E I D S IN Spend the evening with Joan Collins E6 THE SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013 No: 6173 www.churchnewspaper.com PRICE £1.35 1,70j US$2.20 CHURCH OF ENGLAND THE ORIGINAL CHURCH NEWSPAPER ESTABLISHED IN 1828 NEWSPAPER Marriage report ‘universally condemned’ By Amaris Cole One lay blogger, Anne Brooke, called the this was the case. “I greatly welcome this clear and positive latest outcry a ‘real humdinger’. The Rt Rev Christopher Cocksworth statement about the unique place that mar- THE CHURCH of England’s new report on She wrote: “So, this new Church of Eng- said: “I would like them to know that they riage holds within society as a whole. It marriage has been ‘universally con- land Report tells us that the only sexual are obviously welcome in the life of the makes clear that there is no such thing as demned’, commentators are claiming. norm is for men and women to be married Church and will find many people in the “civil” or “religious” marriage as though The ‘Men and Women in Marriage’ docu- to the opposite gender which is apparently same position as them and that their parish the two were different: they are not and ment could see gay couples receiving What God Wants, and everything else is a priest will want to offer them the love, care never have been.” prayers similar to those said in a marriage sinful second-rate lifestyle, otherwise and attention of the Church.” But Christians for Equal Marriage UK, service thanks to the document released known as The Work Of The Devil. This did not extend to offering ‘public, set up earlier this year to support same-sex last week, despite official opposition to “Or, at least, that’s what I think it’s say- formal blessing services’ though, the Bish- marriage, are said to be becoming ‘increas- same-sex marriage. ing, but the language used is so conde- op added, despite the document seeming to ingly concerned at the divisive stand the While officials were keen to deny that it scending, obscure and infantile that, quite suggest so. Anglican Communion is taking’. gave the go-ahead for blessings of civil honestly, it’s hard to understand anything Instead, ‘pastoral care and prayer’ is the The founder of Christians for Equal Mar- partnerships, the need for ‘pastoral accom- about it at all.” form this welcome will take. riage UK, Nathan Hartley slated the report, modations’ was stressed. Changing Attitude, the group working The report does condemn a ‘censorious saying: “To signal to a couple who love The Faith and Order Commission pub- for the full affirmation of lesbian and judgement’. each other that their relationship can’t be lished the report, commended for study by gaypersons within the Churches in Eng- It says: “In pastoral responses a degree blessed by God is particularly hurtful and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, land, launched a cutting responce to the of flexibility may be called for in finding stigmatising. with the view of producing something posi- paper, calling it a ‘toxic report’. ways to express the Church’s teaching “In many cases, those who seek a Bless- tive amidst the battle over gay marriage. The statement said: “This report drives practically.” ing, or ultimately the opportunity to marry Yet a member of the Commission, Char- another nail into the coffin for LGB&T “In affirming its belief of marriage as the in church, have been worshipping at their lotte Methuen, has released a scathing cri- Christians. form the creator has given us for intimate church for a long time – decades in some tique on the report. Those responsible for the report (and and permanent relationship of a man and a instances. Why should a gay couple be sin- She concludes her blog on the issue please God, not every member of House of woman, the Church does not treat ques- gled out when heterosexual Christians are with: “Marriage, as the Church of England Bishops endorses the report) blame us tions of what is possible in hard circum- offered the full deal?” (among other religious bodies) has been when it is the Church that should be shoul- stances or exceptional conditions as simply While some clergy we spoke to viewed pointing out, has been between men and dering blame and responsibility for having closed,” it adds. this document as fairly conservative in its women, and in the Christian tradition failed in responding to the call of God to “They require pastoral wisdom.” interpretation of marriage, the addition of between one man and one woman. provide appropriate pastoral care and affir- Bishop Anthony Priddis, Bishop of Here- the call for ‘accommodation’ language was “But it seems to me that extending the mation for LGB&T people. ford, welcomed the report though, saying: called ‘hostage to fortune’. definition of marriage to include same-sex “It is the Church of England which is in a couples might in fact be a redemptive step. difficult position, and it is making life more “For it might allow the institution of mar- and more difficult for LGB&T people, our riage to transcend the profound inequali- friends and families, our faith, spirituality Flash mob for freedom at Notre Dame ties between men and women which have and prayer lives.” too often shaped it.” Reports suggest many readers, even These views were not mentioned in the clergy, are interpreting the report as a pos- document, which was presented as a report itive development for the liberal cause, with published with the agreement of all the Rev Dr Giles Fraser describing it as a ‘wink’ Commission. to the liberals to allow them to bless gay Jonathon Clatworthy, General Secretary relationships, as long as they do not call the of Modern Church, also criticised the process a blessing. report. Dr Fraser said this was ‘classic Anglican “Official church documents, time and fudge’, allowing him and other liberals to time again, defend – as the Church’s teach- ‘do it as long as you don’t say that is what ing – positions which are no longer accept- you are doing’. able to the majority in the Church of The paper says: “Well-designed accom- England, let alone society in general” he modations proclaim the form of life given said. by God’s creative goodness and bring Mr Clatworthy added that if the Church those in difficult positions into closer is correct in its views, then it should try to approximation to it.” convince followers of that, ‘not just pontifi- This has, by some been interpreted as a cate from on high by decreeing ‘what the green light for the liberal priests already Church teaches’.’ holding ‘dedication services’ for gay cou- He went on: “For church leaders to ples to carry on doing so, as the Commis- resist, so persistently and aggressively, the sion’s paper urges a more ‘flexible’ views of ordinary Christians, is new. There approach. is a growing consensus that it should not However, when presenting the document Flash mob outside the Notre Dame, Paris, organised by AED (Aid to the Church in be allowed to continue.” its author, the Bishop of Coventry, denied Distress) last Friday, to campaign for religious freedom. LETTERS 8 • ALAN STORKEY 9 • COMMENT 9 • CLERGY MOVES 12 • ANGLICAN LIFE 13 • SUNDAY 15 • PAUL RICHARDSON 16 2 www.churchnewspaper.com Sunday April 21, 2013 News Inside... Britain’ s leading evangelical newspaper St Paul’s hosts debate on goodness SPEAKING to an audience of over 500 people in St Paul’s Cathe- dral, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, said that financial institutions and other bodies needed to be staffed by ‘good people bound together by a good purpose’. Giving the keynote address for the first of three panel discussions News . 1-7 organised by the Cathedral on the subject ‘The City and the Com- Your Church . 2 mon Good: What kind of City do we want?’ the Archbishop called UK News . 1-5 for a recovery of the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temper- World News . 6-7 ance and courage. Faced with the pressures of a consumerist socie- ty, he said, people need to learn to desire well. Comment Calling for ‘enterprises of good purpose’ he instanced Stafford Letters . .8 NHS Trust as an example of an institution where leaders had lost Leader . .9 their vision of a moral purpose. ‘Unless you get that right, you will Alan Storkey . 9 never get anything else right’, said the Archbishop. He went on to argue that instead of just thinking in financial terms, businesses England on Sunday should aim ‘to deliver a profit that adds to human wellbeing’. Faith Stories . .E1 Archbishop Nichols clashed with Tracy McDermott, Director of Andrew Carey . .E2 Enforcement and Financial Crime at the FCA over the role of legal Whispering Gallery . .E2 sanctions. He agreed that ‘law and regulation matter’ but warned Cindy Kent . .E3 ‘new rules usually deal with the last problem not the next one’ and Judy West . .E3 pointed to the dangers of a ‘compliance mentality’ that creates ‘per- Caring for the Elderly . .E4, E5 verse incentives’ and increases bureaucracy. Arts & Media . .E6 Ms McDermott disagreed with the Archbishop saying that rules Books . .E7 were a ‘necessary but not sufficient’ instrument to insure that ethi- Janey Lee Grace . .E8 cal standards were met. Most people in the City were dedicated and Crossword . .E8 hard working she said, but one of the features of financial crime was that its consequences were not always obvious. It was easy for peo- The Record ple to see the harm done by burglary but the consequences of finan- Classifieds .