Together
The Bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, completed a civil union ceremony with his long-term partner, Mark Andrew, last Saturday. The ceremony was performed by Ronna Wise (centre). Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Revd Henry Orombi, has called for bishops to renounce their support for same-sex relationships. Speaking before the departure of Ugandan bishops to the GAFCON Conference in Jerusalem, he said: "The rift in the Church can only be bridged if the liberal bishops, espousing sexual perversion, repent and return to Christ's teachings."
Court rules for diocese in Riah school case
THE Israeli High Court has ruled in favour of the Episcopal diocese of Jerusalem in a legal battle with its former diocesan bishop, the Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal, who claimed ownership of the diocese’s Christ School in Nazareth after he retired in March last year. Bishop Riah had sought a power of attorney from the Church Mission Society, which holds the title to the school’s lands, and sought to transfer legally the school’s property into a new society, the Bishop Riah Educational Campus. But CMS revoked the power of attorney, and authorised the present Bishop in Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, to manage the land and premises.
Watchdog sought for aid agencies
WORLD VISION has backed a report by the charity Save the Children, which calls for a global watchdog to monitor aid-agency staff and stamp out incidents of child abuse. World Vision’s child-rights adviser, Philippa Lei, said that there needed to be a concerted effort by the international community to protect children. Save the Children’s report found that children were being abused by some aid workers involved in disaster relief.