Iranian refugees can stay in Canada
An Iranian family who took refuge in a London, Ont., cathedral in August to avoid being deported have been allowed to stay in the country.
The family of four had become involved with St. Paul’s Cathedral and had converted to become Anglicans. The Immigration and Refugee Board had rejected their request for asylum and had denied their appeal, ordering them out of Canada on Aug. 25.
The family took refuge in the cathedral for 13 days before the decision was reversed. Hundreds of petitions were filed on behalf of the family and Archbishop Percy O’Driscoll wrote in their support to the minister of immigration.
The cathedral has agreed to support the family financially for three years. The four will have to undergo medical and security checks before being granted landed immigrant status.
Huron Church News
Anglican key in police funeral
An Anglican priest helped organize the largest police funeral in Canadian history.
Rev. Richard Newland was well acquainted with the family of Det. Const. William Hancox who was stabbed to death in Toronto in August. The officer’s mother, Ann, is the organist at St. Dunstan’s, his father Bill is a lay reader and his sister Beth is the assistant choir director.
But St. Dunstan’s was much too small for the anticipated crowd so Mr. Newland suggested a Roman Catholic church in Pickering.
While planning the funeral, Mr. Newland said he had to keep in mind that the service had to be meaningful for the family but also had to incorporate police ceremony.
At the same time, there were logistical concerns. For example, because of their numbers, the 10,000 police officers had to start marching away before the funeral ended.
As well, audio feeds to the gym and playing field had to be set up and ground rules established for the one camera allowed inside the church.
The service was carried live on four television stations and the Internet.
Toronto Anglican
Bishop excited about Roman Catholic talks
The Bishop of Ottawa, John Baycroft, expects Roman Catholics and Anglicans will be in for “quite an exciting surprise” when they see a statement next spring approved by an international group of Anglican and Roman Catholic theologians.
Bishop Baycroft has been deeply involved in preparing the statement approved at the meeting of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission in Italy at the end of the summer.
He says he can’t comment on the contents of the statement until it is released, probably around Easter.
In an earlier interview, the bishop had noted only two significant questions remain as barriers to unity between Anglicans and Roman Catholics: papal authority and the ordination of women.
Bishop Baycroft and other members of the commission met Pope John Paul II on Aug. 28.
Crosstalk
