Saturday 19 June 2010

Disasters of One Sort or Another

The total hypocrisy of the Americans is unbelievable. In December 1984 the community of Bhopal, India was struck by a gas leak from the Union Carbide factory which resulted in the immediate deaths of 4,000 with a subsequent death role of 11,000 at least from the effects of the poison. Thousand suffered from the effects of the poisonous gas and are still suffering. The compensation paid to the people of Bhopal was miniscule.

The deadly effects of the oil leak on the beautiful coast line of Florida from the BP Oil Rig has affected or will affect the livelihood of many Floridians and has had a devastating effect on the wild life: birds, fish, sea creatures et al and those who earn a living from fishing and from catering for the thousands of visitors which visit Florida’s coast every year. And still the leak continues despite the efforts of BP to deal with it. The American President has been scathing in his criticism of BP, demanding billions of dollars in compensation and it has been suggested that the pressure being put on BP could result in its demise. I didn’t notice a similar concern for the people of Bhopal but then it’s not Americans who are suffering as a result of the Bhopal disaster.

This hypocrisy is reflected in the attitude of The Episcopal Church whose primate thinks she can do what she likes, when she likes with impunity. The consecration of homosexual bishops living with partners, pagan ceremonies at a recent consecration of a lesbian woman, same sex marriages – the list goes on and on. My question is how can we stay in Communion with The Episcopal Church?

The sad thing is that what is happening in the USA with The Episcopal Church (Anglicans) will, no doubt, be repeated in the UK before very long. The slippery path of liberalism began with the ordination of women to the priesthood and will continue with their consecration as Bishops. Today I received the programme for Sarum College advertising a course for ”Women Who Would be Bishops” ........ a new leadership programme for women priests. The first of these is fully booked but, I am informed, another will start in September 2011.

Those who believe that General Synod will make any acceptable provision for Anglo-Catholics are, I think, totally misguided. We need to face the facts; all that will be on offer is a “Code of Practice” which, as we all know, “Will Not Do”. Even if it is implemented it will be ignored by many of our Bishops who have done their utmost to destroy the Act of Synod or to run slipshod over it. In around a month, when General Synod convenes, we will know but as far as I can see, there is no future whatsoever in the Church of England for Anglo-Catholics.

2 comments:

  1. Father, I agree that we Americans can be hypocritical but I would suggest that such hypocrisy is not solely our possession. The oil spill is getting great attention here and most people are very unpleased with the President's handling of it. I personally think our government is as much to blame as BP, but they want to expose that to the light of day.

    Tragically I also believe that General Synod will sell Anglo-Catholics out for the new religion. That's all I can think that it is, it is certainly not the Anglo-Catholicism that I knew and loved (still love). Leaving the diseased ECUSA (it was not yet TEC when I left) was not an easy decision as I was a Postulant in the Diocese of Fort Worth--as you know a very conservative Diocese. I was raised an Anglican and I treasure very deeply the gifts and riches that I received as such. I have written before that this deposit still is my foundation and rock. But leave I did because there was no longer a way to remain truly Catholic within the Episcopal Church, even in 1991.

    Nothing is more heart-breaking than to see such an apostasy. I am deeply aware that perhaps part of the difficulty for those in the CofE is that the Church is still very much part of the culture there even if no one ever attends. Without the Pub and the Parish what would England be? That cultural establishment will not be continued if one goes into an Ordinariate or elsewhere. That surely is frightening. But to not do so will be to burn incense to the new gods of modernism, which are in fact old gods. I pains me to see such difficult decisions being placed upon those in my patrimonial home. But there you have it... and there it is...

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