UK churches launch new initiative to welcome Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
Norwich, UK A new initiative aimed at breaking down centuries of prejudice and fully welcoming Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities into the life of the church has been launched in the UK. James Newsome, the Bishop of Carlisle, and Stephen Cotterell, Archbishop of York, launching the GRT Friendly Churches Initiative. PICTURE: Courtesy of the Archbishop of York […]
Divided Church of England to debate blessings for same-sex unions
London, UKReuters 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 Saturday […]
Ugandan law widens Anglican Church rift over LGBTQ rights
Kigali, Rwanda Reuters The chair of a conservative group of Anglican church leaders on Wednesday accused the church’s global head of perpetuating colonialism with his criticism of one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ laws, introduced by Uganda last month. Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion’s 85 million […]
Archbishop of Canterbury urges Ugandan Anglicans to reject anti-gay law
London, UKReuters The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the Anglican Church of Uganda to reject the country’s new anti-LGBT law, saying there is no justification for Anglicans anywhere to support legislation that goes against the Christian teachings of the Gospel. Under the law, approved by President Yoweri Museveni in May, gay sex is punishable by […]
Archbishop of Canterbury: UK migration bill is morally wrong
London, UKAP The head of the Church of England on Wednesday condemned a British government bill that would dramatically curb migrants’ ability to seek asylum in the U.K., calling the policy “isolationist, morally unacceptable and politically impractical.” Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made a rare intervention in Parliament to oppose the legislation. He told the House of […]
In a coronation brimming with history, King Charles III and Britain look to future
London, UK Reuters King Charles III will be crowned king on Saturday in Britain’s biggest ceremonial event for seven decades, a sumptuous display of pageantry dating back 1,000 years. Charles succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II when she died last September and at 74, he will become the oldest British monarch to have the 360-year-old […]
Conservative Anglican group says it has no confidence in church of England leader
Nairobi, KenyaReuters A conservative group of Anglican church leaders said on Friday that it no longer had confidence in the leader of the Church of England over his stance on same-sex unions. Earlier this year the CoE – where the Anglican tradition originated – set out proposals to allow priests to bless same-sex couples in […]
Holy oil for King Charles III’s coronation consecrated in Jerusalem
London, UKReuters The sacred oil which will be used to anoint King Charles III at his coronation in May has been consecrated in Jerusalem, reflecting the British monarch’s links to the Holy Land, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the city’s Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum […]
Some Anglican bishops reject leader Welby over gay marriage
London, UKAP 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 Welby […]
Church of England allows blessings for same-sex couples
London, UKAP 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, which […]