Anglican Church

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Meghan Markle Baptized in Intimate Ceremony

She's now an official member of the Church of England

(Newser) - Meghan Markle is following in the footsteps of her future sister-in-law, having been baptized and confirmed into the Church of England ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry. Fiance Harry, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, attended Markle's intimate baptism and confirmation Tuesday in the Royal Chapel at St....

Desmond Tutu's Daughter Leaves Church Over Gay Marriage

Reverend Mpho Tutu-Van Furth married a woman in December

(Newser) - The daughter of Africa's most famous archbishop is leaving the priesthood over her marriage to a woman. The Washington Post reports Reverend Mpho Tutu-Van Furth, daughter of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Desmond Tutu, married Marceline Furth in December. Same-sex marriage was legalized in South Africa in 2006, but the...

NYC Church Squabbles Over Ungodly Amounts of Cash
NYC Church Squabbles Over Ungodly Amounts of Cash 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

NYC Church Squabbles Over Ungodly Amounts of Cash

Documents now reveal church the Queen made rich has more than $2B

(Newser) - A lawsuit from an ex-parishioner has forced Trinity Church to reveal just how crazy rich it is, and that has parishioners wondering if the Episcopal parish is using its funds in a sufficiently saintly manner. The church owes its wealth primarily to Queen Anne of England, who bestowed 215 acres...

Episcopal Bishops OK Same-Sex Blessing

First-of-its-kind rite approved by 111-41 vote

(Newser) - The Episcopal Church has approved a blessing for same-sex couples , becoming the first major denomination to do so. Bishops at the church's general convention in Indianapolis voted 111-41, with three abstentions, in favor of using a provisional rite for gay couples for the next three years, reports the AP...

Church Keeps Catholics Off British Throne

Anglican leader must not be subordinate to pope: Church of England

(Newser) - Royals are free to marry atheists, agnostics, Jews, and Muslims—but don’t expect a Catholic wedding anytime soon. The British government recently attempted to end a policy, in place for centuries, that bars marriages between royals and Catholics ... but the Church of England blocked the move, the Telegraph reports....

Priest in Doghouse After Giving Pooch Communion

Anglican cleric apologizes after flap

(Newser) - An interim priest at an Anglican church in Toronto has apologized to her flock after giving communion to a dog, apparently on a whim. The National Post sees it as a sort of proxy fight between liberal and conservative branches, but the priest herself just wants the story to go...

Anglican Leader: Irish Church Lost 'All Credibility'

Archbishop of Canterbury quickly apologizes

(Newser) - The head of the Anglican church has set off a religious row by declaring that the Catholic church in Ireland has lost "all credibility" because of the sex abuse scandal. The archbishop of Canterbury made the comment in an interview with the BBC , then called the Catholic archbishop in...

Pope Urges UK Bishops to Fight Gay Equality Bill

Legislation 'violates the natural law,' pontiff contends

(Newser) - Pope Benedict wants English and Welsh bishops to fight proposed human rights legislation with "missionary zeal." The Equality Bill, which is pending in Parliament, is intended to combat discrimination on the basis of sex, race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation, but the pontiff argues that "it actually...

British Priest OKs Shoplifting
 British Priest OKs Shoplifting 

British Priest OKs Shoplifting

Desperate should steal from chains, not small stores, he says

(Newser) - Shoplifting is no sin for people facing hard times, a British priest has declared to his congregation. Society's attitude toward the poor sometimes leaves them no option but to turn to crime, and shoplifting is better than "prostitution, mugging or burglary," said Father Tim Jones. He said that...

Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger
 Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger 

Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger

Catholics offended by Anglican church billboard

(Newser) - A New Zealand Anglican vicar trying to be funny by putting a sheepish Joseph naked in bed with Mary on a billboard has infuriated Catholics. "Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow," reads the ad. The idea "was to lampoon and ridicule the idea of...

Episcopal Church Names Second Openly Gay Bishop

Mary Glasspool will head to LA Diocese

(Newser) - The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles yesterday elected the Rev. Mary Glasspool as its second openly gay bishop, underscoring Episcopal commitment to accepting same-sex relationships despite enormous pressure from other Anglicans. "Any group of people who have been oppressed because of any one, isolated aspect of their persons yearns...

Anglican Deal May Lead to Married Priests

Vatican's gesture cracks door to ending celibacy

(Newser) - The Vatican's attempts to heal the centuries-old rift with the Anglican Church may have a consequence nobody intended: an end to celibacy for priests. By offering a new Anglican rite under the umbrella of Catholicism, Pope Benedict XVI has invited married Anglican clergy into the fold—and cracked open...

Catholic Church Welcomes Disgruntled Anglicans

Extends a hand to those unhappy with gay bishops, ordained women

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Catholic Church, responding to the disillusionment of some Anglicans over the ordination of women and the election of openly gay bishops. The new provision will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining...

Anglican Church Offers Two-in-One Wedding-Baptism

(Newser) - With more than two in five British children born out of wedlock, the Anglican Church is introducing a new liturgical twofer—a combination wedding and baptism. The so-called "hatch and match" service is designed to encourage marriage, and senior bishops insist that the Church is not changing its teachings....

Episcopal Church Lifts Ban on Gay Bishops

Deeper rift with conservatives looms

(Newser) - Leaders of the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly yesterday to allow the ordination of gay and lesbian bishops, risking further fissures with conservative parishes and the Anglican Communion. The new policy reverses a 2006 compromise that prohibited the consecration of homosexual clergy, in line with other Anglican churches. Episcopalians will vote...

Gay Bishop, Obama Discuss Dangers of Being 'First'

Obama camp sought out Robinson three times

(Newser) - Barack Obama had three private conversations with the Episcopal Church’s only openly gay bishop during the campaign to discuss what it meant to be "first," the Times of London reports. “The first words out of his mouth were: ‘Well you’re certainly causing a lot...

Heckler Halts Gay Bishop's London Sermon

Episcopal rift over homosexuality roils upcoming conference

(Newser) - He was uninvited to the Anglican Church's big, once-a-decade Lambeth Conference next week, but New Hampshire’s gay Episcopal bishop decided cheerfully to go anyway, to be a “constant and friendly reminder” of gays in the sect. Not so cheerful was the heckler who interrupted his sermon in London...

Anglican Church Votes for Women Bishops

Church of England risks schism over issue

(Newser) - The Church of England, already buffeted by worldwide Anglican battles over gay clergy, is heading for a showdown after a bitter debate over women bishops. The General Synod yesterday voted in London to support ordaining women bishops—and struck down any compromise that would have appeased traditionalists opposed to women...

Conservatives Break With Anglican Church

Debate over homosexuality leads to schism 'in all but name'

(Newser) - Traditionalist Anglican bishops, most of them representing the developing world, have broken away from the Anglican communion and formed their own global church. Galvanized by the consecration of Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, the disgruntled clergymen have formed the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which rejects the...

Anglicans Move Closer to Split
 Anglicans Move Closer to Split 

Anglicans Move Closer to Split

'No longer any hope ... for a unified Communion,' says faction disapproving of gays

(Newser) - Scores of Anglican bishops are boycotting the church's once-a-decade conference next month in favor of a conservative counter-meeting, the New York Times reports. The rival gathering, beginning Sunday in Jerusalem, results from a serious division in the denomination over homosexuality—and could be another step toward an irreparable break in...

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