DAILY NEWS

Irish news

C of I cleric welcomes C of E Bishops’ decision; Church planting; Experts in Leinster House this week for discussions on abortion issues

C of I cleric welcomes C of E Bishops’ decision

The News Letter reported on Saturday – A Church of Ireland canon has welcomed a decision by the Anglican church to drop its ban on gay clergy becoming bishops.
Although the move has the potential to upset conservative Anglicans, retired canon of St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast Charles Kenny has enthusiastically welcomed the move.

Canon Kenny said: “I think it’s a healthy development in the right direction.

“I think it would be the wish of probably the majority of church-going people in Britain that don’t like the idea of this very unreasonable prejudice that appears to be driving a very small number of very zealous people to want to be in the past on this issue.

“Largely it’s the same people who object to women being made bishops and so on. That’s just the conservative tendency.”

The decision was announced before Christmas but spotlighted yesterday in the Church Times newspaper.

A summary of business conducted by the House of Bishops when it met last month included that they lifted the moratorium on the appointment of clergy in civil partnerships as bishops — as long as they are celibate.

The move comes after the General Synod controversially rejected proposals to allow women bishops in November.

But although Canon Kenny feels the majority of mainland Britain’s Anglican community would support it, what about just Northern Ireland?

“Perhaps not,” he said. “It’s hard to say.”

The 73-year-old married minister, living in south Belfast, was ordained more than 40 years ago.

He is one of the founding members of the Northern Irish branch of Changing Attitude, a largely-Anglican group which supports the acceptance of gays in the church.

He added: “It’s a step in the right direction, another sign of the way things are falling into place; the way this period is moving. It’s obviously a difficult subject. It’s a change and change is often hard for many people.”

Church planting

The Bishop of London’s advisor for Church Planting, the Revd Ric Thorpe, will be in Dublin on Wednesday to conduct a seminar which will be aimed at all church leaders and church planters. It is hoped to facilitate people interested in building new communities of faith or starting something new in their own context. Mr Thorpe is a Tutor in Church Planting at St Mellitus College London, and also runs a church plant in the East End of London in St Paul’s church, Shadwell. The seminar follows on from last year’s Diocesan Growth Forum, and is part of a growing link between the dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough and London. Further details of the event may be had at www.growthforum.net

Experts in Leinster House this week for discussions on abortion issues

The Journal.ie – The Oireachtas Health Committee will hold three days of public hearings.

http://www.thejournal.ie/experts-in-dail-next-week-for-discussions-on-abortion-issues-741291-Jan2013/