The scheduled visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican and a meeting with the Pope has taken on greater significance after the release of the Apostolic Constitution. People reading between the lines of the diplomatic language see clear signs of tension.
In the latest chapter of a protracted public battle, Rep. Patrick Kennedy has been effectively barred from Communion by Thomas Tobin, Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Providence, owing to the representative’s stance on abortion rights.
“Consider this: America spends an average of $450 billion a year every Christmas. How often have you spent money on Christmas presents for no other reason than obligation? How many times have you received a gift out of that same obligation? Thanks, but no thanks, right?”
Gay and lesbian Roman Catholics who contact the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for spiritual guidance can find themselves directed toward programs aimed at helping them become celibate. Called reparative therapy, the programs are provoking national — and even international — protests from critics who say they are ineffective at best and, in some cases, harmful.
Some have responded to the ad placed by The Episcopal Church in Friday’s USA Today by providing options. Whether these were meant to address whatever correctives were deemed necessary, we’ll leave to you.
Our roundup from the Cafe’s posts in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The November installments of the Power of Partnerships and the Friends of Episcopal Relief & Development web series are now available online. These series feature the work of the organization’s partners and supporters worldwide and clearly illustrate the importance of their efforts in helping Episcopal Relief & Development heal a hurting world.
Updated. Reuters and the New York Times read the speech that the Archbishop of Canterbury gave at the Vatican this week as both a defense of the Anglican Communion and a mild rebuke of the Roman Catholic approach to ecumenism. The Times of London wants him to be tougher. Bishop Alan Wilson says the speech signals another kind of unity.
The vandals had apparently read a New York Times’ story, which said the the soup kitchen saved Chicago’s poor from “drowning.” The vandals knocked out one pane of a stained glass window and slid a garden hose through the opening. One third of the sanctuary sustained water damage.
An excellent conversation about the future of seminary and graduate level theological education has broken out in the comment trail of our item about the recent layoffs at the Seminary of the Southwest, including comments from Marshall Scott, Michael Russell, seminarian Jim White and Elizabeth Butler of Seabury Western.