By David Neff – Christianity Today, February 20, 2004 Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ—steeped in pre–Vatican II Catholic devotion—has ignited extraordinary enthusiasm among evangelicals. Why? Though shaped by mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich’s visions, devotion to Mary, and intense focus on Christ’s wounds, the film powerfully affirms classical Christian truths evangelicals hold dear: The Reality of Evil Satan tempts Jesus in Gethsemane—not as a grotesque villain, but as a beautiful, veiled woman whose robe conceals a serpent. Jesus crushes its head—a visual echo of Genesis 3:15. Gibson told pastors: “Evil masquerades. If your antennae are up, you’ll detect it.” Personal Culpability and Atonement When accused of anti-Semitism, Gibson replied: “For culpability, look to yourself. I look to myself.” In a striking moment, Gibson himself (off-camera) hammers the nails into Christ’s hands—symbolizing his own responsibility for the Cross. The Necessity of Blood Sacrifice The film’s brutality is theological, not gratuitous: “In the Old Covenant, blood was required. In the New, blood was required. Jesus could’ve pricked His finger—but He went all the way.” Gibson affirms Leviticus 17:11: “It is the blood that makes atonement.” Contemplative Engagement Gibson calls the film “contemplative—not a documentary, but an invitation to remember… in a way that cannot be articulated, only experienced.” Its structure mirrors the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary—encouraging meditation on Christ’s suffering. For Gibson, the project was salvific: emerging from “emptiness, regret, despair,” he turned again to prayer—and “went to the wounds of Christ to heal my own wounds.” One viewer summed it up: “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

THE ANGLICAN INHERITANCE AND THE CHURCH CATHOLIC By Cheryl H. White, Ph.D. “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” We recite these words weekly—but what do they mean, especially amid today’s crisis? The term catholic (from Greek kata holos, “according to the whole”) means universal. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in AD 107: “Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church.” By the 4th century, “Roman Catholic” emerged—but catholic properly refers to the historic, universal Church founded by Christ. The Protestant Reformation sought to recover this early catholicity—free from medieval Roman corruptions (e.g., indulgences, simony, papal abuses). Reformers diverged: some rejected historic liturgy, sacraments, and bishops, seeing catholicity as invisible. Others—especially in England—aimed for visible continuity: retaining bishops, sacraments, creeds, Scripture, patristic orthodoxy, and liturgy. Thus, the Church of England did not invent a new church—but reformed the existing one, preserving apostolic and catholic identity. This is the Anglican inheritance: we claim continuity with the ancient Church—not through Rome, but through reformed catholicity. When the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) consecrated Robinson in defiance of Scripture and global Anglican consensus, it severed its own claim to this inheritance. Our legitimacy rests not on innovation, but on fidelity to Scripture, creed, and historic practice. Our “signposts” are fixed: Holy Scripture and the Ecumenical Creeds. To remain part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church requires clinging to this orthodox foundation—not accommodating modern ideologies.

By Jeff Marx, Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Collierville The Diocese of West Tennessee’s convention was deeply polarized over the invitation of Bishop Chilton Knudsen of Maine—co-consecrator of V. Gene Robinson—despite Bishop Don E. Johnson’s insistence (he himself voted against Robinson) that the invitation predated the controversy and reflected his commitment to unity. Several traditionalist priests, including Marx, declined to attend the Eucharist where Knudsen preached and concelebrated. Instead, over 1,200 worshippers gathered at St. Andrew’s for Evening Prayer—calling it “the high point of the weekend.” Three orthodox resolutions—to renounce pro-homosexuality General Convention actions, affirm marriage as between one man and one woman, and support affiliation with the orthodox Anglican Communion Network—were blocked by the resolutions committee. A vague “unity” resolution calling only for “further dialogue” was substituted. When reintroduced as floor amendments, the proposals sparked respectful but unsuccessful debate. Marx addressed the assembly, stating: “Besides Gene Robinson himself, who could you have placed at this altar to send a clearer message than the person who consecrated him?” He told Bishop Knudsen: “Had you spoken at any other time, we would have listened. But by consecrating Robinson against the united counsel of the Primates, you became the schismatic—not us.” He added that ignoring the Global South amounted to “liberal racism—the most insidious kind, because its practitioners cannot believe themselves capable of it.” The convention closed without affirming traditional marriage, rejecting Robinson’s ordination, or permitting Network affiliation—opting instead for more “dialogue,” which many see as delay. Marx concluded: “Many are barely hanging on. We ask the Primates to hear: we did not commune, and do not wish to be in broken communion. We remain committed to faithful discipleship—and ask for prayer.”

By David Neff – Christianity Today, February 20, 2004 Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ—shaped by pre–Vatican II Catholic devotion—has ignited extraordinary enthusiasm among evangelicals. Why? Though steeped in Catholic piety (e.g., reliance on the visions of mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich, emphasis on Mary, devotion to Christ’s wounds), the film powerfully affirms classical Christian truths evangelicals hold dear: The Reality of Evil Gibson depicts Satan tempting Jesus in Gethsemane—not as a cartoon villain, but as a seductive, beautiful deceiver (a veiled woman whose robe conceals a serpent). Jesus crushes the serpent’s head—a visual echo of Genesis 3:15. Gibson told pastors: “Evil masquerades. If your antennae are up, you’ll detect it.” He believes the production itself faced intense spiritual opposition. Personal Culpability and Atonement When accused of anti-Semitism, Gibson replies: “For culpability, look to yourself. I look to myself.” In a striking moment, Gibson himself (off-camera) hammers the nails into Christ’s hands—symbolizing his own responsibility for the Cross. The Necessity of Blood Sacrifice The film’s graphic brutality is not gratuitous, but theological: “In the Old Covenant, blood was required. In the New, blood was required. Jesus could’ve pricked His finger—but He went all the way.” Gibson affirms Leviticus 17:11: “It is the blood that makes atonement.” Contemplative Engagement Gibson calls the film “contemplative—not a documentary, but an invitation to remember… in a way that cannot be articulated, only experienced.” Its structure mirrors the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary—encouraging meditation on Christ’s suffering. For Gibson, the project was salvific: emerging from “emptiness, regret, despair,” he turned again to prayer—and “went to the wounds of Christ to heal my own wounds.” One viewer summed it up: “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

By Cheryl H. White, Ph.D. “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” We recite these words weekly—but what do they mean, especially amid today’s crisis? The term catholic (from Greek kata holos, “according to the whole”) originally meant universal—as St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in AD 107: “Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church.” By the 4th century, “Roman Catholic” emerged, but catholic properly refers to the historic, universal Church founded by Christ. The Protestant Reformation sought to recover this early catholicity—free from medieval Roman corruption (e.g., indulgences, simony, papal abuses). Yet Reformers diverged: some rejected historic liturgy, sacraments, and episcopal orders, seeing catholicity as invisible. Others—especially in England—aimed for visible continuity: retaining bishops, sacraments, creeds, Scripture, patristic orthodoxy, and liturgy. The Church of England, therefore, did not invent a new church—but reformed the existing one, preserving its apostolic and catholic identity. This is the Anglican inheritance: we claim continuity with the ancient Church—not through Rome, but through reformed catholicity. Thus, when the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) consecrated Gene Robinson in defiance of Scripture and global Anglican consensus, it severed its own claim to this inheritance. Our legitimacy rests not on innovation, but on fidelity to Scripture, creed, and historic practice. Our “signposts” are fixed: Holy Scripture and the Ecumenical Creeds. To remain part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church requires clinging to this orthodox foundation—not accommodating modern ideologies.

WEST TENNESSEE: TENSIONS AND THREATS ABOUND AT CONVENTION By Jeff Marx, Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Collierville The Diocese of West Tennessee’s convention was marked by sharp division over the consecration of V. Gene Robinson—and the invitation of Bishop Chilton Knudsen of Maine, who co-consecrated him. Though Bishop Don E. Johnson (who opposed Robinson) insisted the invitation predated the consecration and emphasized unity, several traditionalist priests—including Marx—declined to attend the Eucharist where Knudsen preached and concelebrated. Instead, over 1,200 gathered for Evening Prayer at St. Andrew’s, calling it the “high point” of the weekend. Tensions escalated during resolution hearings. Three orthodox proposals—to renounce pro-homosexuality General Convention resolutions, affirm marriage as between one man and one woman, and support the orthodox Network—were blocked by the resolutions committee, which substituted a vague “unity” resolution calling only for “further dialogue.” When traditionalists reintroduced their amendments on the floor, the debate remained civil but unsuccessful: none passed. Marx addressed the assembly, stating: “Besides Gene Robinson himself, who could you have placed at this altar to send a clearer message of where we stand than the person who consecrated him?” He told Bishop Knudsen respectfully: “Had you spoken at any other time, we would have listened. But by consecrating Bishop Robinson against the united counsel of the Anglican Primates, you became the schismatic—not us.” He further charged that disregarding the Global South reflected “liberal racism—the most insidious kind, because its practitioners cannot believe themselves capable of it.” The convention ended without affirming traditional marriage, rejecting Robinson’s ordination, or permitting affiliation with the Network—opting instead for more “dialogue,” which many traditionalists view as a delaying tactic. Marx concluded: “Many are barely hanging on. We ask the Primates to hear: we did not commune, and do not wish to be in broken communion. We remain committed to faithful discipleship—and ask for prayer.”

By Jonathan Petre – The Telegraph, February 24, 2004 A confidential Church of England report suggests women might be allowed to become bishops—but only as “junior” or restricted ones—barred from the most senior posts, including Archbishop of Canterbury or York. The draft, produced by a working party chaired by the Bishop of Rochester, Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, outlines compromise options intended to win over conservative evangelicals who oppose female leadership on grounds of biblical “headship”—the belief that men should hold ultimate spiritual authority. One proposal allows women to fill one of the 43 diocesan bishoprics—but excludes them from the two archbishoprics. Critics call this a “stained-glass ceiling,” warning it would entrench inequality. The General Synod is expected to debate the matter in late 2004 or early 2005. If approved, legislation could be enacted within five years—though hard-line traditionalists may still reject any compromise. This debate unfolds as the global Anglican Communion fractures over sexuality—and a decade after women’s ordination triggered one of the Church’s deepest crises.

By Victoria Combe – The Telegraph   A radical new Anglican catechism—commissioned by the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. David Hope—declares that homosexuality “may well not be a condition to be regretted, but one with divinely ordered and positive qualities.”   Authored by Canon Edward Norman of York Minster, An Anglican Catechism is the first attempt since the 1662 Book of Common Prayer to comprehensively define Anglican teaching. In its section on sexuality, it diverges sharply from official church doctrine and the views of then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey.   The catechism states:   “Homosexual Christian believers should be encouraged to find in their sexual preferences such elements of moral beauty as may enhance their general understanding of Christ’s calling.”   This directly contradicts the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution—endorsed by Dr. Carey and many Global South bishops—which affirmed that “homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture” and commended abstinence for those not called to marriage. It also opposes the 1991 Issues in Human Sexuality document, which barred clergy from homosexual relationships.   Norman addresses the contradiction: “The Church continues to classify homosexuality as intrinsically disordered, yet significant numbers of Christians are—and always have been—homosexual.” He adds that homosexuality “is not generally chosen, but arises from inherited impulses or early experience.”   Dr. Hope, who described the work as “a celebration of Christian living,” has himself faced scrutiny over his sexuality—once calling it a “grey area” and affirming his celibacy.   Richard Kirker of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement welcomed the catechism as “a refreshing statement the Church is crying out for.”

ACNA’s primate is prohibited from exercising any ordained ministry for two months By Mary Ann Mueller VOL Special Correspondent www.virtueonline.org November 18, 2025 The news was shocking but not unexpected. The Most Rev. Steve Wood (III ACNA) has been inhibited from exercising his ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in North America after a growing clamor calling for him being denied the opportunity to continue in his ordained ministry following at least two accusations of impropriety and other lesser charges with a growing list of clergy seeking the restriction of his ability to sacramental function as a priest and/or bishop. Bishop Julian Dobbs (I Living Word) lowered the boom Sunday after a Saturday zoom meeting of the Anglican Church in North America College of Bishops (CoB), which included ACNA Chancellor Scott Ward, to determine what is the best pathway to follow during this time in which the accusations against Archbishop Wood swirl that must be addressed. The Living Word bishop was able to do that because during the Saturday's (Nov. 15) CoB meeting he was tapped as the new Dean of the Province to provide ongoing leadership as ACNA wades through the turmoil created by Archbishop Wood's various issues. REC Presiding Bishop Ray Sutton handed over the reins of deanship following 11 years of service in that capacity. The 75-year-old Reformed Episcopal bishop found that with his ongoing health issues he had too many balls in the air. Although he still remains the Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church and the continuing bishop ordinary of the REC Diocese of Mid-America. “Given the unprecedented dynamics of the current moment, I have come to see that it is unwise for me to continue carrying the multiple roles and weighty responsibilities of serving as Dean of the Province, as well as Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church and Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Mid-America,” Bishop Sutton wrote to his brother ACNA bishops. “Therefore, in my capacity assuming the archbishop’s responsibilities I have appointed Bishop Julian Dobbs to become the Dean.” Therefore, in that capacity as the second Dean of the Province, Bishop Dobbs inhibited Archbishop Wood's from all diaconal, sacerdotal and episcopal ministry in accordance with ACNA Canon IV.9.1 for 60 calendar days. “Following a Presentment received by the College of Bishops, and with the written consent of the five active senior diocesan bishops of the College (excluding the Archbishop and the Dean), determined by date of admission, I inhibited Archbishop Stephen D. Wood from the exercise of ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in North America, in accordance with the canons of our Church, on Sunday, November 16,” Bishop Dobbs wrote in an email sent on the Feast of Hugh of Lincoln (Nov. 17) detailing the actions of Saturday's CoB virtual meeting. “While an Inhibition is a suspension from the exercise of ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in North America, this action does not determine guilt or innocence, nor does it pre-judge any allegation or any future proceeding,” Bishop Dobbs elaborated. “The canons provide for the imposition of an Inhibition when it is determined to be in the best interests of the Church to do so (Canon IV.9.1).” The five senior active working ACNA CoB bishops ordinary who concurred with Bishop Dobbs are: Archbishop Foley Beach (II ACNA/I South); bishops Alberto Morales (IX Quincy); Eric Menees (V San Joaquin); Kenneth Ross (I Rocky Mountains); and Clark Lowenfield (I Western Gulf). The key is active and working senior diocesan bishops who joined with Bishop Dobbs in concurring with his action. There are now 42 retired bishops in the ACNA College of Bishops. The most senior living retired ACNA bishop, according to his episcopal consecration date as bishop ordinary, is Bishop William Wantland (IV Eau Claire). Chronologically the oldest living retired bishop is 98-year-old Bishop Fitzsimmons Allison (XII South Carolina). The most senior bishop to ever join the College of Bishops was former REC Presiding Bishop Leonard Riches who was consecrated in 1975. He died in 2024. “I write to share with you several important developments in our common life together as a Province, and to do so with clarity, sobriety, and trust in the Lord who shepherds His Church,” Bishop Dobbs emailed on Monday (Nov. 17). In his missive Bishop Dobbs outlined several things including actions and goals: ✓He discussed CoB’s zoom meeting; ✓He expressed CoB’s thanksgiving for Bishop Sutton's service; ✓He passed along Bishop Sutton's own comments; ✓He noted he was appointed the new Dean of the Province; ✓He announced his inhibition of Archbishop Wood; ✓He released the Notice of Inhibition; ✓He explained the new leadership of the Diocese of the Carolinas where Suffragan Bishop David Bryan is stepping in as the Acting Bishop; ✓He reassured ACNA that the mission of the Province will continue; ✓He offered a prayer for peace, unity and purity; and ✓He also referenced Psalm 34:28. “The Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted and will save those who are crushed in spirit.” Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.

By Jeffrey Walton JUICY ECUMENISM November 17, 2025   Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) Archbishop Steve Wood has been suspended from the exercise of ordained ministry for 60 days, following the written consent of the five senior-most bishops of the denomination.   The restriction, canonically known as an inhibition, is the latest development in a string of communications from influential clergy and bishops following Wood’s self-imposed leave of absence announced on November 3. Wood faces a formal complaint submitted by ACNA clergy and laity alleging bullying of staff, misuse of funds, and two separate allegations of inappropriate advances brought by a former children’s ministry director and an anonymous complainant.   “This action does not determine guilt or innocence, nor does it pre-judge any allegation or future proceeding,” Bishop Julian Dobbs, the Dean of the Province, wrote in the notice of inhibition. Dobbs, who was acting Dean, has assumed the full role after Reformed Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Ray Sutton stepped down following 11 years as Dean (Sutton continues in his diocesan and REC roles).   The five diocesan bishops who signed the inhibition are Alberto Morales (Quincy), Foley Beach (South), Eric Menees (San Joaquin), Kenneth Ross (Rocky Mountains) and Clark Lowenfield (Western Gulf).   Bishop David Bryan, who serves as Bishop Suffragan for Wood’s Diocese of the Carolinas, will assume duties as acting bishop for that diocese, Dobbs wrote to the province on November 17.   Timeline   Influential voices within the denomination have raised concerns for weeks, not only about the allegations made against Wood but also regarding the denomination’s processes and canonical structures.   “To state the matter carefully: ACNA is in profound trouble, and I do not think that the people in charge of ACNA see how much trouble we are in,” Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon wrote to his diocesan standing committee on October 29 in a letter widely circulated across the ACNA. Harmon, a senior clergyman who served multiple tours as a deputy to Episcopal General Convention when his diocese was within the Episcopal Church, has a reputation as a reserved introvert and judicious thinker not prone to rash pronouncement.   “Almost everyone that I’ve seen in ACNA who is looking at the situation is looking at it backwards. They are saying things like trust the process, isn’t it terrible that people in the church felt it necessary to go to a secular newspaper like the Washington Post in order to do what they felt had to be done,” Harmon wrote. “To me that entirely upside down, the question everyone in active leadership should be asking themselves is supposing I was part of the group that made these allegations.”   Some of the complainants in the presentment filed in the Wood case are clergy and laity within the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, the largest diocese measured by membership in the ACNA, and which geographically overlaps Wood’s Diocese of the Carolinas.   Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Chip Edgar has written that he was among the four diocesan bishops first approached by complainants more than six months ago. Following a retreat with diocesan clergy, Edgar on November 13 wrote to this diocese stating “Those who brought these charges forward are credible and trustworthy, and the charges they bring are serious.”   “In my letter to the College of Bishops, I urged the senior bishops tasked with calling for an inhibition of the Archbishop to do so,” Edgar wrote his diocese.   Edgar’s call was later joined by the standing committee of his diocese.   “We, the Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, stand with our Bishop in full support of the victims. We, too, urge the College of Bishops to inhibit Archbishop Wood,” the committee of elected clergy and laity wrote in a November 14 message to the diocese. “While he [Wood] has placed himself on a leave of absence, such leave can be ended at his discretion. An inhibition—though not a statement of guilt or innocence—protects the integrity of the inquiry and ensures that the process needed to seek the truth can proceed without interference.”   Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic Bishop Chris Warner, who on November 15 disclosed that he was among the four bishops originally contacted by complainants, also joined in making a similar call. Warner met with his diocesan clergy November 13-14 outside of Baltimore.   “I have asked the senior bishops of the College, through the interim Dean of the Province, to consider placing an inhibition on Archbishop Wood,” Warner wrote on November 16 following the annual diocesan synod. Warner made an apology to the complainants, writing “Where my response contributed to further pain or trauma, I ask your forgiveness.”   Several clergy from both dioceses are signatories to an open letter to the ACNA College of Bishops. The call, which initially had 70 signatories, now counts more than 150 clergy from numerous dioceses of varying geography and churchmanship. Titled “Our Vows and the Protection of the Flock,” the letter asks that Wood be inhibited “until the conclusion of the trial that will determine his guilt or innocence.”   “Our goal is not to presume guilt, but to give space to investigate and discern guilt or innocence with all possible protections in place,” the letter’s authors write. “We believe that in this circumstance it would be prudent for the college as a whole to meet in council with those tasked to make this decision and inform them of your opinion on the matter to aid in their discernment.”   Next Steps   A hearing panel convened by the Dean of the Province (Dobbs) will evaluate the presentment to determine if it meets the criteria to move forward to a trial.   Harmon is among those stressing that the complaints against Wood are not the extent of the crisis.   “I appreciate the College of Bishops starting to do the right thing, even though it’s late but they need to realize that,” Harmon told IRD. “We need a process we can trust. Communication and transparency need to be vastly improved, and quickly. Both the [Diocese of the Upper Midwest Bishop Stuart] Ruch fiasco and this mess are but symptoms. What does that tell you about the disease?”   Dobbs, who will exercise the authority of the ACNA Archbishop during Wood’s inhibition from ministry, emphasized that despite tumult in the provincial structures, the ministry of the church “continues in every diocese, congregation, chaplaincy, and mission field.”   “In this season of strain and sorrow, let us fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, who remains faithful, who governs His Church with steadfast love, and who sustains His people through every trial. We reaffirm our confidence that the Lord Jesus Christ continues to build His Church,” Dobbs wrote to the ACNA in his November 17 letter. “I invite you to join me in praying for all involved in these matters, and for the peace, unity, and purity of Christ’s Church.” END

Canon Edward Norman has written a scathing attack on the Church of England and is converting to Catholicism. "My new book is not actually a criticism of the Church of England," says Canon Edward Norman, chancellor of York Minster, choosing his words with donnish precision. Is he serious? Two minutes later, he declares: "There is a big hole at the centre of Anglicanism - its authority. I don't think it's a Church; it's more of a religious society." This is the most hurtful criticism that one can make of any Church: to say that it is not a Church. In fact, his book, Anglican Difficulties: A New Syllabus of Errors, is one of the most ferocious assaults ever launched on the Church of England. It is all the more deadly because its author is not a traditionalist quote-merchant, but a leading Church intellectual. A former Reith lecturer and Dean of Peterhouse, Canon Norman is an ecclesiastical historian with the long face and high cheekbones of a Tudor churchman. He speaks fast and quietly, polishing his dry words as he speaks, so that his prose and conversation are almost indistinguishable. He commits thoughts to paper that colleagues might let slip only in the senior common room after dinner. In Anglican Difficulties, Norman blazes away impartially at all the Church's factions. About the General Synod, he writes: "Every disagreement, in seemingly every board or committee, proceeds by avoidance of principled debate. Ordinary moral cowardice is represented as wise judgment; equivocation in the construction of compromise formulae is second nature to leaders." Evangelical bishops who trumpet their adherence to Biblical orthodoxy are accused of selling their principles in return for preferment. "Discreetly, behind the twitching curtains of the evangelical bishops' houses, the playing pieces are being set out on the board," writes Norman. So how can someone who believes that the Church of England is collapsing belong to it? The answer is that Edward Norman will leave the Church of England when he retires as a member of York Minster's chapter in May. Later this year, he will be received into the Roman Catholic Church by a Cambridge contemporary, Fr Dermot Fenlon, at the Birmingham Oratory. He has started attending Mass in Catholic churches, unobserved in collar and tie. But there is no mention of conversion to Rome in Anglican Difficulties. Norman stresses that leaving the C of E and becoming a Catholic are "quite independent developments." Like his insistence that his new book is not a criticism of Anglicanism, this point is not easy to grasp, but Norman is insistent. "Just because the Anglican tub is leaking is not in itself an argument for jumping into another one," he explains. His conversation drips with these aquatic metaphors. Over lunch in an Italian restaurant near the Minster, he announces: "Anglicanism is going to tip into the sea." He reaches for the bread with a thin smile. "But it will all come out in the wash." Norman eats a plate of pasta here every lunchtime. "It is my only meal of the day," he says, which is not hard to believe: he is rake-thin and ascetic, a convert in the mould of John Henry Newman rather than GK Chesterton. This is not an obvious candidate for "Poping". Like Newman, Norman has always been Low Church; when he arrived at York Minister, he had to be helped through the rituals. And didn't he once support women priests? "I was originally in favour, on rationalist liberal grounds," he says, apologetically. "Now, I'm against it - on the evidence. We were told that a whole dimension to humanity was missing from the ministry, but that enrichment hasn't happened." What follows is a typical Edward Norman argument, either perverse or original, depending on your point of view. "Women emphasise caring, relationships, suffering, healing and love. Men are interested in truth, ideas, conflict, sin, wickedness and virtue. Those are caricatures, but there was wisdom in Our Lord entrusting the office of the priesthood to men. "The priesthood is about teaching, not just conveyance of the sacraments. If you think Christianity is all about love and relationships, then it will disappear in the flood." He catches my surprised look and shrugs. "I can't think of a way of putting this into words that is acceptable to contemporary culture," he says. Not that he tries. There is something in Norman's world view to offend everyone: liberals, who imagine that "caring" is an adequate substitute for the rigours of the Gospel; lovers of art and music, who mistake aesthetic sensations for spirituality; Tory-voting country types who enjoy a jolly good sing-song at Matins. "The number of people who respond to the teaching of the truth is extremely small," he says. "I have friends who come to York Minster who are very good people, even godly, but it's a very conventional, class-based observance." Class runs through Norman's writings, a legacy of his youthful Marxism. His reputation now is that of a maverick Right-winger, but he says that is wrong: "I have no politics. My only ideology is classical Christianity, without reservation." In the late 1970s, Norman's broadsides against the trendy Left earned him the label of Margaret Thatcher's favourite clergyman; she even invited him to Chequers. "But there wasn't any meeting of minds," he says firmly. "Mrs T wasn't - isn't - a very deep thinker. She was the daughter of an alderman who was a Gladstonian liberal, and that was what she was, too. She was looking for an intellectual to give a pedigree to those liberal values. I have admiration for her, and found her personally kind. But I have been appalled by the results of naked capitalism." His own sympathies are unpredictable. One wonders if Lady Thatcher would still admire him if she had heard his final lecture at York Minster - an appreciation of the oeuvre of gay atheist filmmaker Derek Jarman. The lecture was extraordinary, not least for the Jarman quotes that Norman included. Jarman on Dr George Carey: "Moon-faced and pudgy, a clerical Bunter, the school bully in a lurex mitre." And on Carey's enthronement as Archbishop of Canterbury: "This is where crap takes you." The canon chancellor of York Minster quoted these lines as if he approved of them. Perhaps his failure to reach high office in the established Church is not that mysterious. Norman spent 17 years at Peterhouse, where one of his students was Michael Portillo. "A very hard-working pupil," he recalls. "I never noticed any sexual irregularity in his life." Most of Norman's time as a Cambridge don was given over to writing studies of (among others) the Victorian Christian socialists and modern Ireland. He was also a participant in one of the most vigorous High Table feuds in recent history, which began when he fell out with the Master of Peterhouse, the late Lord Dacre, over a memorial service for a don who had been caught shoplifting. Norman thought the man deserved a Cambridge memorial service. Dacre disagreed. As Norman recounts it, Dacre's views do indeed sound unreasonable. (Years ago, when working on a newspaper diary column, I sought Dacre's side of the story. He would only say: "Dr Norman is a s--t.") After lunch, Norman shows me around the cathedral. "This is a very poor example of the late-Gothic style," he says, his thin arm sweeping dismissively across the widest medieval nave in England. "It was put up on the cheap - the decorative devices are straight out of a stonemason's catalogue." But doesn't the miraculous, vaulted ceiling help worshippers concentrate their thoughts? "Cathedrals can be a hindrance as well as an aid to faith," says Norman. "They can lead people to luxuriate in emotion. I'd rather they were convicted of their sins." We pass a statue of the Minster's patron saint, St Peter, holding a key. It's an appropriate image. Soon, Canon Norman will be free of "the ideological chaos of Anglicanism" and in full communion with (as he believes) the successor of Peter. Then will come retirement in Brighton - "And I shall be properly retired," he says. The reaction of his critics is not hard to predict: "Well, there's one Anglican difficulty out of the way," they will smirk. But others will regret the loss of one of the most profound and unsettling thinkers that the Church of England has produced in decades. "Catholicism is what I have always believed, though I did not have the wit to realise it," says Canon Norman, gathering his coat around him. "You might call it a shaft of light before the sun sets." END

An Anglican cleric who led the protest against the blessing of same-sex unions is to address Church of Ireland clergy in the coming week. The Rev. David Short, rector of St John's, Shaughnessy, Vancouver, made his protest after his Bishop in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster permitted rites for so-called 'gay marriages'. His parish, along with ten others, formed a coalition, the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW), which has been recognised by the past and present Archbishops of Canterbury. Currently, the ACiNW represents 25% of the worshipping community in New Westminster. Chief among their concerns is the departure from traditional Biblical Christian faith and morals within the Church and the threat to those who practice orthodox Anglican Christian faith. Mr. Short will be addressing Church of Ireland clergy and lay readers at a lunchtime meeting in Portadown on Wednesday, organised by the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy. Its chairman, Canon Clive West, explained the purpose for this meeting, "David will be sharing his experiences of living in a church structure which is hostile towards Biblical faith and informing us of developments internationally." The meeting, entitled "Thinking for the Future" takes place in the Fergus Hall (St Mark's Church Hall), Portadown from 11.30am - 2pm on Wednesday 3rd March, 2004. An Australian by birth, David Short is married to Bron and they have two sons, Ben and Josh. He says of the current situation in New Westminster, "I believe that we are in a Diocese that has unilaterally severed its connection with the global Anglican Communion by being the first to officially bless same-sex unions." The Anglican Communion, of which the Church of Ireland is a part, is presently facing great controversy over homosexuality. In the past year the Diocese of New Hampshire, USA has elected a practising homosexual as its bishop, and New Westminster was the first Anglican diocese to permit the blessing of same-sex unions. Archbishop of Armagh, Robin Eames, is heading a commission to look at ways the Communion might be able to stay together at this time. The Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) has received unprecedented support from around the world. 358 Anglican clergy, Bishops, and Archbishops from across Canada and around the world have issued public statements rejecting the New Westminster decision and supporting the ACiNW. The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy exists to provide its members with encouragement, refreshment and teaching from the Bible. Their purpose is to see the clergy of the Church of Ireland equipped in biblical ministry, that Jesus Christ may be better known.