The Letter of the 1,000 Priests

This letter appeared in the Telegraph signed by a thousand English priests:

Sir, After centuries of persecution Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country.

Legislation for same sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship.

It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time.

The natural complementarity between a man and a woman leads to marriage, seen as a lifelong partnership. This loving union – because of their physical complementarity – is open to bringing forth and nurturing children. This is what marriage is. That is why marriage is only possible between a man and a woman.  Marriage, and the home, children and family life it generates, is the foundation and basic building block of our society. We urge Members of Parliament not to be afraid to reject this legislation now that its consequences are more clear.

The signatories are here.

 

Anglican Vicars Threaten to Defy Gay Marriage Ban

Vicars are threatening to bypass the ban on same-sex weddings in the Church of England by blessing homosexual marriages performed in other churches.

Of course they would… The Telegraph has more.

 

Anglican Outrage

Facing the ban:

Bride and Gloom

An appalling clerical double booking. The Austrian Times reports:

Serbian Orthodox priest Father Jefrem Ratkovic was forced to apologize, after he recently scheduled a wedding at the same time as a funeral in the central Serbian town of Ljig, the Austrian Times website reports exclusively today (November 26, 2012).

When bride Dragana Jovic, 23, arrived at the church dressed in white, she found dozens of mourners dressed in black together with a coffin containing the body of a local man, Nemanja Petrovic, 86.

Both the brightly-dressed wedding guests and the dark-clothed mourners had started to take their places in the church by the time the priest arrived.

After he realized that he had scheduled a wedding and a funeral at the same time, Father Ratkovic asked the mourners — and their coffin — to wait outside while he carried out the wedding, and then the funeral was allowed to go ahead. He told the local media, “Double bookings can happen in anything, the Church is no different. I have apologized though, and both sides were fine about it.”

 

Church of England to Allow ‘Posh and Becks’ Style Weddings

The church of England has set out radical plans to transform the way in which it conducts weddings.

Good grief! The Telegraph:

The Church of England has set out radical plans to transform the way in which it conducts weddings.

A package of reforms will modernise the marriage service, offering couples the chance to replace traditional aspects with personalised touches.

It will give the go-ahead for glitzy “Posh and Becks”-style ceremonies in churches, with Mendelssohn’s Wedding March being replaced by songs such as Girls by the Sugababes or the theme from Test Match Special.

Unusual twists will be welcomed, such as the use of trained owls to carry the rings to the best man.

The reforms follow a four-year review by senior clerics, which concluded that more couples would marry in church and continue as regular churchgoers if they were offered more control over their big day…

Where, one wonders, does Christ factor into all of this? And what has become of His bride?

You know this is madness… Absolute madness…

Rest here.

The Rt Rev Mark Bryant, the Bishop of Jarrow, says… “They’ll be like Posh and Becks for just one day. And I think God can cope with that. And if God can cope with that, it’s probably up to me to try to cope with it as well”…

 

Bishop Ditches Priesthood, Runs Off With Chaplain

Crazy!

The former head of the Anglican Church in Wellington surrendered his priesthood after he ran off with the wife of one of his fellow clergymen.

Sources have revealed Bishop Tom Brown, 69, voluntarily gave up his right to officiate last month after he split with his wife and then began a relationship with the chaplain of Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, the Rev Canon Kate Carey-Smith.

Carey-Smith resigned from her position at the school for “personal reasons” on August 3, Samuel Marsden Collegiate School principal Jenny Williams confirmed last week.

“We were very sad to see her go,” Williams said. She declined to comment further.

Carey-Smith was married to the Rev Chris Carey-Smith, the chaplain at St Mark’s Church School.

Members of the Anglican church are said to be divided in their opinion of Brown’s new relationship according to a religious figure in Wellington.

“Half of the church feels betrayed and cheated,” the man said.

The other half of the church was focused on the new era under Bishop Justin Duckworth, he said.

A close friend of the Brown family said: “Unequivocally, the relationship began only after he [Brown] left his wife.”

It was revealed revealed last month that Brown made the rare move to surrender his licence on August 7. The decision came only six months after he retired as Bishop of Wellington – a position he held since he was elected in 1998.

It means he can no longer function as a priest.

His replacement, Duckworth, was ordained in June.

Last month Brown told the Dominion Post he voluntarily gave up his right to officiate “to be loyal to the church and maintain the church’s integrity”.

“I think that under the circumstances it was appropriate that I stand down and have a period of sabbatical or time out, and the present bishop accepted that,” he said. “I love the church . . . and I have no intention of turning around and walking away from the church.

“I say my morning prayers . . . [and] I get great consolation out of reading the psalms and, yes, I believe in the goodness of God.”

Brown and his new partner declined to comment.

 

Sydney’s Anglican Church Introduces ‘Submit’ Wedding Vows ‘After Fifty Shades of Grey’

Sydney’s Anglican Church has been criticised after changing the marriage ceremony to include a vow by the wife to “submit” to her husband – a pledge likened by critics to “reading Fifty Shades of Grey”.

The Telegraph:

The Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, known as one of the world’s most conservative Anglican bishops, defended the new vow as an attempt to combat the destructive rise of egalitarianism and individualism.

He said the vow was “not an invitation to bossiness, let alone abuse”.

“In the last three or four decades a certain egalitarianism has crept into society and the way people think and I understand that’s the reigning philosophy,” he told ABC television.

“I just happen to think it’s wrong, unhelpful, and in the end we will find it’s better to recognise that men and women are different, that we have at certain points different responsibilities and men will be better men if we acknowledge that.”

The new ceremony, expected to be approved by the diocese of Sydney at its synod in October, requires the minister to ask the bride: “Will you honour and submit to him, as the church submits to Christ?”. The bride then pledges “to love and submit” to her husband.

Though the church will allow couples to choose a vow which does not include the controversial pledge, the new wording has already been used in some ceremonies.

Stephanie Judd, 26, a Christian studies teacher, opted for the new vow at her wedding in January.

“The husband’s love is one of sacrificial love, and to submit to that kind of love is not oppressive, but is actually a joy and a great freedom,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

But the new vow triggered furious public criticism and prompted questions about its legality because it had not been approved by the church’s national governing body. The Sydney diocese is notorious for its staunch conservatism and does not allow the full ordination of women.

“People criticise the Sydney Anglicans for being out of touch, so how wonderful to see the success of Fifty Shades of Grey being so rapidly reflected in the service,” wrote Richard Glover, a Fairfax Media columnist.

“The only question: will fluffy handcuffs now be a mandatory part of bridal wear?”

 

France: Catholic Church Prayer for Nation

Reuters:

The French Catholic Church will revive a centuries-old custom next week with an updated national “prayer for France” opposing the same-sex marriage and euthanasia reforms planned by the new Socialist government.

The prayer, to be read in all churches on Aug 15, echoes the defense of traditional marriage by Pope Benedict and Catholic leaders around the world as gay nuptials gain acceptance, especially in Europe and North America.

King Louis XIII decreed in 1638 that all churches would pray on Aug 15, the day Catholics believe the Virgin Mary was assumed bodily into Heaven, for the good of the country. The annual practice fell into disuse after World War Two.

In the text, Catholics will pray for newly elected officials “so that their sense of the common good will overcome special demands.” This would include support for traditional families “throughout their lives, especially in painful moments.”

Opposing gay adoption, it says children should “cease to be objects of the desires and conflicts of adults and fully benefit from the love of a father and a mother.”

The prayer is unusual for French bishops, who usually keep a low political profile. Church spokesman Monsignor Bernard Podvin said they wanted to “raise the consciousness of public opinion about grave social choices.”

Pope Benedict said in January that same-sex marriage threatened “the future of humanity itself.” In March, he denounced moves to legalize it in the United States, where President Barack Obama has since come out in its support.

Catholic Church leaders in England and Scotland have spoken out against gay marriage this year after Prime Minister David Cameron and the Scottish regional government both announced plans to legalize it.

FIRST PAGE OF THE BIBLE

Socialist President Francois Hollande pledged during the election campaign last spring to reform marriage laws and his government has said it would do so early next year. Opinion polls say about two-thirds of the French support gay marriage.

Defending the Church’s opposition, Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin said marriage was defined at the very start of the Bible as created by God to join man and woman.

“Nobody should be surprised that we Catholics think the first page of the Bible is right, even more so than a parliament,” he told Europe 1 radio.

The Roman Catholic Church, which has 1.3 billion members worldwide, teaches respect for individual gays and lesbians but condemns homosexual acts as sinful.

Hollande has also expressed sympathy for euthanasia, which is not allowed in France, and named a commission to review whether the current law stressing palliative care for the dying needed to be expanded.

Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois discussed the issue with Hollande during their first official meeting in July. He did not oppose the review but said: “Just because one asks a question doesn’t mean one answers it positively.”

Same-sex marriage is legal in several European countries, including traditionally Catholic Spain and Portugal. It is also allowed in Canada as well as in six U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. Switzerland and the U.S. state of Oregon allow assisted suicide.

 

The Problem with Same-sex Marriage

A documentary worth watching.
 

 

South Africa’s Shocking Polygamy Kulula Airline Promotion

The Huffington Post reports:

Flying with family members can get expensive, particularly for polygamists. But a new airline promotion could provide big savings for gentlemen with numerous wives.

South Africa’s low-cost carrier Kulula Airlines is offering deal where a man’s fourth wife flies free, ABC News reports.

The cheeky promotion is timed with the South African president Jacob Zuma’s marriage to his fourth wife over the weekend, notes Fox News.

Promoted on the low cost airline’s Facebook page, the deal is only available until April to 30 for flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town…

Embarrassing.