http://gs2004.classicalanglican.com/modules/news/article.php?item_id=30
"They who separate themselves from communion with their bishop on account of any heresy condemned by the Holy synods of the Fathers, while he evidently proclaims the heresy publicly, and teaches it with brave faith in the Church -- such persons, in excluding themselves from communion with their so-called bishops before synodal cognizance, not only shall not be subject to canonical censure, but shall be deemed worthy by the Orthodox, of becoming honor; for they condemn as teachers, not bishops but pseudo-bishops; and they do not cut up the unity of the Church by schism, but hasten to deliver her from schisms and divisions."
-- Council of Constantinople, Canon 15

1a) http://www.anglican.tk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=550
Clueless & Crazy in Canada CaNN Commentary - 05.12.2004

There is something either brave or sad about a person who goes blithely onwards, ignoring or disconnected from any kind of reality. So the Canadian Anglican Church-- liberal in head if not members-- has been officially blissfully unaware of the civil warfare and consequences raging around the issue of same-sex marriage. The Anglican Communion is literally tearing itself apart, right before our eyes. Now.

The "What, me worry?" approach of Canadian liberal leaders-- combined with the progressivized "Our Turf" theory of provincial autonomy-- means that when General Synod meets in a few weeks, the rest of the Anglican world (or at least the disagreeable part) doesn't matter. Great Father Peers will be there; Other Michael (Ingham The Son) and Pro Tem Crawley and Stealthy Hutchinson and The Mighty Griswold and all the rest-- prophets of the new ways, in the face of bribed homophobia, bigotry, and Global South ignorance. It will be a party. A celebration of newness, challenge, and justice.

Why so clueless? The principles of current progressivism-- however sincere-- seem to be these (…)

1b) http://www.occfgroup.org/tcc/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&artid=6 The Christian Challenge Magazine Section April 2004 - Volume 43, Number 1 Anglican Realignment Update: A QUESTION OF OVERSIGHT Truth And Territory Duke It Out On The Frontlines Of The Anglican Sex Wars Special Report/Analysis By The Editor

IF THERE WAS ONE THING that quickly became plain when an international commission began in February to consider ways to hold the Anglican Communion together amid a crisis over homosexuality and authority, it was that things would not remain status quo in the global church until the panel reports back this fall.

Instead, the commission must try to cope with a communion undergoing what some call a realignment and others call an unraveling.

Just for starters, 20 Anglican provinces-a majority-have now declared broken or impaired communion with the U.S. Episcopal Church (ECUSA) over its consecration of actively gay cleric Gene Robinson and approval of same-sex blessings.

Nonetheless, Western revisionists have continued to push the envelope in various ways, even as conservative global South primates (provincial leaders) lately meeting in Nairobi turned up the pressure even further.

AND THERE EMERGED A NEW FRONT LINE in the Anglican sex wars, that being the question of alternative episcopal oversight (AEO) (…)

The primates' call threw down the gauntlet for the Houses of Bishops in the U.S. as well as Canada, where the June 2002 decision by New Westminster (Vancouver) Anglican Bishop Michael Ingham and his synod to approve same-sex blessings had sparked international protest and a protracted feud between Ingham and 11 of his parishes. The parishes-estranged from the bishop because of his departure from apostolic faith and practice-organized as the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW).

However, U.S. and Canadian conservatives clearly doubted that a sufficient response to the primates' call would be forthcoming, since bishops in both provinces had previously made feckless approaches to oversight provisions.

In New Westminster, the ACiNW had unsuccessfully appealed for something more than the temporary episcopal visitor Ingham appointed to serve under his control, and an orthodox bishop (Terrence Buckle) who offered the kind of oversight ACiNW was seeking was threatened with discipline. In ECUSA, a draft plan heading into the late March House of Bishops (HOB) meeting was for "supplemental episcopal pastoral care," which allowed the diocesan bishop to veto any oversight provisions for a parish.

THIS WAS THE BACKDROP behind two recent events apparently intended to give the American and Canadian Houses of Bishops an added incentive to provide "adequate" oversight- before either House could put forward their own plans for it.

Taking a cue from the liberals-who have long pursued their goals by acting first and seeking "permission" later-conservative primates and/or prelates acted to furnish episcopal ministry to the faithful in Canada's New Westminster and ECUSA's Diocese of Ohio, in each case without the local bishop's permission, a breach of Anglican protocol. Neither move was announced beforehand.

Canada: A Foreign Intervention In New Westminster, five overseas primates offered "temporary adequate episcopal oversight" to conservatives.

Citing an "emergency" involving not only subverted doctrine but oppression of the faithful, Archbishops Bernard Malango (Central Africa), Fidele Dirokpa (Congo), Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda), and Datuk Yong Ping Chung (South East Asia) extended the offer on February 14. They were joined ten days later by Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya.

Four of the 11 ACiNW parishes, plus a ministry institute in Calgary, Alberta, and nine clergy (six from NewWest) initially accepted the offer. At last report, the matter was pending in most of the other ACiNW parishes.

Notably, while Archbishop Yong-who with Kolini oversees the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA)-heads the sponsoring group of primates, AMiA Bishop T. J. Johnston was asked to provide oversight in NewWest on their behalf; Johnston made his first visit in that capacity in early March. With perhaps one exception, the Canadian parishes and clergy accepting the oversight have not themselves joined the U.S. mission. But the fact that Johnston was tapped to serve them by two primates besides Kolini and Yong would seem to signal growing acceptance of the AMiA, which has been largely unrecognized by Anglican leaders because it, too, started with actions that circumvented normal church protocol. In a reversal of his predecessor's position, even Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently received AMiA leaders at Lambeth Palace.

In an (ACiC) release, the meaning of the term "temporary" (in "temporary adequate episcopal oversight") was clarified: "Until Michael Ingham and the diocese repent and return to the orthodox faith of the Anglican Communion or are disciplined by the [Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)] or a better, full jurisdiction, alternative episcopal oversight is presented."

A NewWest conservative spokesman, the Rev. Paul Carter, hailed the primates' "gracious and long-needed offer, as we have been without a bishop for almost 20 months." Intervention was necessary as "people of deep religious conscience are so tired and disillusioned with the system that many are leaving Anglicanism altogether."

Accelerating the disaffection has been what conservatives say is Bishop Ingham's tendency to take draconian measures against those who dissent from his agenda. In one such incident not long ago, Ingham acted under diocesan Canon 15 to fire two of the elected trustees of St. Martin's Church in North Vancouver, an ACiNW parish, and replace them with his own appointees. The trustees named by him then dismissed the parish's youth pastor, changed the locks on the church, terminated the parish newsletter and Internet site, and prevented certain parishioners from occupying key volunteer positions. Parish government under Canon 15 continues at the discretion of the bishop. Conservative members of the parish have now filed a petition in the provincial Supreme Court asking for judicial review of the bishop's actions.

INGHAM RESPONDED to news of the intervention in his diocese by accepting the resignations of the Vancouver clergy now under the foreign primates' authority, while Diocesan Chancellor George Cadman asserted the diocese's claim to the property of the priests' parishes.

Acting ACC Primate David Crawley viewed the intervention with what was publicly described as "regret," but seemed more like "extreme agitation." He called the primates' actions "appalling" and the parishes that accepted their leadership "outlaws."

Crawley-who is not only Bishop Ingham's superior as Archbishop of the Province of British Columbia but an ally in theological revisionism-invoked the "long tradition" of non-interference in the internal affairs of other Anglican provinces by outside bishops and primates. A spokesman added that Crawley saw the foreign primates' action as particularly "inappropriate and unwelcome" because it pre-empted the report of the Canadian Task Force on Adequate/Alternative Episcopal Oversight for Dissenting Minorities.

More cautious conservative critics worried that Archbishop Malango's participation in the tender of assistance to ACiNW parishes would lessen his influence as part of the commission that Anglican primates last fall asked to be set up to tackle structural and relational problems spotlighted by the unilateral actions of ECUSA and NewWest. That panel, led by Irish Primate Robin Eames and now being called the Lambeth Commission, was to submit its report by October, though the primates are not due to consider and possibly act on it jointly until early 2005.

Moreover-as earlier noted-it looks like the panel's work could be or is being overtaken by events within the Communion. The foreign aid to the Vancouver faithful was but one sign recently that, when it comes to the wayward Western church, the patience of the conservative majority of primates-most of them from the burgeoning global South-appears well-nigh exhausted.

MEANWHILE, IN LIGHT OF the intervention in NewWest, the ACC's AEO task force, commissioned by Canadian bishops last October and chaired by Edmonton Bishop Victoria Matthews, issued its report early, on March 3. It recommended approval of AEO, offering three, time-limited models for providing it for ACC bishops to consider. Each model deals with a different circumstance, including one in which the ACC General Synod passes a resolution allowing dioceses to decide whether or not to bless same-sex unions, a motion akin to one adopted by ECUSA last year.

A conservative critique charged that the AEO report legitimizes "local option for false teaching and practice" and effectively backs Bishop Ingham's "unilateral action" on homosexual blessings.

It also expects conservatives "to stay in communion, albeit in a form of parallel jurisdiction," with a bishop who endorses what scripture regards as sinful, said the critique issued by the four parishes now under foreign oversight, who organized themselves as the Anglican Communion in Canada (ACiC).

The AEO report "falsely assumes that this is an issue over which Christians can agree to disagree and that the unity of the church is more important than truth...Replacement jurisdiction is the only way forward," the critique declared.

BUT WITH THE AEO REPORT IN, the Council of the General Synod evidently thought it was now okay to press its agenda. As envisioned in the AEO report, it voted to ask the Synod to decide in May if dioceses may opt to offer gay blessing rites.

Some reports said it was a bid to determine if dioceses like New Westminster may make up their own rules on sexual unions. Others said that the Council's action moved the whole Communion closer to a crack-up.

The Council's decision ignored the recommendations of a consulting group that polled Canadian Anglicans on the homosexual issue, many of whom wanted to see it postponed until the Synod's 2007 meeting. The Council also disregarded concerns that a May vote on same-sex blessings would pre-empt the report of the Lambeth Commission, which had rather hopelessly urged warring parties to avoid exacerbating tensions, "precipitate action, or legal proceedings" while it deliberated. It was yet another move that threatened to erode the Commission's relevance.

BUT THE REAL STUNNER came when-despite the primates' call, the foreign intervention, or the AEO task force's efforts-the Canadian House of Bishops declined in April to endorse any of the task force's recommendations.

The House fretted (among other things) over whether an alternative bishop would have "jurisdiction," and discussion was curtailed when Bishop Ingham, who spoke at length against the AEO report, said he would leave the meeting two days early- interestingly, to attend an event with the Dalai Lama.

Though Bishop Matthews warned that not adopting any of the AEO models would leave the church without a "safety net" if the Synod okays gay unions in May, the bishops are not due to resume discussion of the AEO report until October. Archbishop Crawley suggested that a "conscience clause" might suffice in the interim-an idea that, among conservatives, was bound to evoke astonishment or ribald laughter.

Small wonder, then, that the ACiC has recently stressed that the overseas primates' offer of orthodox oversight "with full jurisdiction" is open to all faithful Canadian Anglicans, as a means of remaining in fellowship with the larger Communion.

2a) http://www.virtuosityonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=793 NIGERIAN PRIMATE EVASIVE ABOUT CAPA PLANS. ECUSA MUST STILL REPENT By Lekan Otufodunrin, VIRTUOSITY correspondent LAGOS (5/9/2004)-The Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) Primates, Archbishop Peter Akinola, says that the group he heads was not ready for any compromise on its stand against the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) over its ordination of an avowed homosexual Bishop to the episcopacy…

2b) http://allafrica.com/stories/200405101015.html Gay Controversy: Anglican Communion Vows to Resist Lobby Vanguard (Lagos) May 9, 2004 Posted to the web May 10, 2004 Sam Eyoboka DESPITE threat to the fabric of the Anglican Communion, the primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) has reiterated its resolve to uphold the traditional faith and practice of Anglicanism without compromising same under financial inducements from the West…

3a) http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/12/nangl12.xml Written constitution plan to avoid Church split By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, and Victoria Combe (Filed: 12/05/2004) A written constitution is being considered by the Anglican Church in an attempt to prevent it splitting over the issue of homosexuality…

However, in fresh evidence of growing divisions, a church is to withhold its entire quota - the "tax" paid by parishes to central diocesan funds - in protest at the appointment of Dr Jeffrey John as Dean of St Albans.

In what is thought to be an unprecedented act, Holy Trinity church in Barnet, north London, has told the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, that it will not pay a penny of the £33,600 the diocese expects.

The Rev Charles Dobbie, the vicar, said that he blamed Bishop Herbert for approving the appointment of Dr John, the openly homosexual cleric who was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading last summer.

Mr Dobbie, a member of the conservative evangelical Church Society, said he hoped that other churches, some of whom already withhold parts of their quotas, would follow Holy Trinity's lead and pay nothing.

"We were shocked and grieved by the appointment of Jeffrey John last month," he said. "We have decided to stand up and be counted."

He added that he would not now expect the Church Commissioners to pay for his upkeep, and any extra money the parish held would go to a Christian charity ministering to homosexuals.

Church sources said that the decision would have little impact on central finances, though the position could change if a large number of parishes followed suit.

3b) Church rebels over gay dean http://www.barnettimes.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.488792.0.church_rebels_over_gay_dean.php Barnet Times - Barnet,England,UK By Sophie Kummer, May 12th 2004 A conservative evangelical church in Barnet made history this week by refusing to pay its diocesan 'tax' in a rebellion against the appointment of an openly gay Dean of St Albans…

The Rev Charles Dobbie, vicar of Holy Trinity, said the church unanimously agreed at a Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting on Sunday not to pay a penny of the voluntary contribution.

Mr Dobbie said: "We have suspended the quota in its entirety with immediate effect and until further notice until the situation changes for the better.

"It is our expression of protest against the diocese for putting in place someone who is in a position of considerable influence and authority but is so far outside the standards of Anglican orthodoxy.

"We are just an ordinary parish church in the Church of England and we hope other churches will follow our lead."

Because Anglicanism is an established church, Canon John's appointment was decided by the Prime Minister in consultation with the Bishop of St Albans, Christopher Herbert. Rev Dobbie said the church's quarrel is not with Dr John, who has always been candid about his position, but rather with Bishop Herbert, who approved the appointment.

He also revealed the money that would have gone to the Diocese was being donated to a Christian charity ministering to homosexuals, the True Freedom Trust. The charity aims to support Christians who are gay to live a celibate life with the support of the church.

Bishop Herbert criticised Holy Trinity's decision as 'misdirected' and one which would not help resolve different views.

He said: "Where honestly-held views are at variance, the action by Lyonsdown does nothing constructively to carry forward the discussion. We need to listen deeply to each other and not take precipitate action.

"As an action of protest, it is misdirected. I suggest that the way forward is now to work for greater understanding, whilst acknowledging our differences, rather than making public gestures of protest."

4:56pm Wednesday 12th May 2004

3c) http://london2003.anglican.tk/ http://www.anglican.tk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=551 Withholding by Holy Trinity Lyonsdown, UK - 05.12.2004

4a) Angry reply to Griswold's letter defending ECUSA's actions http://www.churchnewspaper.com/?go=news&read=on&number_key=5717&title=Angry%20reply%20to%20Griswold's%20letter%20defending%20ECUSA's%20actions Number: 5717 Date: May 13, 2004 Primatial tempers flared this week as one of the Anglican Communion's leaders took the Presiding Bishop of the USA to task.

Bishop Greg Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone, responding to a recent letter by the American leader, questioned why he would still want to be called an Anglican after he consecrated a practising homosexual last November…

4b) http://london2003.anglican.tk/ http://www.virtuosityonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=792 http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040510-122709-2617r.htm Virginia diocese split over gay bishop By Julia Duin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, May 10th 2004 Six months after the Nov. 2 consecration of V. Gene Robinson as the world's first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, the issue divides the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia more than ever. After Virginia Bishop Peter J. Lee became one of 62 bishops who voted last summer at a church convention to approve Bishop Robinson's consecration, 24 parishes staged an economic boycott of the diocese. That resulted in a $900,000 budget deficit. The diocese produced a "task force on giving" that will begin hearings this month, aimed at coaxing churches into giving far more to the Richmond-based headquarters. But in the 89,000-member diocese, the country's largest, many churches already have cut back budgets, frozen their building campaigns and lost members over the contentious issue. And just before diocesan clergy left for their annual retreat last week, word came out of a retired Episcopal bishop, 87-year-old Otis Charles, "marrying" his 62-year-old partner in an Episcopal church in San Francisco. "The Gene Robinson thing has really caused a lot of people to stop and reflect and figure out what their options are," said the Rev. Chuck Nalls, a canon lawyer who is a priest in one of many breakaway Episcopal denominations, the Diocese of Christ the King. "There are two choices," he said. "You declare there is a level of sexual deviance you have to accept to stay in an institution. Or you have to leave."…

4c) http://london2003.anglican.tk/ http://www.virtuosityonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=795 WESTERN NY BISHOP LOWERS BOOM ON ORTHODOX RECTOR Garrison forbids two other rectors from seeking outside bishops for confirmation Special Report By David W. Virtue BUFFALO, NY-The Bishop of Western New York, the Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison has lowered the boom on an orthodox rector, making unreal demands on him, in order to stifle the priest's canonical desire for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight.

Two other diocesan rectors were forbidden to present confirmands to any other bishop, and were told they could not invite another bishop to preach, teach or preside at the sacraments in their respective parishes…

Then the bishop listed a set of six demands on Fr. Ward, concluding by telling him that he was reassigning his deacon, and that when another priest who served with him, Fr. Clark Hubbard Jr. had found another parish that he would never license another priest to serve with him. Garrison said that an ordinand who was preparing for the ministry would also be removed from his parish.

Garrison then demanded that Fr. Ward meet with him and insisted that he bring along the Parish Register and Service Book; financial statements from the first quarter of the year, including a list of beneficiaries of your "alternative" to the Fair Share. "Fair Share" is a voluntary pledge made by the bishop to all parishes. The bishop also demanded the minutes of the vestry meetings for the same period of time…

4d) http://www.churchnewspaper.com/?go=news&read=on&number_key=5717&title=Row%20as%20gay%20bishop%20gets%20married%20in%20the%20USA Row as gay bishop gets married in the USA Number: 5717 Date: May 13, 2004 The diocese of California has disciplined the American Church's other "gay" bishop for marrying his homosexual partner. The Rt Rev William Swing of California revoked the license of San Francisco bishop the Rt Rev Otis Charles, retired Bishop of Utah and Assisting Bishop of California, after the news of Bishop Charles' marriage was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on April 29. The Rev Canon Michael Hansen, the diocese of California's Executive Officer, explained that the blessing of same-sex unions must have prior approval from the Bishop's Office and must not mimic the Prayer Book marriage liturgy…

4e) Judge Denies Bid to Stop Gay Marriages http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20040513/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage By KEN MAGUIRE, Associated Press Writer BOSTON - A federal judge Thursday rejected a last-minute bid by conservative groups to block the nation's first state-sanctioned gay marriages from taking place in Massachusetts on Monday…

5a) http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/city/2004/may/82917.htm Mumbai Christians bound by Passion Mid-Day Mumbai - Bombay, India By: Shibu Thomas, May 10, 2004 Church groups across the world have called Mel Gibson's, The Passion of the Christ, "the best outreach opportunity in 2,000 years".

The Christian community in Mumbai tells you why. At Regal theatre in Colaba, a prism of the community in the city (East Indian Christians from Bandra to Syrian Christians from Mulund) flock to watch the top grossing film of the year…

It's not only Christians who are watching the film. Shilpa Agarwal from Thane said, "I don't know much about Christ, but the movie was a great cinematic experience."…

5b) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=758 10 May, 2004 INDIA 'Passion of the Christ' moves viewers across the country Bombay (AsiaNews) - The Passion of The Christ was released in theaters across the country Friday May 6th. Bombay's theaters are packed as the movie opens throughout the city…A hip university student with studs in his ears said the brutal realism of the film made him realize what it really means for a human being to stand for one's beliefs and principles. Christ undergoing so much torment and pain inspired the young viewer to oppose unjust political and social structures… v 5c) http://www.comingsoon.net/news/dvdnews.php?id=4637 The Passion of The Christ on DVD August 31 Source: Video Business: Monday, May 10, 2004 Fox Home Entertainment and Mel Gibson's Icon Productions have set an August 31 release date for The Passion of The Christ DVD, just three weeks prior to the studio's first DVD release of the Star Wars Trilogy on September 21, which could give Fox two of the biggest releases of the year less than a month apart.

Video Business reports that at least 15 million DVD copies could be sold domestically and come close to doubling the box-office gross. Fox is targeting the church market hard, setting up bulk ordering at a special Web site where customized "church sleeves" and other church-oriented marketing and promotional materials can be downloaded.

The studio's sister News Corp. international Christian communications company Zondervan will handle distribution to retailer members of the Christian Booksellers Association…

5d) 'The Passion of the Christ' to get Aug. 31 DVD debut http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040510/APE/405100806 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/8633569.htm http://www.suntimes.com/output/movies/cst-ftr-passion12.html http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1486981/20040512/index.jhtml?headlines=true http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/WHAS11_TOP_PassionDVD.1ab9d65ac.html http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/80-05102004-297566.html
By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer
May 12th, 2004

Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will be born again on DVD on Aug. 31. The actor-director's company Icon Productions…announced Monday it has partnered with 20th Century Fox for the home-video distribution…

5e) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=775 12 May, 2004 THAILAND Passion of the Christ raises questions among Buddhist audiences Bangkok (AsiaNews/Ucan) - The Passion of the Christ has left viewers stunned and questioning the religious meaning of Christ's violent death since the blockbuster film directed by Mel Gibson was released April 29th in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country…

5f) http://english.daralhayat.com/ET/05-2004/Article-20040513-7b4a6d16-c0a8-01ed-0022-da177608ce82/story.html A Black Market For The Passion Of The Christ In Saudi Arabia Dar Al-Hayat - Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al Ousouj Al-Hayat 2004/05/12 The Passion of The Christ is a highly popular film in Saudi Arabia, where it is sold publicly on the pavements facing the "Computer Market" in Riyadh. The movie, which is composed of two parts, costs 70 Saudi Riyals, guaranteeing a clear sound and picture…

Tarek Abdulrahman, one of the guys who are looking for this movie in the Computer Market, says "what made me look for this movie is that the forbidden fruit is sweet; in addition to the curiosity to know about the events of the movie, of which many accusations were raised about it and which led to banning it in some countries."…

5g) http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/1860.cfm

The Passion Of The Christ Goes International Gibson's "Passion" makes its debut worldwide World Press News, May 13th 2004

… China: The government has reportedly banned the film due to its spiritual nature. But an avalanche of English-language pirated copies of the film is spreading across China, as many young are taking great pains to see the film. The Passion opened at the beginning of April in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, but the Hong Kong media affirms the film is unlikely to be shown in Mainland China…