It appears beyond doubt that this coming year will prove decisive for the future of worldwide Anglicanism. Attention has now—thankfully—shifted from disputes over homosexuality to questions concerning what the Anglican Communion is and how it must change if it is to survive the current crisis. It is therefore important to understand why there is a crisis without reference to same-sex unions and ‘gay bishops’; similar issues could arise in relation to a number of different are

[Note: This is a chronologically ordered compilation of abuse cases spanning decades and multiple countries. Due to sheer length and repetitiveness (e.g., recurring names, locations), it has been condensed while preserving geographic scope, severity, and institutional relevance. Duplicate entries (same incident cited in multiple years) were removed.] United States • Denver, CO (2002): Donald Shissler, former teacher and priest, sentenced to 24 years after pleading guilty to a

By Jan Nunley [ENS] Saying that they “repudiate and deplore the unilateral actions” of five retired U.S. bishops who conducted confirmations in Ohio without the diocesan bishop’s permission, the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops, meeting at Camp Allen, Texas on March 24, nevertheless declined to proceed with disciplinary action against them. The vote on the resolution was unanimous. Retired bishops FitzSimons Allison of South Carolina, Maurice Benitez of Texas, William Cox

March 24, 2004 By Cynthia P. Brust, Director of Communication The House of Bishops has proven once again their dysfunction and inability to acknowledge, much less address, the crisis of the Episcopal Church. From a format of “process”, small group discussion and multiple revisions, they have produced a plan for episcopal oversight that is undeniably and woefully inadequate. “Adequate” oversight must be determined by those who are seeking it. The House of Bishops considered th

by David Roseberry Plano, TX (March 25, 2004) The Bishops of the Episcopal Church, in a meeting this week, have revealed a new plan to supposedly provide pastoral oversight for dissenting congregations in dioceses. The plan is inadequate and should be ignored. The Episcopal Church (ECUSA) voted at last year’s convention to consecrate as bishop a man who is living in a homosexual partnership. In addition, they voted to regard the blessing of same-sex unions as within the bound

By YONAT SHIMRON Staff Writer News Observer March 23, 2004 RALEIGH, NC Traditionalist Episcopalians upset with the recent confirmation of an openly gay bishop are considering forming their own church in Raleigh. The group, All Saint’s Fellowship, printed notice of its intention to explore starting a new church in its weekly Sunday bulletin. It has been holding Sunday services in the chapel of St. David’s School, formerly St. Timothy’s-Hale High School, since January. “What’s

News Analysis By David W. Virtue The Episcopal Church House of Bishops has adopted a covenant which they believe will resolve all the problems that now exist between revisionist bishops and biblically orthodox parishes. After three days of closed door meetings at Camp Allen, Texas where even cell phones didn’t work and guards were needed at the gates, in order, one presumes, to prevent anyone wanting to run in and steal the pluriform mind of Frank Griswold, the 100 or so bish

Statement from FIFNA President, Fr. David Moyer 24 March 2004 FIFNA’s Response to the House of Bishops’ Statement on Episcopal Care Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison. It would be wise in this second half of the Lenten season to pray unceasingly in light of the ECUSA House of Bishop’s Statement of 23 March, 2004. We have a church (or as Father Sam Edwards would say, an “unchurch”) that has been declared to be in rebellion, disobedient to the whole counsel of God, b

3/24/2004 Network members, moderator, respond to ECUSA plan The national Episcopal Church’s just-released plan for “Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight” will require “tremendous generosity and charity on the part of the bishops and an extraordinary new level of trust on the part of the people and clergy,” if it is to work, said the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, and moderator of the Anglican Communion Network. “The Network bishops will do what they can to en

RICHARD N. OSTLING Associated Press Winding up three days of closed-door talks, the Episcopal Church’s bishops offered a new plan Tuesday for ministering to conservative congregations that feel bound to reject the leadership of bishops who support gay clergy. The head of the denomination, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, said the decision shows the hierarchy’s commitment to reconcile the two sides. “We are coming to a new place of mutual discovery and trust,” he said. But the

By Julia Duin THE WASHINGTON TIMES The Episcopal bishop of Washington has named two priests—the former national chairman of the church’s homosexual caucus and a divorced mother of two sons—to head a new diocesan task force on same-sex blessings. The Revs. Michael W. Hopkins and Susan N. Blue favor same-sex blessings and have both performed several in the 40,000-member diocese. The rite, requested by Bishop John B. Chane, should be ready by June. The six-member task force is p

A Letter from the Primate of Brazil to the Most Revd Frank Griswold March 22, 2004 (ACNS) PORTO ALEGRE— The Most Revd Frank Griswold Presiding Bishop of The ECUSA Episcopal Church Centre 815 Second Avenue New York 10017, NY. United States of America My Dear Brother, It was with surprise, sadness and concern that we received the news about the participation—without permission from the diocesan bishop of Ohio—of the Brazilian Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti, diocesan Bishop of Recif

By RICHARD N. OSTLING Associated Press 3/22/2004 The Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop weathered a firestorm of controversy on his way to being consecrated, but with some colleagues still refusing to accept him, the tension has hardly been quelled. On Friday, New Hampshire’s V. Gene Robinson was to take part in his first meeting as part of the denomination’s hierarchy, a gathering aimed at easing the strain. The bishops begin the closed-door meeting in Navasota, Texa

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 ENS 032304-1 [ENS] In response to the different points of view that exist in the dioceses and congregations of the Episcopal Church concerning issues of human sexuality, the House of Bishops, meeting March 19–25 in Camp Allen, Texas, have issued a document entitled "Caring for all the Churches." The full text follows: The church is the Body of Christ. Our life in this Body is a continuing action of God’s grace among us, by whose power alone we are “joi

The term "high concept" refers to a movie with a striking plotline that can be described in one sentence (e.g., Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger are long-lost "Twins"). In high-concept movies things explode. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman specializes in another kind of high-concept movie, one in which a strange premise unfolds in surreal ways. Things don’t explode; they melt, like Dali’s watch. His first film, Being John Malkovich (1999), sought to answer the perennial qu

By Julian Coman in Washington The Telegraph 3/21/2004 The fierce battle over same-sex unions, which has split American public opinion during the past month, has now pitched the Vatican into an unlikely alliance with Islamic countries against officials of the United Nations. A proposal by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to extend spousal benefits to the partners of gay UN officials has outraged representatives of the organisation's 51 Islamic nations, some of which outla

COMMENTARY By Kevin Myers The Telegraph Dr. Williams has made an art of imprecision. The conversation between Phillip Pullman, the author of His Dark Materials, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, published in The Daily Telegraph last week, like almost anything emanating from the leader of the Church of England, reads like a master-class in ecclesiastical imprecision. I have read the exchange many times, and it remains as clear as porridge. Chew this: "And if th

By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent The TIMES 3/20/2004 THE Church of England could disappear "within a generation of two" without an immediate change of direction, according to a senior bishop. The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt. Rev. Nigel McCulloch, said that the Established Church was in danger of becoming a minority sect. "We will, unless there is a turn in the tide, be a church that gradually disappears from this land," he said. Bishop McCulloch said clergy were bein

By Lawn Griffiths The Tribune Arizona Episcopalians opposed to the election in August of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire have formed the Arizona Anglican Council and are aligning with a new national network they believe adheres to biblical standards and Anglican traditions. Lay members of St. James the Apostle Episcopal parish in Tempe and Christ Church of the Ascension in Paradise Valley have been at the forefront of the organizational effort, which the council's vice

by Michael J. McManus I'm a numbers guy, who finds publications like the new Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2004 - absolutely fascinating. Published annually by The National Council of Churches, it provides a quick snapshot of the major denominations with their histories, current leadership, seminaries and financial data for 59 denominations. Of course, the largest is The Catholic Church (which is no longer called the Roman Catholic Church) with 66.4 million membe