3 May 2008: Stephen Lane consecrated coadjutor in Maine
The Diocese of Maine reports on the consecration of the Rt Revd Stephen Lane as bishop coadjutor of that diocese. The Bangor Daily News filed this report, which has an excellent picture of him.

2 May 2008: Time for women bishops in England
The Church Times reports that 'A new report ... says that the Church of England should no longer delay to implement its decision to consecrate women as bishops.' Another article summarizes the contents of this Manchester Report. Freelance reporter Andrew Brown wrote this analysis of the situation. George Pitcher, writing for The Telegraph, sees it differently.

2 May 2008: South American archbishop licenses 30 priests in Canada
The Church Times reports that 'More than 30 clergy received licences to serve in the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) from the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone....' Ruth Gledhill of The Times (London) published this brief interview with that Presiding Bishop, Gregory Venables.

1 May 2008: Canadian archbishop announces support of breakaway parishes
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that the archbishop of Athabasca has announced his support of churches that have left the Anglican Church of Canada, and his criticism of bishops who have used the legal system to try to get their diocese's property back.

1 May 2008: Dave Walker to report from Lambeth
The Anglican Journal (Canada) reports that Dave Walker will be at the Lambeth conference this summer, drawing events as they happen and distributing his drawings over the usual channels.

30 April 2008: Gene Robinson told not to preach while he is in England
Thinking Anglicans reports on (and adds some excellent commentary to) the email sent to the Bishop of New Hampshire refusing to grant him the right to preach or preside at the eucharist when he is next in England, and on the various reactions thereto. The BBC reports on Bishop Robinson's criticism of Archbishop Williams and his handling of that and other situations.

29 April 2008: US primate calls South American recruiting visit an 'unwarranted invasion'
The Episcopal News Service reports that the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church has written to the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, calling his visit an 'unwarranted invasion'.

28 April 2008: Brazilian bishops respond to Draft Covenant
Brazilian blogger and Anglican priest Francisco Silva reports that the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil generated an official response to the Anglican Covenant, which concludes that there is no need for a new covenant.

25 April 2008: Another woman bishop in Australia
The Age (Melbourne) profiles Barbara Darling, who will be consecrated as Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Melbourne on 31 May. We are intrigued that The Age ran this story on the day after Anzac Day. When you read it, you'll see why.

25 April 2008: Bat management in the UK
The Church Times reports on the publication of a new guide on bat management, published recently by the UK government. If your church has more bats than worshippers, this guide could be for you. On the other hand, the guide says that when people and bats are in conflict, the bats must by law prevail. Though it is legal to cover your furniture to protect it from bat droppings.

25 April 2008: Hiltz asks Venables to stay away. He doesn’t
We're slightly apologetic about having cribbed the headline under which the Church Times reports that the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Most Revd Fred Hiltz, has protested strongly against a visit to Canada by the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Greg Venables. But after seeing that headline, how could we say it any other way?

25 April 2008: Church and state in Fresno
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and The Episcopal Church (TEC) filed a complaint in Fresno County Superior Court on April 24 "to reclaim possession of the real and personal property belonging to the diocese."

24 April 2008: Church and state in Zimbabwe
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued a joint statement this morning concerning the deteriorating situation of ordinary people in Zimbabwe.

24 April 2008: Church and state in Virginia
The Diocese of Virginia has made public an Amici Curiae brief in support of its position in its legal battle with breakaway parishes. An Amici Curiae brief is an Amicus Curiae in which there is more than one Amicus.

23 April 2008: ABC lectures on YouTube
The Archbishop of Canterbury has uploaded to YouTube a 7 minute and 23 second video message about the upcoming Lambeth Conference. For those of you who have difficulty understanding his Welsh accent on your tiny little computer speakers, or if you are lulled to sleep before it's over, the US Episcopal News Service has published a transcript of what he said. The transcript may well also be on the Archbishop's shiny new website, but we couldn't find it. Ah, wait, here it is, albeit without any paragraphing.

22 April 2008: New primate enthroned in The Episcopal Church (the one in Sudan)
The Anglican Communion News Service reports on the 'joyful celebration and colourful ceremony' in Sudan by which the Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul was enthroned April 20 as the fourth primate of the Episcopal Church.

21 April 2008: Australia's independent Anglican national newspaper closes its doors
Market-Place, which for more than a decade was Australia's only national independent Anglican Newspaper, ceased publication on dead trees and has switched to an online-only format. Even though we lament the demise of its paper edition, we must confess that we live very far away from Australia and hardly ever got to read it. We're delighted to see that Market-Place will be available to us online.

20 April 2008: Bishop of New Hampshire will attend Lambeth conference
The Times (London) reports that the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, will attend the Lambeth Conference even though he has not been invited. Ah, we wish we didn't have a holiday rental during Lambeth; it will probably be fun to be a spectator.

20 April 2008: Primates on tour in USA
Katharine Jefferts Schori, Desmond Tutu, and Pope Benedict XVI are all touring the USA right now. The Pope is getting all of the headlines. He's not Anglican, so we'll let you read about him in your local newspaper.

20 April 2008: New Archbishop in Sudan
The Sudan Tribune (Juba) reports that plans for the enthornment [sic] of the Rt Revd Daniel Deng Bul as Archbishop of Sudan are on track and that the event will happen April 21. We note that the web server for the Sudan Tribune is safely located in Paris. The US Episcopal News Service offered this report of the event.

19 April 2008: Tom Wright vs GAFCON
Thinking Anglicans has gathered together all of the messy pieces of the ongoing squabble between Tom Wright (Bishop of Durham) and the organizers of the GAFCON conference. This one has more depth than the average power struggle.

18 April 2008: Society still needs religion
The Archbishop of Canterbury might not have a clue how to handle all of the power politics swirling around him, but he is still one of the great theologians and teachers of our time. His lecture at Westminster Cathedral is absolutely worth your time to read.

18 April 2008: Canadian bishops decline request for national talks
The Anglican Journal reports that bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, at their recent meeting, declined a request for national-level negotiations over church property from the Anglican Network in Canada.

15 April 2008: Anglican covenant conference elicits varied viewpoints
The US Episcopal News Service reports that several divergent viewpoints were asserted at the Anglican Covenant conference held at the Desmond Tutu Center in New York City. One keynote speaker spoke strongly in support of the covenant; another worried aloud that it serves primarily to keep privilege and power in the hands of those who already have it. Definitely worth reading carefully. The Church Times filed this brief report on the event.

12 April 2008: First woman bishop for Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Ven Kay Goldsworthy, archdeacon at St George's Cathedral in Perth, will be consecrated Bishop of Perth on 22 May. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has this report with a better photograph. The Courier Mail reported the story this way.

11 April 2008: Give it for good
This being an election year in that country, the US government has announced plans to send a large number of its citizens some money as a "rebate". The government has asked people to spend the money to help bolster the economy. Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation suggests that people donate those moneys to an organization that is helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

11 April 2008: Vicar of Trumpington commanded to leave his parish
The Guardian reports that the Church of England vicar accused of spitting at a churchwarden and using the pulpit to settle personal scores was ordered by his bishop to leave his parish yesterday. Ah, the joys of parish life.

10 April 2008: Archbishop of Canterbury condemns threats and violence against gays
The BBC reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned death threats made against the leader of a group representing homosexual Anglicans in England. It also notes that 12 Church of England bishops have signed a letter addressed to traditionalist leaders asking them to moderate the language that they use to denounce homosexuals, suggesting that this language might encourage violence. The recipient of those death threats said that comments made by conservative Anglican church leaders had unintentionally encouraged death threats against him. Thinking Anglicans has the text of the letter noted by the BBC. Changing Attitude, whose members are the primary recipients of this violence, have issued this statement urging GAFCON leaders to repudiate violence.

9 April 2008: Bishops in Brazil protest unauthorized visit by Southern Cone bishop
The US Episcopal News Service reports that bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil issued an open statement April 9 expressing their "strong repudiation" of a recent unauthorized visit by Southern Cone Archbishop Gregory Venables

6 April 2008: Canadian Supreme Court judge orders diocese to allow breakaway group back in
The Canadian Press reports that a Supreme Court judge in British Columbia has ordered the Diocese of British Columbia to allow members of St Mary of the Incarnation to use the church building even though they had declared that they were no longer part of their containing diocese. The Bishop issued this response, which is actually worth reading.

5 April 2008: Virginia judge allows court case on Episcopal property dispute to proceed
The New York Times reports that 'Eleven congregations in Virginia that broke away from the Episcopal Church have won an initial round in their court fight to retain church property.' This very complex case is also reported in the Washington Post, Time, and elsewhere. The official US Episcopal Church responses are here.

2 April 2008: Church in Wales vote fails to permit women bishops
The Church in Wales reports that its Governing Body held a vote on whether or not to permit women bishops, but that the required 2/3 majority was not achieved, so there will be no change in its policy. The Church Times published this report.

2 April 2008: Call for moratorium on building new mosques in Britain
The Times (London) reports that 'A prominent evangelical member of the Church of England’s General Synod has called for a ban on the building of any more mosques in Britain.' Most UK newspapers had something to say about it.