Archbishop Cranmer

Jumping, skipping, dabbing and bouncing clergy – are we ordaining Tigger?

'Likewise must the deacons be grave', writes St Paul in his first pastoral letter to Timothy (3:8), expounding the necessary character and qualifications for Church leadership. The adjective is associated with sobriety, dignity and honesty; not so much dour or…

St Euthanasia’s Hospital in Barchester adopts ‘Gosport Solution’ to bed-blocking problem

June 23, 2018
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It is a little-known fact that Mrs. Dismay began her career as a probationary teacher at Dr. Wortle’s School here in Barset. It was there that she perfected the art…

Gosport hospital deaths: when did ‘life shortened’ become a euphemism for murder?

June 21, 2018
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The revelation that more than 450 patients died in a Gosport hospital after being administered an overdose of powerful painkillers is shocking and appalling. Or, in the words of Theresa…

Dominic Grieve isn’t a traitor; he’s a lawyer with a blind spot

June 19, 2018
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'Unhinged' is how Dominic Grieve described his Brexit-supporting colleagues on the Conservative benches in the House of Commons. Or was it just some of his colleagues? Perhaps it was just…

CofE Safeguarding: General Synod is being managed, manipulated, duped and disrespected

June 18, 2018
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Since the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse moved the focus of its hearings away from the Church of England until returning later in July, campaigners for the reform of…

Sorosites in the Tory Party have been gathering behind closed doors to tighten up their plans to scupper Brexit

June 16, 2018
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A happy and blessed weekend to you all. I’ve no idea what to write about this week as nothing much seems to be happening out there beyond the Barchester bubble,…

If Irish Catholic hospitals are forced to perform abortions, the Roman Catholic Church should close every one of them

June 14, 2018
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Well, that didn't take long, did it? ‘Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has hit out at socialist parties and groups in the Dáil, accusing them of wanting to “turn religious people into…

“We have built our tower to the Moon, and now we build it to Mars. What, then, is denied to us?”

June 13, 2018
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This is a guest post by Carl Jacobs: a Christian by grace, a Calvinist by conviction, an American by birth. Husband of one, father of two, an engineer by profession,…

St Edburghas Church Yardley men-only male-only iftar ramadan

Birmingham church hosts men-only ‘community’ iftar

June 12, 2018
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Having robustly defended Southwark Cathedral for hosting the sort of iftar (the break-fast evening meal during Ramadan) of which the Queen (and possibly Jesus) would approve, here's an iftar which…

Iftar in the Cathedral is exactly what the Queen (and Jesus) would want

June 11, 2018
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If it had been called 'Tea & Chapatis' no-one would have batted an eyelid. But the meal had an upper-case Islamic name – Iftar – and it involved Arabic food:…

The G7 Summit: a Renaissance oil painting of the sacred and profane

June 10, 2018
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The G7 Summit brings together the mighty economies of the USA, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, which together represent 62% of global net worth. That's $280 trillion,…

‘What sort of incense are they using at Canterbury these days, and has Plod not arrested their supplier?’

June 9, 2018
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Goodness! Lambeth has gone completely loopy! “I have a dream,” said Cantuar the other day. I was all agog – I mean, we all have funny dreams about hippos driving…

Gerald Coates says Justin Welby denied saying that the EU was “the greatest dream realised for human beings since the fall of the Western Roman Empire”

June 8, 2018
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Gerald Coates attended a Lambeth Palace garden party, and has published an account on his Facebook page: Now this is curious, not to say confusing. Gerald Coates is one of…

Why can’t Justin Welby distinguish the Council of Europe from the European Union?

June 6, 2018
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Apparently the Archbishop of Canterbury has said the EU is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, he said it's the greatest thing since way before sliced bread: "The EU…

Met Police confirm that criticism of Islam constitutes ‘Islamophobia’

June 5, 2018
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The Metropolitan Police Service report 'Hate Crimes against London's Muslim Communities' was published five years ago, and it outlines the everyday nature of Islamophobic incidents: The Islamophobic incidents reported to…

transgender transgenderism LGBT equality church of england

When did Transgenderism supplant Anglican orthodoxy as a qualification for Holy Orders?

June 4, 2018
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If you believe that women may not be priests; that Holy Orders are a male preserve; that a woman may not represent Christ at the altar; that 'woman priest' is…

Barchester will not be recruiting any ‘alternative’ folk into Holy Orders this year

June 2, 2018
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Lawks a-mercy! There was quite a kerfuffle outside Barchester Assizes the other day, one which is having repercussions over the whole county. Inside the courtroom, nine non-indigenous ‘shepherds’ were standing…

CofE: ‘Come and confess your sins, but we might have to report you to the police’

May 30, 2018
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It their guidelines for Safeguarding Children and Young Adults from Harm, the Diocese of Canterbury has apparently abolished the Seal of the Confessional. No longer may the penitent sinner confess…

Italy Sergio Mattarella Carlo Cottarelli

Italy is now a post-democratic colony of the EU: the ballot box no longer works

May 29, 2018
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So, the 'elite' President of Italy has vetoed the appointment of a 'populist' finance minister, citing "uncertainty" about Italy's membership of the euro, which is apparently inviolable. "I asked for...…

Ireland abortion referendum: what is a child when set against the demands of freedom?

May 27, 2018
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This is a guest post by Carl Jacobs: a Christian by grace, a Calvinist by conviction, an American by birth. Husband of one, father of two, an Engineer by profession,…