I know what is it like to be viewed with suspicion. I know the fear of having police stop me and demand my papers, and the terrors that descended upon me when those same police told me that my papers were no good, despite the fact that they were. I know what it means to be somewhere illegally, even though it was the right thing to do.
Cardinal Roncalli, a former Vatican diplomat enjoying the honourable semi-retirement of the Patriarchate of Venice, was elected John XXIII in 1958 largely because he had few enemies, and because no one involved in the election thought that he could do much harm; he was seventy-six and it was (rightly) thought that he would not enjoy a long period in office. After the last exhausted years of Pius XII, it was sensible to look for a man of peace who would give the Church a chance to find a decisive leader to set an appropriate direction for the future
University of Michigan researchers say empathy among U.S. college students is at a 30 year low.
The Spirit’s ministry is described in nearly the same terms as that of Jesus himself, who is sent by the Father to declare the things he has seen and heard. Like Jesus, the Spirit is a faithful witness, who speaks only what belongs to Another. As Jesus puts it, he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
If you were to travel in Uganda to the small town of Námugónga, a few miles from Kampala, you would find there at the Anglican Church one of the most bizarre memorials ever erected—it is a large cross, and piled like cordwood beneath the cross are some 25 life-sized ceramic figures, with their heads and shoulders protruding from bundles of wood and cane rods which encase the bodies.
The recent statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury about the struggles within the Anglican Communion seems to equate Pentecost with a single understanding of gospel realities. Those who received the gift of the Spirit on that day all heard good news. The crowd reported, “in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power” (Acts 2:11).
“Most importantly, the search for long-term peace in the region could be robustly encouraged. Along with many other people of faith across this country, I will stand with you in a decision to move American policy in this direction.” – Katharine Jefferts Schori
Mary Frances Schjonberg has filed an in-depth article at ENS on the financial and curriculum challenges facing church-related seminaries. The set up:
This just out from ACNS: The Anglican Communion Office (ACO) has today launched its online shop where visitors can buy books, CDs and other products
We are well practiced in our disagreements. Our suspicions of each other are high as we once again take our sides and prepare for the next debate. Within this context no motion can come to the floor of General Synod without the suspicion of bias or manipulation. We don’t agree—and what is at stake is sustaining a community within the context of a complex and conflicted argument about its moral life.