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- A ridiculous day to choose for a stoning
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- Review of 2007
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Review of 2007
 Dr Sentamu at the anti-slavery rally in south London MARIE PAPWORTH |
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JANUARY THE GRISLY IMAGES from Saddam Hussein’s execution began the year, to widespread protests. A new acronym, SORS, became familiar as the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations were introduced in Northern Ireland and, later, in England and Wales, despite protests from conservative Christians. The Church of England introduced three strata of criteria to gain a church-school place: “at the heart of the church”, “attached to the church”, and “known to the church”, to the relief of some heads and the disquiet of others. Statistics for churchgoing, a year in arrears, suggested that there had been a small decline in 2005. In the first of the year’s insignia rows, British Airways reversed its decision to ban the wearing of crosses by staff. And the first salvo of the year in the Communion’s US skirmish was a letter critical of Dr Williams by the Bishop of Bethlehem (Pennsylvania). The replacement of Trident was questioned by the Bishop of Southwark, who argued that the estimated £20 billion could be better spent. The first of the year’s appeals came from Burundi, where heavy rains destroyed crops. Church weddings remained popular: a survey in the magazine Brides suggested that 49 per cent wanted to be married in church (52 per cent said they would consider cosmetic surgery before their wedding). FEBRUARY THE PRIMATES’ MEETING in Dar es Salaam was a significant moment in the growing disunity of the Anglican Communion. The US Episcopal Church was given a 30 September deadline (just a target, Dr Williams was to say later) to clarify its position on gay bishops and same-sex blessings, and to accept a scheme for the pastoral care of conservatives. At the same time, a draft Covenant was published, outlining how the Communion might be run more tightly in the future. The Government decided to site the first supercasino in Manchester, not Blackpool, to the chagrin of the Bishop of Blackburn. Later in the year, though, the Home Office listened to reservations about the whole project, including those of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The General Synod queried the Bishops’ earlier openness to civil partnerships, and gave support to the ministry of gays and lesbians, albeit without deviating from Lambeth Resolution 1.10. It was also outraged at the treatment of mentally ill criminals. A report from a joint Anglican-Orthodox commission affirmed a “readiness, despite existing unfortunate hindrances, to continue on the same path” toward unity at some indeterminate date in the future. The Bishop of London pledged not to fly for a year. A train crashed in Grayrigg, the parish of a Church Times contributor, Canon Dr Alan Billings. Methodists lost interest in discussing bishops. A biblical cookery book suggested that kangaroo and cheetah should stay off the menu.MARCH |
 Hunting for Madeleine McCann |
| AN anti-slavery rally in south London was affected by wintry weather. It launched a year of penitential commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Evangelicals in the US were in disarray over the adoption of policies to counter climate change. A South African meeting pressed for more work on the Millennium Development Goals. The fatal stabbing of the Revd Paul Bennett brought calls for greater protection for the parish clergy. Churches learnt they were not exempt from the need to mount no-smoking signs. It was a year of complaints about television deception: an early target was Songs of Praise, for its practice of recording Christmas and Easter broadcasts at the same time — in this instance, in November. APRIL Attendance figures for cathedrals continued to rise, up three per cent a year between 2000 and 2006. The Archbishop of York repeated his open-air baptisms on Easter Day. The Dean of St Albans, Dr Jeffrey John, sparked a debate about substitutionary atonement, calling it “pretty repulsive, as well as nonsensical”. The Revd Steve Chalke, another atonement sceptic, raised £1.8 million for charity in the London marathon. The Bishop of Hereford was accused at a tribunal of unfairly blocking the appointment of a gay youth worker, John Reaney. (The tribunal later found against the Bishop.) Prayers were offered for the release of the BBC journalist Alan Johnson, kidnapped in Gaza in March. The Vatican announced that limbo would no longer form part of official Roman Catholic teaching. MAY THE conservative cause in the US was further established by the installation of the Rt Revd Martyn Minns as a bishop in the Church of Nigeria, despite continuing to serve in Virginia. The prospect of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister was welcomed by Dr Williams, who praised his “strong sense of moral priorities”. The plight of Darfuris continued to alarm aid agencies, as the makeshift camps housing two million refugees looked ever more vulnerable. The C of E was castigated for its equivocal treatment of child abusers after the conviction of Peter Halliday, a former choirmaster, and David Smith, a priest in Bath & Wells; a review of procedure was announced. Prayers were said for three-year-old Madeleine McCann, abducted from an apartment in Portugal. A Dutch creationist produced a half-size Noah’s ark. A smaller version was built on Mount Ararat. A survey found that priests who kept a dog or a cat were less stressed (but not if they were Roman Catholic). |
 Refugee camp in Darfur |
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JUNE SEVERE FLOODS hit many parts of the country: Humberside, Sheffield, and Gloucestershire were among the worst hit. Campaigners were despondent after the G8 summit in Cologne appeared to backtrack on many of the promises made to Africa in 2006. The Canadian General Synod ruled that blessing same-sex unions was consistent with its core doctrine, but failed to authorise them. Disquiet about the SPCK/SLG bookchain continued, as staff were told to work on Sundays in a redrafted contract. Three former principals of Wycliffe Hall Theological College called for the resignation of the present principal, the Revd Richard Turnbull. Manchester Cathedral complained about Resistance: Fall of Man, a violent video game with scenes set in the cathedral. A creationist museum opened in Kentucky, showing dinosaurs and humans co-existing. The Vatican issued driving instructions: “Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination.” JULY THE AFTERMATH of the floods continued to be felt, as more rains fell. The Bishop of Carlisle denied having linked them with moral degradation and homosexuality. Mr Brown announced that he did not want a say in ecclesiastical appointments; a move supported by General Synod members. At the July sessions, they resisted a review of the Church Commissioners, debated the Anglican Covenant, reviewed progress with the Methodists, and capped clergy pensions. The Vatican referred to the Roman Catholic Church as “the one true Church of Christ”. The RC Archbishop of Bulawayo, the Most Revd Pius Ncube, was accused of adultery (he resigned in September to fight the charges). Canon Andrew White fled Baghdad after fears for his safety. Global South leaders announced that they were planning a London meeting at or near the time of the Lambeth Conference. The Revd Dr John Stott gave his final public address, concentrating on the need to be Christlike, sometimes aided by suffering. C of E bishops revealed their love of cake on a USPG website. AUGUST MONSOONS in south-east Asia left an estimated 28 million homeless. An earth-quake in Peru affected a wide area, though not so many people. South Carolina re- elected the Very Revd Mark Lawrence as Bishop, after fears about his commitment to the Episcopal Church had sabotaged the confirmation of his election. (The second election was later ratified.) Amnesty International clashed with Roman Catholic supporters over its endorsement of abortion in extreme circumstances. Archbishop Desmond Tutu appealed to Anglicans to agree to disagree. The Archbishop of Nigeria, Dr Peter Akinola, spoke of the Communion as being on the “brink of destruction”. The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, was hesitant about attending the Lambeth Conference.A collection of Mother Teresa’s letters revealed her to have been beset by agonising doubts throughout her life. Mobile-phone masts were given a clean bill of health by the Court of Arches. Clergy were recommended to imitate the John Lewis approach to customer service. |
 Martin Sheldon of Guildford in the Cricket Cup final RICHARD WATT |
| SEPTEMBER BUDDHIST MONKS fronted protests against the ruling junta in Burma, until a military crackdown. The Bishop of Harare, the Rt Revd Nolbert Kunonga, a Mugabe supporter, withdrew from the province of Central Africa, claiming to be taking his diocese with him. This was strenuously denied in the province and the diocese. The Archbishop of Kenya consecrated Canon Bill Attwood and the Revd William Murdoch, two Americans, to oversee traditionalist congregations in the US. The Appellate Tribunal in Australia ruled that there were no obstacles to the consecration of women as bishops. The US Episcopal House of Bishops met to discuss the Dar es Salaam demands, issuing a conciliatory statement upholding its moratorium on gay bishops and same-sex blessings. The response was labelled “barely adequate” by conservatives. A group of the bishops were unimpressed, and left early for a pre-arranged meeting in Pittsburgh, where they formulated a conservative consensus. The Alpha course produced its first television advertisement. A Somerset vicar was criticised by Hindus for banning yoga classes from his church hall. Listeners to The Archers on Radio 4 were exercised about the removal of pews in Ambridge Parish Church. |
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OCTOBER THE Bishop of Rochester was the first English bishop to raise doubts about attending the Lambeth Conference. A Palestinian Christian bookseller was murdered in Gaza. Hospital chaplaincy was under threat, a report suggested. The Methodist Church announced new appointments to lead its restructured central body. The C of E agreed a plan to review past child-protection cases. A group of 138 Muslim scholars wrote to Christian leaders urging action to stop violence. The Forward in Faith UK National Assembly heard about the plans of three conservative US dioceses to leave the Episcopal Church. Canadian diocesan votes in Montreal and Ottawa in favour of blessing same-sex unions would not be implemented quickly, the bishops said. A Christian Aid-sponsored climate-change march ended in London after walking 1000 miles. A Jehovah’s Witness, Emma Gough, died after giving birth, having refused a blood transfusion. A Scottish con man managed to steal a £60,000 organ. NOVEMBER THE Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone, the Most Revd Gregory Venables, offered a safe haven to any dioceses or parishes that wished to leave their Anglican province. Two retired Canadian bishops were the first to jump. Four English bishops wrote in support of the Bishop of Pittsburgh and his opposition to the leadership of the Episcopal Church in the US. Cyclones and typhoons wrought havoc in Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. In an AIDS Day message, Dr Williams praised the way in which the Church was working “bravely and imaginatively” to alleviate the suffering caused by the disease. One hundred Welsh clerics wrote to warn that proposals for introducing women bishops in the Church in Wales made little provision for objectors. The C of E announced that average weekly giving had risen above £5 for the first time in 2005. A Tearfund poll suggested that 42 per cent of UK adults pray. The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group introduced SmartWater colour coding in response to a rash of lead thefts from church roofs. A C of E report criticised supermarkets for their treatment of UK farmers. DECEMBER THE diocese of San Joaquin became the first to vote to leave the Episcopal Church in the US, opting to secede to the province of the Southern Cone. The Archbishop of Canterbury responded to Primates’ continuing reservations about the US. Naming a teddy bear “Mohamed” led to the temporary imprisonment and expulsion of an English teacher in Sudan. A former Reader was convicted of taking part in a £51-million VAT fraud. Christmas messages summed up a year of concern about the treatment of asylum-seekers in the UK. The Archbishop of York cut up his clerical collar on television in protest at the continuing rule of Robert Mugabe. General knowledge of the Christmas story was shown to be shaky in a survey. The Post Office said that its two very religious stamps would be on sale again next year, after rumours that it was making only its reasonably religious stamps available. |
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