Some of the headline makers in church and society
Saint Paul’s Cathedral became a focus for a national debate when cathedral authorities tried to remove the anti-capitalist tent city that is still encamped on its doorstep.
John Stott, evangelical statesman, pastor, and builder of the global church, dies at 90.
Mideast Christians conflicted about the Arab Spring, especially as anti-Christian violence follows Mubarak ousting in Egypt.
HarperCollins, which already owns Zondervan, buys Thomas Nelson; it now has about 50 percent of the Christian book market
Largely Christian South Sudan votes for independence; persecution ensues for Christians in the Nuba Mountains and Khartoum.
Anders Behring Breivik murdered 68 men, women and children in two attacks in Norway on 22 July.
Osama bin Laden triggered an international debate about the ethics of assassination (if, that is, he was assassinated). Former Irish president Mary Robinson became a leading voice in expressing “moral unease” about the killing. He should have been arrested and brought to justice, she said
Commemorations and celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the Authorised Version of the Bible. Prime Minister David Cameron capped off a year of celebrations with a lecture reminding Britons that they live in a Christian country.
Following the publication of Judge Yvonne Murphy’s review of the Catholic diocese of Cloyne, Taoiseach Enda Kenny issued a stinging rebuke to the Vatican from the floor of the Dail. The closure of the Irish Embassy to the Vatican was announced as part of public spending cuts. It was another annus horobilis for the RC church in Ireland, and sadly elsewhere.
To the great relief of the Presbyterian Church, thousands of people across Northern Ireland received cheques in the post from the failed Presbyterian Mutual Society (PMS). A rescue package underwritten by the Westminster government and the Stormont executive allowed those who invested less than £20,000 to get all their money back.
The Very Rev Tom Gordon entered into a civil partnership with his partner of 20 years. This outraged some conservative members of the Church of Ireland, particularly in Northern Ireland. The Bishops announced that they would hold a synod style meeting in the spring of 2012 and encouraged their clergy and members to resist un-Christian language in public debates about the controversy.
The former RC Bishop of Derry Dr Edward Daly called for an end to mandatory clerical celibacy, suggesting that the rule discouraged many well-qualified young Catholics from ordained service.
Politicians from across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland joined leaders from the main Protestant churches in attending the funeral of the murdered Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr. At the Requiem Mass in April, Cardinal Sean Brady appealed to dissidents: “In God’s name stop – and stop now!”
Economic stresses were worldwide and especially in the Eurozone.
Rupert Murdoch shut down the News of the World, which had been in existence since 1843, after revelations of phone-hacking and other questionable practices at the newspaper. The UK government launched a public inquiry, led by Lord Justice Leveson.
Queen Elizabeth made a state visit to Ireland and with President Mary McAleese demonstrated the relationship between both countries.