexual as its bishop, and New Westminster was the first Anglican diocese to permit the blessing of same-sex unions. Archbishop of Armagh, Robin Eames, is heading a commission to look at ways the Communion might be able to stay together at this time. The Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) has received unprecedented support from around the world. 358 Anglican clergy, bishops, and archbishops from across Canada and around the world have issued public statements rejecting the New Westminster decision and supporting the ACiNW. See www.acinw.org . The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy exists to provide its members with encouragement, refreshment and teaching from the Bible. Their purpose is to see the clergy of the Church of Ireland equipped in biblical ministry, that Jesus Christ may be better known.

Canon Edward Norman has written a scathing attack on the Church of England and is converting to Catholicism. A former Reith lecturer and Dean of Peterhouse, and currently Chancellor of York Minster, Norman is an ecclesiastical historian with the long face and high cheekbones of a Tudor churchman. He speaks fast and quietly, polishing his dry words as he speaks, so that his prose and conversation are almost indistinguishable. In his book *Anglican Difficulties: A New Syllabus of Errors*, Norman delivers a ferocious assault on the Church of England—not from a traditionalist perspective, but from that of a leading Church intellectual. He writes: “There is a big hole at the centre of Anglicanism — its authority. I don’t think it’s a Church; it’s more of a religious society.” Of the General Synod: “Every disagreement, in seemingly every board or committee, proceeds by avoidance of principled debate. Ordinary moral cowardice is represented as wise judgment; equivocation in the construction of compromise formulae is second nature to leaders.” He also critiques evangelical bishops, suggesting they compromise principle for preferment: “Discreetly, behind the twitching curtains of the evangelical bishops’ houses, the playing pieces are being set out on the board.” Canon Norman will retire from York Minster’s chapter in May 2004 and will be received into the Roman Catholic Church later that year by Fr Dermot Fenlon at the Birmingham Oratory. He has already begun attending Mass discreetly, in collar and tie. Nevertheless, he stresses that his retirement and conversion are “quite independent developments.” His conversation is laced with aquatic metaphors: “Just because the Anglican tub is leaking is not in itself an argument for jumping into another one.” Over lunch in an Italian restaurant near the Minster, he announces: “Anglicanism is going to tip into the sea.” Then, with a thin smile: “But it will all come out in the wash.” Norman was originally in favor of women’s ordination, but has reversed his position: “We were told that a whole dimension to humanity was missing from the ministry, but that enrichment hasn’t happened.” He adds: “Women emphasise caring, relationships, suffering, healing and love. Men are interested in truth, ideas, conflict, sin, wickedness and virtue. Those are caricatures, but there was wisdom in Our Lord entrusting the office of the priesthood to men.” Though once labeled Margaret Thatcher’s favorite clergyman, Norman insists he has “no politics. My only ideology is classical Christianity, without reservation.” He remains intellectually unpredictable — even quoting gay atheist filmmaker Derek Jarman in a Minster lecture, including Jarman’s barbed critique of Dr George Carey: “Moon-faced and pudgy, a clerical Bunter, the school bully in a lurex mitre.” Touring the cathedral, he dismisses York Minster’s famed nave as “a very poor example of the late-Gothic style… put up on the cheap — the decorative devices are straight out of a stonemason’s catalogue.” Cathedrals, he says, “can be a hindrance as well as an aid to faith… They can lead people to luxuriate in emotion. I’d rather they were convicted of their sins.” Soon, Canon Norman will leave what he calls “the ideological chaos of Anglicanism” and enter into full communion with the successor of Peter. He plans to retire in Brighton — “And I shall be properly retired,” he says. When asked about his departure, he replies: “Catholicism is what I have always believed, though I did not have the wit to realise it. You might call it a shaft of light before the sun sets.”

Rowan Williams interviewed by Martha Linden, Press Association February 27, 2004 On the first anniversary of his enthronement, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams reflected on a year marked by intense pressure — especially the controversies surrounding Jeffrey John (gay but celibate nominee for Reading) and Gene Robinson (non-celibate, consecrated in New Hampshire). He acknowledged the “very high personal cost to many people” and the difficulty of discerning “what the Church overall — worldwide as well as in England — was wanting.” On sexuality and Synod: No change in official teaching: “The Church of England’s position… remains pretty much where it was.” While the tone of debate has improved (less anger, more openness), this does not open the door to same-sex blessings: “Endorsing Some Issues in Human Sexuality… did not at all open the door to services of blessings for gay couples.” On ecumenism and the Pope: His October 2003 audience with Pope John Paul II was “moving.” “The sheer Christian and human greatness of the man is just undeniable.” He rejects the idea that Rome has “given up” on Anglican-Catholic unity: “No sense of the door closing, not at all.” On women bishops: “I do not have any theological objections to women bishops… In the long run, I do not think there is a theological defence” for limiting women to suffragan roles. But implementation must be handled with care: “How it is introduced, at what price, is not something for which I have short and glib answers.” On asylum policy: Criticized government plans to reduce appeals for rejected asylum seekers: “If you defend [British society] by means that victimise or exclude people unjustly, then the very thing you are defending is affected by that.” On secularization: Britain is not so much “unbelieving” as “confused” — citing surveys where 75% still identify as Christian. Noted rising emotional volatility (e.g., public grief over Princess Diana) — but little “lively contact with the Church” among youth. He misses Wales — “It is my home” — especially the collegiality of a smaller national church. Still, London offers cultural enrichment and new friendships. Since enthronement, he has published: Silence and Honey Cakes (on the Desert Fathers) The Dwelling of the Light (meditations on icons) A collection of essays And yes — he still watches The Simpsons. “I try to keep it up… I was going to say religiously, but I’d better not.” Dr Williams has published a book called Silence And Honey Cakes, on the contribution of the desert fathers in 4th century Egypt, and a book of meditations called The Dwelling Of The Light Praying With The Icons Of Christ, as well as a collection of essays since his enthronement. END

By David W. Virtue In a sermon delivered in Chicago honoring Absalom Jones—the first African-American priest ordained in the Episcopal Church—Bishop V. Gene Robinson equated racial oppression with the Church’s rejection of homosexual practice: “People of color. Women. Gay and lesbian folk. The physically disabled. The aged. All oppressed… and all offered liberation by this great God of ours.” Robinson cited Isaiah 61, claiming it speaks to “the kinds of oppressions that we are all dealing with,” and implied the controversy over his election was part of God’s call to “go deeper… into deeper waters.” His remarks outraged several Black Anglican leaders. The Rev. James Johnson, a Black priest from Philadelphia, called the sermon “deceptive and insulting” : “What is tragically ironic is that this very passage… which Mr. Robinson uses to argue explicitly for gay liberation… in actuality calls upon him and us all to repent of our sinful ways.” Johnson emphasized that Isaiah 61 is a Jubilee text—calling for repentance and deliverance for penitent sinners , not affirmation of sin. He rejected Robinson’s “false parallel” between race and sexuality: “Skin pigmentation is a small part of the beautiful diversity of the good created order… Homosexuality, by contrast, is not part of God’s design but a manifestation of the Fall.” He noted that Scripture consistently portrays marriage — male and female in covenant — as an icon of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31–32), and that homosexual behavior is presented as a dramatization of idolatry : the exchange of worship of God for worship of self. Dr. Michael Howell, a Black Episcopal layman and professor of marine geology, likewise condemned the sermon as “a very dangerous combination of ignorance and deceit.” He stressed: Race is genetically determined and unchosen; homosexuality is a pattern of behavior, not a fixed genetic trait. Peer-reviewed science does not support the “born this way” claim for sexual orientation in the way it does for race. Unlike racism — which Scripture opposes (e.g., Numbers 12, Galatians 3:28) — homosexual practice is uniformly condemned in both Old and New Testaments. “Scripture never condones slavery and eventually advocates its eradication… But homosexual behavior is clearly against God’s created order.” Both leaders warned that conflating civil rights with sexual morality distorts the Gospel and undermines biblical authority.

By Christopher S. Johnson April 25, 2004 Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold’s December 19, 2003, letter to Patriarch Alexy II of the Russian Orthodox Church was found to be almost identical to his August 19, 2003, letter to the Anglican Primates — raising charges of “episcoplagiarism.” Both letters open: “I write to you with a heavy heart…” and proceed, in numerous paragraphs, with near-verbatim repetition — including appeals to Scripture, claims about discernment and unity, and justifications for the consecration of V. Gene Robinson. For example: Frank to the Patriarch: “I see my ministry now as helping our church to find a way forward that both preserves the unity of the church and honors the deeply held divergent points of view among us.” Frank to the Primates: identical. Frank to the Patriarch: “I am now obliged to ask what potential gift is buried beneath the surface of this present situation… I find myself asking God to show me how this occasion might be used for the good and to build up the life we share in Christ.” Frank to the Primates: same wording, same prayer citation. The justification regarding Scripture is also identical: “…if I believed in any part of my being that the consent to this election was unfaithful to an authentic way of reading Scripture and contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit, I could no longer serve as the Presiding Bishop…” Further overlap includes commentary on resolutions about blessing same-gender relationships, distinctions from Holy Matrimony, and citations from St. Paul (Ephesians 3:20). The only notable variation is audience-specific framing — e.g., “the DECR’s press release” for the Patriarch, versus “a number of you have raised” for the Primates. This extensive self-plagiarism raises serious questions about the authenticity of pastoral communication, the depth of theological reflection, and the integrity of leadership in crisis.

Canon Edward Norman has written a scathing attack on the Church of England and is converting to Catholicism. A former Reith lecturer and Dean of Peterhouse, and currently Chancellor of York Minster, Norman is an ecclesiastical historian with the long face and high cheekbones of a Tudor churchman. He speaks fast and quietly, polishing his dry words as he speaks, so that his prose and conversation are almost indistinguishable. In his book Anglican Difficulties: A New Syllabus of Errors, Norman delivers a ferocious assault on the Church of England—not from a traditionalist perspective, but from that of a leading Church intellectual. He writes: “There is a big hole at the centre of Anglicanism — its authority. I don’t think it’s a Church; it’s more of a religious society.” Of the General Synod: “Every disagreement, in seemingly every board or committee, proceeds by avoidance of principled debate. Ordinary moral cowardice is represented as wise judgment; equivocation in the construction of compromise formulae is second nature to leaders.” He also critiques evangelical bishops, suggesting they compromise principle for preferment: “Discreetly, behind the twitching curtains of the evangelical bishops’ houses, the playing pieces are being set out on the board.” Canon Norman will retire from York Minster’s chapter in May 2004 and will be received into the Roman Catholic Church later that year by Fr Dermot Fenlon at the Birmingham Oratory. He has already begun attending Mass discreetly, in collar and tie. Nevertheless, he stresses that his retirement and conversion are “quite independent developments.” His conversation is laced with aquatic metaphors: “Just because the Anglican tub is leaking is not in itself an argument for jumping into another one.” Over lunch in an Italian restaurant near the Minster, he announces: “Anglicanism is going to tip into the sea.” Then, with a thin smile: “But it will all come out in the wash.” Norman was originally in favor of women’s ordination, but has reversed his position: “We were told that a whole dimension to humanity was missing from the ministry, but that enrichment hasn’t happened.” He adds: “Women emphasise caring, relationships, suffering, healing and love. Men are interested in truth, ideas, conflict, sin, wickedness and virtue. Those are caricatures, but there was wisdom in Our Lord entrusting the office of the priesthood to men.” Though once labeled Margaret Thatcher’s favorite clergyman, Norman insists he has “no politics. My only ideology is classical Christianity, without reservation.” He remains intellectually unpredictable — even quoting gay atheist filmmaker Derek Jarman in a Minster lecture, including Jarman’s barbed critique of Dr George Carey: “Moon-faced and pudgy, a clerical Bunter, the school bully in a lurex mitre.” Touring the cathedral, he dismisses York Minster’s famed nave as “a very poor example of the late-Gothic style… put up on the cheap — the decorative devices are straight out of a stonemason’s catalogue.” Cathedrals, he says, “can be a hindrance as well as an aid to faith… They can lead people to luxuriate in emotion. I’d rather they were convicted of their sins.” Soon, Canon Norman will leave what he calls “the ideological chaos of Anglicanism” and enter into full communion with the successor of Peter. He plans to retire in Brighton — “And I shall be properly retired,” he says. When asked about his departure, he replies: “Catholicism is what I have always believed, though I did not have the wit to realise it. You might call it a shaft of light before the sun sets.”

An Anglican cleric who led the protest against the blessing of same-sex unions is to address Church of Ireland clergy in the coming week. The Rev. David Short, rector of St John’s, Shaughnessy, Vancouver, made his protest after his Bishop in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster permitted rites for so-called ‘gay marriages’. His parish, along with ten others, formed a coalition, the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW), which has been recognized by the past and present Archbishops of Canterbury. Currently, the ACiNW represents 25% of the worshipping community in New Westminster. Chief among their concerns is the departure from traditional Biblical Christian faith and morals within the Church and the threat to those who practice orthodox Anglican Christian faith. Mr. Short will be addressing Church of Ireland clergy and lay readers at a lunchtime meeting in Portadown on Wednesday, organized by the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy. Its chairman, Canon Clive West, explained the purpose for this meeting: “David will be sharing his experiences of living in a church structure which is hostile towards Biblical faith and informing us of developments internationally.” The meeting, entitled “Thinking for the Future”, takes place in the Fergus Hall (St Mark’s Church Hall), Portadown from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2004. An Australian by birth, David Short is married to Bron and they have two sons, Ben and Josh. He says of the current situation in New Westminster: “I believe that we are in a Diocese that has unilaterally severed its connection with the global Anglican Communion by being the first to officially bless same-sex unions.” The Anglican Communion, of which the Church of Ireland is a part, is presently facing great controversy over homosexuality. In the past year, the Diocese of New Hampshire, USA, has elected a practising homosexual as its bishop, and New Westminster was the first Anglican diocese to permit the blessing of same-sex unions. Archbishop of Armagh, Robin Eames, is heading a commission to look at ways the Communion might be able to stay together at this time. The Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) has received unprecedented support from around the world. 358 Anglican clergy, bishops, and archbishops from across Canada and around the world have issued public statements rejecting the New Westminster decision and supporting the ACiNW. See www.acinw.org . The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy exists to provide its members with encouragement, refreshment and teaching from the Bible. Their purpose is to see the clergy of the Church of Ireland equipped in biblical ministry, that Jesus Christ may be better known.