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29th March is Palm Sunday: the Entry into Jerusalem. #PalmSunday
— Ennius (@red_loeb) March 28, 2026
BL Arundel 157; Psalter; 13th century; England, Central (Oxford); f.8v @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/JiJAgn0Vny
Perhaps [Günther] Anders’s most important concept for our current moment, however, is that of the “Promethean gradient.” He uses this term to refer to the disproportionality between human faculties: we can achieve things in the sphere of technology that far outstrip the ability of our moral imagination to comprehend them.
An example would be nuclear weapons: the level of destruction that a nuclear bomb can achieve is far beyond anything we can imagine. That possibly apocryphal saying ascribed to Josef Stalin, “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic,” captures this idea. I might be horrified at the face of a murder victim on the news; a picture of the mushroom cloud at Nagasaki does not have the same impact. Today, we can apply it to the tech bros: their technological innovation proceeds at a pace that outstrips any moral vision that might curb or direct it.
In light of this, the early departure of the tech bros from the summit I mentioned is understandable: there can be no moral accountability—indeed, they cannot even imagine what that would look like—because they are engaged in technological innovations beyond anything the current moral imagination can grasp. As Hans Jonas observed in the early 1970s, the advent of technology that was not simply external to human beings (steam, the internal combustion engine) but that touched on the nature of existence at both a profound and highly abstract level—for Jonas, chemistry; for us now, genetic engineering—grants the technological revolution theoretically limitless power to destabilize what it means to be human. And we cannot imagine what that might look like. Add to that the implications of social acceleration—that technology develops at a faster pace than can be assimilated into the moral imagination—and the problem Anders calls the Promethean gradient is set to become worse. Our technology liberates us from any sense of the authority of natural limits (let alone God-given ends), yet in itself it provides no new moral norms for how such liberation is to be exercised.
But the Promethean gradient is not simply significant in the way it unshackles technological development from the moral imagination. It also has a paradoxical effect on human experience: our genius for technological development, that capacity that separates us from all other creatures and arguably forms part of our greatness, is precisely what renders us nothing in our eyes and therefore feeds despair. This Anders calls “Promethean shame,” which he sees as the result of the conflict between knowing ourselves as persons and yet finding ourselves reduced to mere “things” because of the technology we ourselves have developed. In Anders’s day, the primary culprits were nuclear weapons. Their development required the collaboration of free, intelligent, intentional human persons. But the result was that we human beings became the only creatures on earth who could, quite literally, annihilate ourselves. Man’s exceptional technological greatness had ironically given him the ability to make himself puny, contingent, and unnecessary in his own eyes.
Today, this still applies, but it has expanded beyond narrow military technology to include such things as AI and transhumanism.
These hyper modernist dystopias that people want to create in Yemen and Gaza are so anti-human and unnatural as they completely deny the most important aspect of stability: socio-political and communal resilience https://t.co/G5XYfQ1fdJ
— Dr Andreas Krieg (@andreas_krieg) December 31, 2025
President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, administration officials said, likely extending Tehran’s firm grip on the waterway and leaving a complex operation to reopen it for a later date.
In recent days, Trump and his aides assessed that a mission to pry open the chokepoint would push the conflict beyond his timeline of four to six weeks. He decided that the U.S. should achieve its main goals of hobbling Iran’s navy and its missile stocks and wind down current hostilities while pressuring Tehran diplomatically to resume the free flow of trade. If that fails, Washington would press allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead on reopening the strait, the officials said.
There are also military options the president could decide on, but they are not his immediate priority, they said.
My war, your Hormuz problem:
— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) March 31, 2026
“..: President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, administration officials said…” — @WSJ https://t.co/PkwPlwgPGy
Almighty God, who hast restored our human nature to heavenly glory through the perfect obedience of our Savior Jesus Christ: Keep alive in thy Church, we beseech thee, a passion for justice and truth; that we, like thy servant Federick Denison Maurice, may work and pray for the triumph of the kingdom of thy Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
'It is impossible to follow the track of any great moral question without entering into the region of pure Metaphysics.'
— Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes (@PeterSjostedtH) January 20, 2026
– F. D. Maurice, 1845 pic.twitter.com/DXEyQWeOpt
Assist us mercifully with thy help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts whereby thou hast given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Welcome to April – have a wonderful new month, friends #ScotlandisNow #StormHour #photography #photooftheday #landscape #OutAndAboutScotland #landscapephotography @VisitScotland @ScotsMagazine #STVSnaps #ThePhotoHour #beautiful pic.twitter.com/Qkeh30YIaN
— Mike Wood (@MikeMikwd) April 1, 2026
How the Lord in his anger
has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!
He has cast down from heaven to earth
the splendor of Israel;
he has not remembered his footstool
in the day of his anger.
The Lord has destroyed without mercy
all the habitations of Jacob;
in his wrath he has broken down
the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
he has brought down to the ground in dishonor
the kingdom and its rulers.
He has cut down in fierce anger
all the might of Israel;
he has withdrawn from them his right hand
in the face of the enemy;
he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,
consuming all around.
He has bent his bow like an enemy,
with his right hand set like a foe;
and he has slain all the pride of our eyes
in the tent of the daughter of Zion;
he has poured out his fury like fire.
The Lord has become like an enemy,
he has destroyed Israel;
he has destroyed all its palaces,
laid in ruins its strongholds;
and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah
mourning and lamentation.
He has broken down his booth like that of a garden,
laid in ruins the place of his appointed feasts;
the Lord has brought to an end in Zion
appointed feast and sabbath,
and in his fierce indignation has spurned
king and priest.
The Lord has scorned his altar,
disowned his sanctuary;
he has delivered into the hand of the enemy
the walls of her palaces;
a clamor was raised in the house of the Lord
as on the day of an appointed feast.
The Lord determined to lay in ruins
the wall of the daughter of Zion;
he marked it off by the line;
he restrained not his hand from destroying;
he caused rampart and wall to lament,
they languish together.
Her gates have sunk into the ground;
he has ruined and broken her bars;
her king and princes are among the nations;
the law is no more,
and her prophets obtain
no vision from the Lord.
–Lamentations 2:1-9
Good morning everyone wishing you a lovely day 😀last week’s wonderful walking along the beautiful Peak Forest Canal from Whaley Bridge towards Furness Vale 💚#LifesBetterByWater
— doristhehat (@doristhehat) April 1, 2026
@CanalRiverTrust pic.twitter.com/E2UzD6Re3f
Lord Jesus, who as on this day didst curse the fig tree bearing leaves, and nothing but leaves: Grant that we, warned by this example, may never seek to make a fair show in the flesh, but strive to bring forth the fruit of a holy and godly life, acceptable in thy sight; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost art one God, world without end.
Jesus does something strange in Mark 11. He’s hungry, sees a fig tree full of leaves but with no fruit, and curses it, saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:12–14).
— Chad Bird (@birdchadlouis) February 9, 2026
So was Jesus just hangry, having a bad day, or is something else going on?
What we see here… pic.twitter.com/RSriHDIh0l
But why does God care who we sleep with? Let me give you three reasons
1. He cares because he created us
To understand the purpose and limits of sex, we have to refer to the creator of sex:
God himself. Yes, as one writer puts it, “sex was God’s idea, not ours. It’s not something we discovered behind God’s back…. His first command to humanity in the Bible involves and necessitates sex!” Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply!” So, if you are married, have sex and feel free to have it often!
2. He cares because he loves us
God is all about love. He love us, and he longs for us to love him too. We’re designed to live lives of love. Ultimate reality isn’t grounded in cold submission to an authoritarian deity but in heartfelt response to the God who wants his universe pulsating with love. God cares who we sleep with because he cares that we really do love each other well, and that might mean loving in a different way to how we feel. Christopher Yuan, author of the excellent,
“Holy Sexuality and the Gospel”, (and a man who wrestles with same-sex attraction but who’s chosen the biblical call to chastity), puts it this way, “Human emotions can’t be the determining factor for any gift from God.” No, Jeremiah 17:9 says: “the heart is deceitful above all things”. And as Ashley Null says, summarizing the theology of Anglican reformer Thomas Cranmer, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.” So be careful when people say “Listen to your heart.”
Yes, sex matters to God because people do. He cares because misusing sex can cause profound hurt and damage. He cares because He regards us as worthy of His care.
And, in fact, that care is not only seen in telling us how we should use sex, but also in how He makes forgiveness and healing available to us when we mess this up.
3. He knows what’s best for us
This is a hard one for many of us to accept. But, Jesus is for you, and even his difficult directives are for your good….
A young Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross on the set of The Legacy in 1978, the film where they met and fell in love. They've been together ever since. pic.twitter.com/y84yc97LhM
— History Defined (@historydefined) September 21, 2025
In a statement suggesting the enormity of Canterbury’s failure to be a focus for unity, the former archbishop Rowan Williams recently admitted: “I honestly don’t know whether the communion will survive.” Such a statement from a former leader of the Church of England reflects the gravity of the current crisis. It is not merely a matter of internal disagreement but a question about the very future of Anglicanism.
A significant turning point came in 2023 when the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) issued what became known as the Ash Wednesday Statement. In this declaration, the GSFA announced that it would no longer recognize the archbishop of Canterbury as primus inter pares and the head of the Anglican Communion. This decision marked a historic shift: The symbolic center of Anglican unity was effectively withdrawn by churches representing the majority of Anglicans worldwide.
The roots of this shift are not only historical but also theological and structural. The traditional configuration of the Anglican Communion emerged during the era of the British Empire. During that time, the Church of England functioned naturally as a coordinating center for Anglican churches established through missionary and colonial expansion. However, the global context has changed dramatically. The demographic center of Anglicanism has moved decisively to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Today, the vast majority of Anglicans live in what is commonly called the Global South.
The departure of several western provinces from the traditional Anglican faith inevitably raises questions about unity, governance, and authority.
Canterbury and the Collapse of Anglican Unity
— First Things (@firstthingsmag) March 31, 2026
by Mouneer Anis @bishopmouneer https://t.co/5oNTQIwrz3 pic.twitter.com/LVjAFzbJjP
These poems speak, as [Philip] Yancey says, to “the guilt and fear and helpless faith that marked [Donne’s] darkest days.” They also answer one of the toughest questions we can face, “In the midst of plague times, how can we give thanks?”
Here are the three poems excerpted by Yancey, with his clarifying revisions of Donne’s eighteenth-century language…
25 Nov 1625: exiled in #Chelsea due to plague, John Donne reports #otd he has written out 80 of his sermons (NPG) #lockdown pic.twitter.com/cob4YrgVSo
— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) November 25, 2025
Almighty God, the root and fountain of all being: Open our eyes to see, with thy servant John Donne, that whatsoever hath any being is a mirror in which we may behold thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
“Then, as my soul to heaven, her first seat, takes flight,
— Peter Parker (@PParkerWriting) March 31, 2026
And earth-born body in the earth shall dwell,
So fall my sins, that all may have their right,
To where they’are bred, and would press me, to hell…”
John Donne, died 31 March 1631#johndonne #poem pic.twitter.com/quP2lXIVW3
O Lord Jesu Christ, who as on this day of the Holy Week didst teach the people in the temple at Jerusalem, and also instruct thy disciples on the Mount of Olives: Grant us the ready mind at all times to learn what thou wouldest teach us, that thy word may dwell in us richly in all wisdom; for the glory of thy holy name.
There's always something very special about watching a fogbow appear: It's like a portal to another world!#ukweather #BBCWeatherWatcher #fog #spring #stormhour #Yorkshire #Holmfirth #DunfordBridge #loveukweather @metoffice @StormHour #PeakDistrict pic.twitter.com/mRooegEvcx
— Sandie Nicholson (@holmfirthphotos) March 31, 2026
And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me.” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
–Mark 11:27-33
You can never have too many bluebells. Happy Tuesday folks 🥰 pic.twitter.com/TcFjeNZHTp
— Andrew Edwards (@AndrewOpera) March 31, 2026
Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials.
After private grumbling at the start of the war that they were not given adequate advance notice of the U.S.-Israeli attack and complaining the U.S. had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some of the regional allies are making the case to the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran’s clerical rule once and for all.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there’s a dramatic shift in Iranian behavior, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership…” https://t.co/WRh4iTIwx5
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) March 30, 2026
O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst cleanse the temple courts, and didst teach, saying, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations: Cleanse thy Church, we beseech thee, of all evil, and so sanctify it by thy saving grace, that in all the world thy people may offer unto thee true and acceptable worship; for thy name’s sake.
Hosianna, Friedensfürst,
— Odo de Châtillon ✝️☦️🇩🇪 (@1095Urban2) March 29, 2026
Ehrenkönig, Held im Streite!
Alles, was du schaffen wirst,
das ist unsre Siegesbeute.
Deine Rechte bleibt erhöht,
und dein Reich allein besteht.
Aus dem Lied: Hosianna, Davids Sohn pic.twitter.com/YcT9raxjiX
The master of the asses asked them why they untied his asses, and in the same way the chief men of every people perversely opposed the preaching of God. But when they saw that the preachers, through God’s power, healed the lame and the blind, and gave speech to the dumb, and raised the dead to life, then they could not withstand those miracles, but all at last turned to God. Christ’s disciples said, “The Lord needs the asses, and sends for them.” They did not say ‘our Lord’, or ‘your Lord’, but simply, ‘the Lord’; for Christ is Lord of all lords, both of men and of all creatures. They said, “He sends for them.” We are exhorted and invited to God’s kingdom, but we are not forced. When we are invited, we are untied; and when we are left to our own choice, then is it as though we are sent for. It is God’s mercy that we are untied; but if we live rightly, that will be both God’s grace and our own zeal. We should constantly pray for the Lord’s help, since our own choices have no success unless they are supported by the Almighty.
Christ did not command them to lead to him a proud steed adorned with golden trappings; instead he chose a poor ass to bear him, because he always taught humility, and gave the example himself, saying “Learn from me, for I am meek and very humble, and you shall find rest for your souls.” This was prophesied of Christ, and so were all the things which he did before he was born as man…
'It is the custom in God's church, established by its teachers, that everywhere the priest should bless palm-branches on this day, and distribute them, thus blessed, to the people.'
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) March 29, 2026
An Anglo-Saxon sermon for Palm Sunday ('Palmsunnandæg' in Old English): https://t.co/h4hm9Y5pdw pic.twitter.com/jZ3mdTx73l
Grant, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know thy presence and obey thy will; that, following the example of thy servant John Keble, we may accomplish with integrity and courage that which thou givest us to do, and endure that which thou givest us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Did you know that John Keble was only the second person to ever obtain a double first (in 1810 in Latin and Mathematics) from the University of Oxford? (The first was Robert Peel who later went on to become Prime Minister) #Keble150 #KebleArchives pic.twitter.com/oJvz2cav3W
— Keble College, Oxford (@KebleOxford) April 25, 2020
O Everliving God, let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; that as he from his loftiness stooped to the death of the cross, so we in our lowliness may humble ourselves, believing, obeying, living, and dying to the glory of the Father; for the same Jesus Christ’s sake.
Beautiful morning in North East Fife. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/KeaMEmk0oD
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) March 30, 2026
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Acha′ia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
–2 Corinthians 1:1-7
Good morning everyone wishing you a happy week ahead 😀this weekend’s wonderful walking up Robin Hood’s Stride 💚 pic.twitter.com/PP0lNlgwk6
— doristhehat (@doristhehat) March 30, 2026
As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer’s entry into the city, so grant, O Lord, that now and ever he may triumph in our hearts. Let the King of grace and glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before him; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, welcomed with palm branches and cries of “Hosanna!” It begins Holy Week – a time of reflection leading to the hope of Easter.
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) March 29, 2026
Want to learn about Jesus? Find a local service at https://t.co/URe4sjqxUq.
📸 Graham Lacdao pic.twitter.com/tKqLU86Zg4
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!
–Psalm 24:7-10
Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) March 29, 2026
Christ's enters Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, a 14th Century wallpainting at North Cove, Suffolk. People cheer from above the gate, and a cloak is laid in his path.
More: https://t.co/9AE4KyjMKo#PalmSunday #HolyWeek pic.twitter.com/FhdZ0Str4r
O God, the font of resurrected life, draw us into the wilderness and speak tenderly to us, so that we might love and worship thee as did thy servant James Solomon Russell, in assurance of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For a town so small, Lawrenceville has been home to many notable people. James Solomon Russell was born into slavery. After the war, he joined the seminary and established a parish school, which later became St. Paul's College. #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/zWQm3aGKBU pic.twitter.com/81y2gagpwX
— SJR Research LLC (@SJRResearch) February 2, 2021
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who didst devote thy life and thy death to our most plenteous redemption: Grant that what thou hast wrought for us may also be wrought in us: that, growing into thy likeness, we may serve and share thy redeeming work; who livest and reignest in the glory of the eternal Trinity now and for evermore.
—A Procession of Passion Prayers, ed. Eric Milner-White (London: SPCK, 1952)
"When all at once I spied a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils."
— peaklass (@peaklass1) March 28, 2026
The sudden shock of daffodils emerging through the mist in this quiet woodland was quite something. They looked rather incongruous; irrepressibly bright and cheerful among the bare winter trees. Even on the… pic.twitter.com/M982qmU4Du
And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimae′us, a blind beggar, the son of Timae′us, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; rise, he is calling you.” And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, let me receive my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
–Mark 10:46-52
I’m thinking it’s going to be a lovely day. Happy Saturday everyone 🥰 pic.twitter.com/PhmfHYDiik
— Andrew Edwards (@AndrewOpera) March 28, 2026
The next Suffragan Bishop of Warrington, in the diocese of Liverpool, is to be the Dean of Truro, the Very Revd Simon Robinson, Downing Street announced on Friday.
He succeeds the Rt Revd Beverley Mason, who resigned last year (News, 4 September, 2025).
Dean Robinson was ordained in 2012 after graduating from Warwick University and studying for ordination on the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme. He has served as Dean of Truro since January 2024, having previously become Interim Dean in October 2022.
Before moving to Truro, Dean Robinson was the Vicar of Minehead, after a curacy in Freshford, Limpley Stoke and Hinton Charterhouse, near Bath.
Before ordination, Dean Robinson worked for 24 years in education. He was a head teacher in London, before leading the amalgamation of three schools into a single, all-year-round provision in Bristol.
"I know he will be a gift to us here within the diocese and the Merseyside region as we seek God’s best for our future life together in mission and ministry."
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) March 27, 2026
The Dean of Truro, the Very Rev Simon Robinson, is to be the Bishop of Warrington.
Read more: https://t.co/G6jufHLs1R.
A sperm whale giving birth has been assisted by 10 other females in her social unit – the first time such an event has ever been observed in non-primates.
In July 2023, scientists who have been monitoring a group of sperm whales in the Caribbean since 2005 noticed that all 11 females in the group had gathered near the surface. By chance, the researchers had drones in the air and were able to observe and record the event.
Shortly afterwards, the flukes of a calf started emerging from its mother. The delivery took place over the next half hour, during which the other females coordinated themselves into a highly synchronised formation to protect the mother and newborn.
As soon as the calf was born, the female whales gathered around and took turns making sure that it was kept lifted at the surface so it could breathe and had time for its flukes to fully unfurl. In the first few hours, newborn sperm whales aren’t buoyant and cannot stay at the surface on their own, so such assistance is thought to be critical to prevent calves from drowning.
“This is the first evidence of birth assistance in non-primates,” says team member Shane Gero at Project CETI in New York.
Teamwork helped make this sperm whale birth a success. And scientists caught it on camera.https://t.co/DiApcaLBAm
— Science News (@ScienceNews) March 26, 2026
The Anglican Church in North America has chosen to retain Lathrop GPM to conduct a restricted and nontransparent review of the Title IV proceedings surrounding Bishop Stewart Ruch, and in that choice the truth of the matter is already disclosed, not at the end of the process but at its beginning. The terms will not be released. The findings are not promised to the light. The scope has been drawn with a care that ensures the most decisive questions will never quite arrive where they must be answered. One need not wait for conclusions. The arrangement itself speaks with sufficient clarity.
What presents itself as sober inquiry carries the unmistakable grammar of preemption. There will be interviews, reports, careful language, and the appearance of discipline, yet all of it unfolds within limits that have already been secured against the possibility that the truth might actually do what truth does, which is to judge, to expose, and to reorder. The structure is not neutral. It is already an answer. It ensures that whatever is said will be said in a way that does not require the institution to become something other than what it presently is.
The choice of Lathrop GPM makes this plain in a way that no further argument can improve. A firm known for defending institutions against claims of abuse has been entrusted with examining an institution under precisely such a shadow. One might search for a more transparent declaration of intent and fail to find it. This is not a tension to be resolved. It is a coherence to be recognized. The task is not to discover a truth that might unsettle the body under examination but to render events intelligible within a horizon that preserves that body’s continuity. While the conclusion has not been written in detail, its boundaries have been drawn with precision.
Even the most modest traditions of law would find this intolerable. The idea that judgment must be free from the control of those who stand to be implicated is not an advanced refinement. It is the bare minimum required for justice to exist at all.
Re: Ruch trial aftermath: The Ex. Committee has appointed a subcommittee to "oversee a third-party review of the provincial administration" of the Ruch matter. They have not yet determined the scope of the review but will "retain a qualified firm or individual to complete it." pic.twitter.com/U1CXTUnENM
— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) January 17, 2026
In 1891, a 29-year-old Charles Henry Brent was appointed assistant minister at St. Stephens Episcopal church in Boston. It was a previously abandoned church in the poor south end, and Brent would be serving in second place. He was initially disappointed. The young man, born in Newcastle, Ontario, was pegged from an early age as an overachiever in academics and athletics. He was a talented musician, having served his previous parish as both priest and organist. He once considered becoming a musician but felt a calling to the ministry From an early age. He wrote that he had to ask himself these questions: “What will you do with a quiet and hidden post?” and “How will you deal with second place?”
Little did he know that at the end of his life, he would be feted around the world. The day of his death- this, the 27th of March would be dedicated to him by the Episcopal church, and his monument in Lausanne where he was buried read:
At that formerly abandoned church on the south end of Boston the young priest was a missionary to the poor who had little interest in church. And so he sat with them on their porch steps, played music with them and became a trusted white face amongst a minority population.
Perhaps his success at that “quiet and hidden post” was what led to the surprise telegram he received in 1901, in which he was elected the first Bishop of the Philippine Islands, recently ceded from the Spanish to the Americans. He would gain a reputation as an effective missionary and pacifier amidst hostilities between locals and Westerners. This earned him the respect of William Howard Taft (recently made governor of the Philippines) and General John J. Pershing.
As a missionary, he became known for 1. Not competing with the Roman Catholic workers, and 2. For arguing that one shouldn’t “beat down every religion he meets in order to substitute Christianity” but rather “turn to the beauty of native religions” and lift them into the “fulfilling religion of Christianity.”
#OTD March 27, 1929
— ☧ Today in Christian History (@HistoricalRook) March 27, 2022
Death in Lausanne, Switzerland, of Charles Henry Brent, an Episcopal priest active in the ecumenical movement. Two years before his death, he had presided over the 1927 World Conference on Faith and Order, in Lausanne, Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/NgUT4qgI34
Heavenly Father, whose Son did pray that we all might be one: deliver us, we beseech thee, from arrogance and prejudice, and give us wisdom and forbearance, that, following thy servant Charles Henry Brent, we may be united in one family with all who confess the Name of thy Son Jesus Christ: who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Commemoration of Charles Henry Brent (1862 – 1929). He was the Episcopal Church's first Missionary Bishop of the Philippine Islands; Chaplain General of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I; and Bishop of the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Western New York. pic.twitter.com/K0nJSYCFYL
— Margery Kempe's Chivalric Prayer Fellowship ✝️ (@MKCPFellowship) March 27, 2025