Church of England stops short of backing full independence in safeguarding
London, UK Reuters The Church of England on Tuesday stopped short of backing a fully independent safeguarding model to deal with abuse cases, voting instead for an alternative option that critics say does not go far enough to quell public alarm over several past scandals. The mother church for 85 million Anglicans worldwide has been […]
The Reformed Church in America to vote on restructuring
United States RNS In the past five years, the Reformed Church in America, one of the oldest denominations in the US, has lost almost half its membership and nearly a quarter of its churches. Some members see in the collapse an opportunity to reinvent the 400-year-old church, founded by Dutch settlers in the mid-1600s. “There’s […]
Church of England synod moves forward with a test of prayers for same-sex couples
London, UK RNS The Church of England will test-run stand-alone services for blessing same-sex couples after its ruling body, the General Synod, voted to move ahead with implementing special prayers of thanks and dedication for gay couples. The vote to go ahead with the pilot program followed hours of emotionally charged debate about the church’s […]
Church of England to draft pastoral guidance on same-sex couple blessings
London, UK Reuters The Church of England will work towards drafting new pastoral guidance and other material needed to allow same-sex couples to receive blessings from priests over the next few months, it said on Saturday. The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, speaks during the Service of Prayer and Reflection at St Paul’s Cathedral, following […]
Divided Church of England to debate blessings for same-sex unions
London, UK Reuters The Church of England’s governing body will deliberate on how priests could carry out blessings for same-sex couples when it gathers in the cathedral city of York for a five-day meeting on Friday. The assembly of bishops, clergy and laity – called the General Synod – is also due to discuss on […]
Some Anglican bishops reject leader Welby over gay marriage
London, UK AP Several Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific said Monday that they no longer recognize Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as their leader, deepening a rift within the global Anglican Communion over gay marriage. Some bishops who belong to the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches said they no longer consider […]
“We cannot walk with you unless you repent,” African archbishops tell Church of England
Nairobi, Kenya RNS Conservative Anglican archbishops in Africa are challenging a decision by the Church of England to allow clergy to bless same sex couples’ marriages, warning that the move puts the worldwide Anglican Communion in further jeopardy. The leaders are reacting to the 9th February vote at the Church of England’s General Synod to permit the […]
Church of England allows blessings for same-sex couples
London, UK AP The Church of England’s national assembly on Thursday voted to let priests bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, while continuing to ban church weddings for the same couples. Bishops proposed the compromise measure after five years of discussions about the church’s position on sexuality. It was approved by the church’s General Synod, […]
Church of England explores gender neutral God
London, UK Reuters The Church of England will look into the use of gender neutral terms to refer to God in prayers, but the centuries-old institution said on Wednesday there were no plans to abolish current services. The issue reflects growing global awareness about the assumed usage of pronouns causing offence or upset to those […]
Future planning: Looking for radical solutions to decline, Church of England debates lay-led house churches
CATHERINE PEPINSTER, writing for Religion News Service, reports on the push for change within the Church of England…