When may an Anglican receive communion in a Roman Catholic church when travelling abroad? Is it always permissible if there is no Anglican service near by, or must there be a case of grave need (such as a stay of several months)?
Your answer: In Albania, there is no “Church of England”. The British Embassy has occasionally imported a priest from the diocese in Europe, for a special event.
Persons who are in Albania long-term (usually connected with charities or by marriage) may request episcopal permission to receive holy communion in specific Roman Catholic churches or cathedrals. They must provide evidence of baptism and church attendance and have no history of hostile written or spoken publicity about the RC Church. This privilege was offered to me on several occasions during the period 1992-2011 but was declined for theological reasons.
There was no ill-will. Friends of Albania, which I led, funded a new church for the Dominicans, and made significant donations to RC and Orthodox clinics, etc.
On rare occasions, visiting Anglican clergy have been granted permission to use RC premises when leading groups, but generally there is no such provision for tourists.
The Albanian Orthodox Church does not make such concessions.
(Miss) Primrose Peacock
Truro
Your questions: On Wednesday 18 June, Joshua 8.1-29 appears in the readings for evening prayer. In these verses, the Lord commands Joshua to massacre the men, women, and children of Ai. Fortunately, this does not occur in Sunday readings, but, if it did, how would one reconcile it with the God and Father our Lord Jesus Christ?
M. H.
The Song of Songs, a collection of love, betrothal, and wedding songs, does not portray a Western relationship between man and woman. For me, the same is true with the Bible: it does not speak in Western terms; it was written for and by people living in a very different time and culture from our own. So, how should we read the Bible?
P. B.
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