We should know better

Mad Priest has put up an excellent piece about employment discrimination in the Churches, including the CofE, from today's "Guardian" newspaper.

My comment? About bloody time too.

Don't blame me ...

... this came from a person in the parish ...

LET'S JUST SEE IF I'VE GOT THIS RIGHT

IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOUR.

IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.

IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.

IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.

IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.

IF YOU CROSS THE U.K.BORDER ILLEGALLY (AND AVOID DETENTION), YOU CAN FIND A JOB (SOMETIMES IN A POLITICIAN'S HOME), GET STATE BENEFITS, A DRIVING LICENSE, NHS HEALTH CARE, CREDIT CARDS, SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE, AND FREE EDUCATION FOR YOUR CHILDREN.

A breathing space

This morning I received a letter from our Diocesan Bishop informing me that for the present no new appointments are being made for clergy to have their biennial review of their ministry with a Bishop or Archdeacon as the system is changing from "Episcopal Review" to "Ministerial Development Review".

Our Bishop writes: I do hope that the changeover can be achieved as smoothly as possible. Not least because Episcopal Review was taken up universally.

This is not quite the case. Clergy didn't have an option of refusing a review, or at least I was never told that we did. The letter would arrive telling me that my Review had been booked for such and such a date, and I was expected to be there.

If I'm honest about it, I learnt very swiftly to keep quiet in these interviews about what I see as my weaknesses, as they are pounced on and written into the report that goes into my file. I'm afraid if the church wishes to use management techniques such as this to replace the informal chats over coffee or tea when the archdeacon or bishop drops round (HA!), then I can't be blamed for playing the game along with them.

And when the letter comes with my next Review date, I shall dutifully go along.

Sunshine after the storm

Norwich today was brilliantly sunny, and after my short swim I had a very nice light lunch in Cafe Rouge.

Enough about me, already!

The wind is rising, and occasional moaning noises are coming from behind the curtains in my sitting room. I think it's the windows, but I'm not looking to find out!

Oh to be in Brighton, now the storm is here ....

Ow!

Well, it's not a frozen shoulder, but a hefty inflammation of the rotator cuff, and so my normally dour Doctor stuck a needle into my left shoulder four times with a mixture of local anaesthetic and cortisone. I also have some tablets to take with food, one twice a day, which may have indegestion as a side-effect! I'll look forward to that then. Got a smile from the doc again though (which is a major triumph) as he used a naughty word when he saw how inflamed it was, and I said that was the sort of language I'd been using as well!

Came home and have slept for four hours! I have already been offered a lift to church on Sunday morning as one of the problems is that I find it very painful to lean forward and change gear. Have never wanted an automatic, but in this instance it could be useful.

Just wish I had a firm chest like that in the picture!

He may have been on to something

We know that the physical body decays, and I have a fairly practical outlook on that. It won't last, and our Christian faith tells us that something better awaits, but Dr. Frankenstein's approach to spare-part replacement seems quite attractive as the years advance and parts of the body start to protest. On and off my lower back has caused me problems since the mid-80's, and for the last 4 years it's aggravated the sciatic nerve in my right leg, which can make simply walking uncomfortable. Nine weeks ago the right side of my jaw decided to feel as if it was dislocating every time I opened my mouth. Unfortunately for my congregations it didn't stop me climbing up into the pulpit and delivering 10 minutes of blather every Sunday. That coupled itself with an inflamed inner ear canal which seems to have sorted itself out - almost. Then last Saturday afternoon my left shoulder began to ache. It was better on Tuesday, but yesterday it got progressively worse through the day. This morning I can hardly lift that arm above my chest, which made dressing an interesting challenge. So, it's another appointment with the Dr. who will probably look at me, ask the symptoms, and then say, "Yes I've had that as well. I've no idea what it is. Take two aspirins." Heigh Ho.

Thankfully I've upgraded to Vista!

That was wonderful!

Another triumph in the supper kitchen, and this time I only took a photo after I'd eaten it!

Chicken breast wrapped in smoked bacon and cooked in white wine, served with roast winter vegetables and herbs (onion, potato, parsnip and carrot). The cooking sauce was very salty from the bacon so that was not used, but the chicken was served with a tablespoon of creme fraiche on top.

And there's some left for tomorrow!

What is the point?

I get my copy of the Church Times a week late, as I am number 3 in a line of 4 that read it, so I have only just seen its coverage of the Pope's invitation to disaffected Anglicans. In a small box at the bottom of a page there are a series of questions and answers about aspects of this invitation to the dance, and four of them put everything into perspective.

Does this mean that Rome now recognises Anglican orders?
No.
Will former Anglicans need to be rebaptised?
No, but they will be reconfirmed.
Will people then be Roman Catholics?
Yes, everyone who belongs to a Personal Ordinariate will be a Roman Catholic.
Will they still be in communion with Canterbury?
No.

So, let's think about this for a moment. Rome doesn't recognise Anglican orders, so who the hell do they think they are talking to when they meet with Roaming ap Williams? And why should they give a tinker's cuss what he thinks? This sort of highlights the "special relationship" that's going on, and shows the love affair between the travelling Tufti and Papa to be a little one-sided.

Then there's the reconfirmation issue, neccessary since the Anglican one was done by a non-recognised bishop. Well, excuse me Your Holiness, but you can stuff that one right up your pontifical crown.

And as to the next point ... oh look, surprise surprise, we all become Roman Catholics. So much for holding on to an Anglican identity in the Ordinariate. The article also mentions elsewhere that any liturgy that the former Anglican congregations wish to use has to come from books approved by the Vatican. Anyone want to lay bets on how much of our heritage will be found wanting?

And then there's the point that the Ordinariates will not be in communion with Canterbury, which sort of brings us round in a circle to the first issue of Anglican orders.

Sorry guys, but I just don't see what's changed from the usual practice of conversion to Rome apart from the fact that this way whole church communities can do it. For individuals the traditional route remains.

Maybe we ought to be promoting the fact that the Church of England has a form of Reception for disaffected Roman Catholics. The travel is a two-way street, and coming in this direction no reconfirmation is needed.