Pope’s book on Jesus ‘edited out’ women: The book, Friends of Jesus, thought to be the first written for children by a pope, came under attack because no mention was made of Mary Magdalene or any other female friends of Jesus. The role of women in the life of Jesus is regarded by scholars as being of increasing significance. (A tip of the hat to Ship of Fools for the headline.)
A friend is called a guardian of love or, as some would have it, a guardian of the spirit itself. Since it is fitting that my friend be a guardian of our mutual love or the guardian of my own spirit so as to preserve all its secrets in faithful silence, let him, as far as he can, cure and endure such defects as he may observe in it; let him rejoice with his friend in his joys, and weep with him in his sorrows, and feel as his own all that his friend experiences.
Katharine Jefferts Schori and Rowan Williams on human dignity and human rights.
We therefore resolve that the congregation of Foundry United Methodist Church will support and honor the marriages of couples licensed to be married in the District of Columbia equally, regardless of the couple’s gender. We offer and approve the use of our sanctuary equally for all marriage ceremonies and we affirm that any of our clergy who choose to celebrate such marriages may do so knowing that we pledge to them our full support.
Archbishop Philip Aspinall reiterated that the Standing Committee did not have the power to undertake such an action. It was also stated that the Standing Committee did not have all the powers of the ACC, especially when it came to the Membership Schedule. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori questioned why the proposal was singling out The Episcopal Church.
Update – The standing committee revisited the question of moratoria and, the separation proposal in particular, today [Wednesday]. See the next post above. [3:30PM 7/28/2010]
The Anglican Diocese of Kumasi has ordained its first woman priest of the Church, the Rev Mrs Priscilla Lovia Owusu-Asiedu. And at a commissioning of lay ministers in the Diocese of Accra, Archbishop Akrofi observed that women outnumbered men in attendance, and that women are in the majority among the graduands. He said this justifies the decision to ordain women into the priesthood,
The gender of a priest or bishop cannot possibly stand in the way of God’s will to nourish us and bless us.
Right around the year 383, an otherwise unknown author named Helvidus wrote a tract on the Blessed Virgin Mary. It doesn’t survive, but apparently he argued that Mary and Joseph really did consummate their marriage physically, and that the individuals referred to in the gospels as the brothers and sisters of Jesus were the biological children of Mary and Joseph.
The virtues inculcated in us through exposure to and practice in the church’s tradition aid us in the acquisition and development of “particular skills, patterns of experience, habits of perception and portions of knowledge” essential for understanding, embracing and communicating the gospel well.