Vatican To Excomunicate Women Priests

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican issued its most explicit decree so far against the ordination of female priests on Thursday, punishing them and the bishops who try to ordain them with automatic excommunication.

The decree was written by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and published in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, giving it immediate effect. A Vatican spokesman said the decree made the church's existing ban on female priests more explicit by clarifying that excommunication would follow all such ordinations.

Excommunication forbids those affected from receiving the sacraments or sharing in acts of public worship. Rev. Tom Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, said he thought the decree was meant to send a warning to the growing number of Catholics who favor admitting women to the priesthood. "I think the reason they're doing this is that they've realized there is more and more support among Catholics for ordaining women, and they want to make clear that this is a no-no," Reese said.

The church said it cannot change the rules banning women from the priesthood because Christ chose only men as his apostles. Church law states that only a baptized male can be made a priest.

I am an Episcopalian....

Finding and forgetting
By Pamela Dolan

I am an Episcopalian by personal choice and through the grace of God. My family of origin, as well as my husband’s family, are all Roman Catholic; I can’t emphasize enough the deep respect and gratitude I have for my Catholic upbringing and the ways it has shaped me. Still, for a myriad of reasons I won’t enumerate here, I chose a different path.

So for me personally, why Anglicanism? …As a start, one of the clearest definitions of Anglicanism I have read can be found in An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church (Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors). It makes plain some of the traits I so love about our church: its sense of balance and compromise, its ability to respect tradition while celebrating cultural difference, its emphasis on practice and worship over doctrine, its humble recognition that while God is unchanging and perfect the church is not. In addition, we are a church that embraces sacrament, liturgy, adherence to apostolic succession, and the centrality of the historic creeds, and you’ve got a pretty potent mix.

Not surprisingly, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is infinitely more articulate on the subject of Anglicanism than I will ever be. Writing about a group of Anglican theologians, he says something in his book Anglican Identities that I think holds true of Anglicans generally, at least when they are at their most thoughtful. These theologians, he writes, “take it for granted that the believer is always learning, moving in and out of speech and silence in a continuous wonder and a continuous turning inside-out of mind and feeling.” That sounds just about right to me.

Several months ago I had a conversation with a friend who is an Episcopal priest. I referred to a group of people I had known “even before I became an Episcopalian,” and my friend interrupted me by saying, “Dear, you were born an Episcopalian!”The comment made me laugh, but it also contained a deeper truth. Because the truth is, I sometimes do think of myself as having been born an Anglican, in terms of my inborn, God-given temperament and personality and my simple me-ness. This is not the same as saying that I believe everybody should be an Episcopalian. Rather I have a sense that in some weird way I cannot fully understand maybe, just maybe, God wants me to be one.

Without question I do believe that God wants each one of us to find a community–a spiritual home–where we can both be ourselves and, in some important ways, forget our selves. Once there, we can move out of the realm of personal preference and fulfillment, and instead focus on the work of loving God and our neighbor, the work we are all called to do.

This is a very cute post in another blog that really spoke to me this week!

Blessings

Seraph

California Court Nixes Ban On Gay Marriage

SAN FRANCISCO - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot. Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in striking down the ban.

Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as the news spread. Jeanie Rizzo, one of the plaintiffs, called Pali Cooper, her partner of 19 years, and asked, "Pali, will you marry me?” This is a very historic day. This is just such freedom for us," Rizzo said. "This is a message that says all of us are entitled to human dignity." In the Castro district, historically a center of the gay community in San Francisco, Tim Oviatt started crying while watching the news on TV.” I’ve been waiting for this all my life," he said. "This is a life-affirming moment."

The challenge for gay rights advocates, however, is not over. A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution…If voters pass the measure in November, it would trump the court's decision.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed legislation that would've granted marriage rights to same-sex couples, said in a news release that he respected the court's decision and "will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

Well, affirmation and justice finally ...for some! The beginning of the end, the slippery slope, Sodom, for others. Oh my...!

In all honesty, I am rather lukewarm about the news!

Societies who have already made it possible for same sex couples to marry have hardly had a deluge of takers, nor does it seem the measure has altered the levels of promiscuity and high risk behaviours in that community.

For those who predict the doom of nations and a new storm of fire from heaven from this ruling, it would be good to note that there was no same sex marriage provision in either Sodom or Gomorrah! Furthermore,the demise of families, marriages, single parenthood and all that entails has everything to do with the behaviour of heterosexuals and very little with homosexuals who want their relationships sanctioned by the state!

This should make for interesting Sunday prayers....~

blessings

Seraph

Protestant or catholic...?

Protestant or Catholic: Anglicans must decide!!!

Hard words for Anglicans from the head of the Council for Christian Unity in Rome. Cardinal Walter Kasper has told the Catholic Herald that now, with Lambeth approaching, is the time for Anglicans to decide whether they are Catholic or Protestant. 'Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?' he said. 'Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions.' The genius of Anglicanism has always been its ability to straddle the divide, but maybe the Cardinal is right and the Communion's present difficulties reflect the impossibility of continuing to do this.


His comments coincided with the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' 'friendly' meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. This is the Pope who, as Cardinal Ratzinger, delivered a strong message of support to an early meeting of a group of conservative Anglicans in Plano.I wonder how much the Catholics understand, however, that the Anglo-Catholics who might be the ones most naturally tempted towards Catholicism are not really where the present dissent stems from. Most of those who were going to go over have already gone, over women priests.

The 'orthodox' or 'traditionalists' now are from the opposite end of the spectrum, in Anglican terms. They are from Kasper's Protestant wing. The irony is that if the Anglican Communion does what Kasper is asking and decides it is in fact a 'Catholic' Church, it will emerge as a Church in the mould of the liberal Catholic provinces of TEC, Scotland and the Catholic wing in England. This would not fit at all with the present mold of conservative catholicism in Rome. If on the other hand it decides it is Protestant body, the resultant church would be more like the evangelical independents that the Catholic Church is going head-to-head with for proselytes in Latin America and parts of Africa.

But of course simply to ask the Anglicans to make a decision of this nature is to illustrate a lack of understanding of the nature of Anglicanism. George Bernard Shaw said that England and the US were two countries divided by the same language. Catholics and Anglicans are the same, two denominations divided by the same religion.

Posted by Ruth Gledhill on May 06, 2008

That's like asking someone to choose to have either peanut butter or jelly, black beans or rice, corn beef or cabbage....can be done but not without affecting taste! I thought the not choosing was part of the point of Via Media....or not?

Blessings

Seraph

New Rector...Day One...!

Very funny....!!!

Blessings

Seraph

TEC...Why?

New York Times ad notes Episcopal Church history, mission

Somewhere near you, there’s a blue-and-white sign bearing the familiar slogan: The Episcopal Church Welcomes You. It represents some 7,400 congregations that trace their beginnings in North America to a small but hopeful group of English Christians who arrived May 14, 1607 at a place they called Jamestown — the first permanent English settlement in the New World.

...Wherever you find us, you’ll find the Book of Common Prayer and a Christian faith that honors and engages the Bible, the tradition of the Church, and God-given human reason. Joined in prayer, you’ll find people with many points of view — Christians who are progressive, moderate, and conservative — yet who value the diversity of their faith community. That’s a heritage drawn from our deep roots in nearly 2,000 years of English Christianity, and shared by a worldwide Anglican Communion that unites nearly 80 million people in 164 countries through prayer and ministries committed to caring for “the least of these,” as Jesus commanded, by reducing poverty, disease, and oppression.

Episcopalians struggle with the same issues that trouble all people of faith: how to interpret an ancient faith for today… how to maintain the integrity of tradition while reaching out to a hurting world… how to disagree and yet love and respect one another. Occasionally those struggles make the news. People find they can no longer walk with us on their journey, and may be called to a different spiritual home. Some later make their way back, and find they are welcomed with open arms.

Despite the headlines, the Episcopal Church keeps moving forward in mission — in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as congregations in Belgium, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guam, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Taiwan, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands. We’re committed to a transformed world, as Jesus taught: a world of justice, peace, wholeness, and holy living.

...Come see for yourself. Come and visit… come and explore… come and grow.

This ad which ran in the New York Times almost a year ago really caught my eye. It is a good piece which presents a picture of the church that resonates with my experience.

No uniformity here!!! Not all who grace its doors, pray the prayers, recite Creeds or kneel at its altars have the same take on life or spiritual issues! Though I agree with some and others I profoundy disagree, with all I share a bond that is beyond myself! There is a union we share by virtue of our baptism , one that grows as we share the table of the Lord, as we serve the needy in the name of Christ...! These same bonds I share with my very charismatic sisters, my very Baptist cousins, Roman Catholic aunts, my spiritual family in the CEC, friends and acquaintances throughout the years with whom I have prayed, studied, believed, hoped, argued, laughed and cried...we all call on the name of Jesus, are baptized by one Spirit into one body...pimples and all! There is also the bonds of our common humanity with all its joys, hopes and profound sorrows which Christ decided to share! These as I see it, no ammount of discussion and disagreement can destroy.

I have grown weary of the seeming pettiness that has so often intruded into my walk of faith, the demeaning or exclusion of others in the name of "truth", the push for uniformity, to exactly define, renew , reform , reinvent, retain, correct... always and to the ages of ages amen! All of these, done in the name of purity, annointing, faith, Christ, His Church... catch the attention of sincere people! It does sound inspiring but is very sobering to experience, a marvel that we, being as flawed as our neighbour, spend precious energy on the mote in the other's eye!

I need a change in scenery...and as some run from The Episcopal Church, I have felt drawn to it! There is a fascinating, perhaps unmanageable mix, catholic, protestant , liberal, conservative, unity and chaotic diversity, beauty and unatractiveness, selfishness and charity .... frustrating, wonderful, imperfect, unfinished...just like me, just like Christians, like the Church of Jesus which I have loved in its many forms for the last 30 years! I do not have to talk myself into believing it is "the One", nor "the move of God for the day", nor a "New Reformation"...it is what is is...and right now, it is quite okay by me!

I do not have the answer to the dilemmas and conflics of people in TEC, I did not in the CEC, as I do not for my own...but God, who came to us in Jesus surely must or we would all be insane! It is in Christ I put all my trust, in Him I lean, He that I follow as I come to the Episcopal Church...to see, discover, serve , hopefully grow! The rest are incidentals....!

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner!

Seraph

Putin Picks Church...!

By CLIFFORD J. LEVY, Published: April 24, 2008, NYT

It was not long after a Methodist church put down roots here that the troubles began...

First came visits from agents of the F.S.B., a successor to the K.G.B., who evidently saw a threat in a few dozen searching souls who liked to huddle in cramped apartments to read the Bible and, perhaps, drink a little tea. Local officials then labeled the church a “sect.” Finally, last month, they shut it down.

There was a time after the fall of Communism when small Protestant congregations blossomed here in southwestern Russia, when a church was almost as easy to set up as a general store. Today, this industrial region has become emblematic of the suppression of religious freedom under President Vladimir V. Putin.

Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith. The Kremlin’s surrogates in many areas have turned the Russian Orthodox Church into a de facto official religion, warding off other Christian denominations that seem to offer the most significant competition for worshipers. They have all but banned proselytizing by Protestants and discouraged Protestant worship through a variety of harassing measures, according to dozens of interviews with government officials and religious leaders across Russia.

Sincere Christians looking for unity and truth often get frustrated at the seeming chaos of the American religious landscape ... and then stories like these remind us of the dangers when the interests of a particular religion and the state seem too intertwined.

No one should have the right, even in the name of "true religion" or "true church", to interfere with the spiritual pursuits of others, the free exchange of ideas and the freedom to worship with people of like mind and tastes. When the disciples of Christ attempted to forbid a certain man from casting out demons in Jesus name because he was "not one of us", the Lord himself forbade them from doing such a thing declaring that "he who is not against us is for us".

It seems we his disciples often forget this example and while claiming to adhere to absolute truth utterly defy the precepts He laid down for us. In His name we forbid, reject, demonize, set a stumbling block for others and appear in the eyes of the world more like the religious, the pharisees of Jesus's day than the disciples of He who was called meek and humble of heart, friend of sinners and publicans, a doctor for the infirm, who came to save and not condemm.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner.

Seraph

TEC Talk...

Well there you have it! After months of prayer, discernment, meeting with all kinds of committes for ministry and the local Episcopal bishop it looks like we will be received into The Episcopal Church this summer. Upon the announcement that this was to be so, people actually danced in the aisles at mass Sunday and, the few cradle Episcopalians among us, had tears of joy....So much for GBC!

Granted, we hold no illusions about the perfection of TEC but, in the diocese we will call home, it feels like a good fit. We will be the first Hispanic ministry in the diocese, a moderately conservative leaning community, whose clergy and bishop have been outstanding in their welcome and support. From being basically homeless, we inherit a paid for beautiful building, several dozen new members, at least 70 sister churches locally, companion dioceses in Cuba and Peru and, beyond that,the Anglican Communion. It seems a given that the wide open doors are the doing of God!

Unchanged, yet mixed with a bit of sadness, is the love and regard I and many hold for our formative years in the CEC. There are scores of memories, people we love to whom we are so deeply indebted. Yet, there is a sense that there must be a parting of the ways, that each may follow Christ according to conviction with joy. I had hoped it would take longer but... alas, life happens and news travel fast! So far all has been peaceful and positive, our CEC, bishop has heard the news and spoken like a true gentleman, the clergy who know so far have been a blessing to my soul.

May God grant us the wish of a transition full of His presence for all involved .....! We are to be received at a special service in the Cathedral early summer....that will be something! Hmmm ...how about that guest list!!!!

Blessings

Seraphim

Holy Melee...!

JERUSALEM - Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity's holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday, and used palm fronds to pummel police who tried to break up the brawl. The fight came amid growing rivalry over religious rights at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site in Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was buried and resurrected.It erupted when Armenian clergy kicked out a Greek priest from their midst, pushed him to the ground and kicked him, according to witnesses.

The Holy Sepulcher is shared by several Christian denominations according to a centuries-old arrangement known as the "status quo." Each denomination jealously guards its share of the basilica, and fights over rights at the church have intensified in recent years, particularly between the Armenians and Greeks.

Father Pakrad, an Armenian priest, said the presence of the Greek priest during the Armenian observances violated the status quo. "Our priests entered the tomb. They kicked the Greek monk out of the Edicule," he said, referring to the tomb area. Pakrad accused the Greek Orthodox Christians of trying to step on the Armenians' rights. "We are the weak ones, persecuted by them for many centuries." The Greek Orthodox Patriarch in the Holy Land, Theofilos III, told The Associated Press that the Armenians are pushing to change the rules, challenging what he said was the dominance of the Greek church in the Holy Land.

The Church of the Nativity in nearby Bethlehem — where Jesus is said to have been born — also falls under the status quo arrangement. Last year, pre-Christmas cleaning in that church turned ugly when robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones.

This is difficult to imagine among followers of him who said "...by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy in me a sinner.

Seraph