Sunday Telegraph: C of E to empower foreign bishops

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The Church of England is set to allow foreign archbishops to intervene in its affairs, secret papers reveal.

Under controversial plans being drawn up by the Church's bishops, leaders from Africa and South America would be able to take over the care of parishes in this country.

They threaten to end the historic power of bishops to have ultimate control over their dioceses because parishes could ask for overseas prelates to carry out important duties, such as leading ordination services

The proposals are part of a covenant or rule book of beliefs that has been endorsed by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as a last ditch attempt to prevent the Anglican Church from splitting over gay clergy.

It is designed to stop provinces taking unilateral action and argues that Churches that defy traditional teaching should be asked to repent of their actions or face being expelled from the worldwide Communion. However, liberals have warned that these moves mark the most significant shift in the Anglican Church since the Reformation and could lead to a split in the Church of England.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE)

6 Comments
Posted October 28, 2007 at 7:16 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Brian from T19 wrote:

An unnamed source from an unnamed group cites an unnamed document claiming whatever the person making it up wants to.  In other words, typical Telegraph story.

October 28, 8:59 am | [comment link]
2. TomRightmyer wrote:

This appears to be a rehash of the draft covenant proposal - and an example of sensationalist English journalism. Ho, Hum.

October 28, 8:59 am | [comment link]
3. robroy wrote:

What Brian said. It is sad that the religion reporters of the Times have as much credibility as supermarket tabloids.

October 28, 9:45 am | [comment link]
4. Pageantmaster [KJS to Coventry] wrote:

This is a strange one - I checked to see this is not a date in April.

On the one hand it would take a canon lawyer which I am not, but as far as I am aware our structures of parishes and bishroprics are a matter of statute subject to Parliament and the Crown so query whether the CofE can allow parishes to go off to foreigh oversight as part of the CofE.  This of course would not prevent an intervention of the sort that one has seen in the US.

However, there may be nothing to prevent sees from co-opting overseas bishops or even primates and delegating authority to them [along the lines of the Primatial Vicar plan].  There is current authority for this with the ministry of Sandy Miller, a Ugandan bishop, authorised in England under the Bishropric of London.

Could be messy, but who knows, we live in a world of networking.

October 28, 10:20 am | [comment link]
5. Cennydd wrote:

Another helping of a dish called “rehash,” it seems to me.

October 28, 11:23 am | [comment link]
6. azusa wrote:

#5 - with a slice or two of baloney.

October 28, 12:02 pm | [comment link]
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