Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, recently met with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and discussed the progress of developments in the Canadian church such as the Commission on the Marriage Canon and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).
The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) has urged the Anglican Church of Canada not to amend its marriage canon (church law) to allow the marriage of same-sex couples, saying such a move would “cause great distress for the Communion as a whole, and for its ecumenical relationships.”
Following U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision Dec. 17 to re-establish diplomatic ties with Cuba after 54 years, the leadership of the Episcopal Church of Cuba released a statement thanking God for the repatriation of prisoners to both countries and thanking the churches in the United States for the “bridges of hope” they affirmed during the decades of separation.
In a historic announcement Dec. 17, President Barack Obama said the United States would re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba after 54 years of isolationist foreign policy toward the island nation that included a crippling trade embargo. The decision will have far-reaching effects on the island nation’s economic and diplomatic situation and on the lives of its 11.26 million citizens, but it may also mean that new possibilities open up for the Episcopal Church of Cuba (ECC).
In a Christmas message released on Dec. 17, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, reminded Anglicans not to take for granted their ability to openly celebrate their faith this Christmas.
It is a fractious time in the life of the Anglican church, both in Canada and in the world, but even as the Communion struggles to overcome pernicious divisions over issues such as human sexuality or the ordination of women, it is also turning to the tradition of the scriptures and the indigenous wisdom of its diverse membership to find potential ways forward.
On July 19, the Rev. Canon Virginia “Ginny” Doctor, indigenous ministries co-ordinator for the Anglican Church of Canada, began to have difficulty breathing after suffering from flu-like symptoms for a week. She was taken to hospital in Hagersville, Ont., not far from where she lives, and slipped into a coma that would last two weeks.
The Very Rev. Hon. Lois Wilson is an outspoken anti-poverty activist, a critic of political oppression and an advocate for the environment, and she is also a woman who has spent her career building bridges in Canada and abroad between people of various faiths and none who want to see the advent of a more just world.?
In 1506, a farmer found a statue in his vineyard in Rome.
At Advent, Christians find themselves looking in two directions. Even as they remember Christ’s nativity, they also anticipate his coming again. Like the season of Lent, Advent is an opportunity for Christians to examine where they are now in light of where they have come from and where they are going.
A project funded by Anglicans to provide water facilities for 10 houses in Pikangikum First Nation, a fly-in reserve located 500 km northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont., has succeeded in turning on the taps, but the work of advocacy is just beginning.
The word “pilgrimage” often conjures up images of holy places in ancient lands, of quiet prayer and inward reflection. But for a group of Anglicans and Lutherans in Toronto, the word took on a new meaning Nov. 22 when they participated in “Come and See,” a pilgrimage put on by Anglican community organizers from the diocese of Toronto in conjunction with the national church.
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) on November 19, prominent Catholic scholar and activist Mary-Jo Leddy spoke about the challenges the 21st century church faces in a world where the importance of common space and the public good has diminished.
Amidst the presentations and discussions, Council of General Synod (CoGS) also included a moment of giving when Andy Seal, director of Augsburg Fortress Canada, presented Archbishop Fred Hiltz with a miniature replica of Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz’s widely acclaimed Homeless Jesus sculpture.
Though many Canadians might not often think about the nation’s mining practices, they are “very well known” to the rest of the world, said National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald in a presentation to Council of General Synod Nov.15. This was not, MacDonald hastened to add, a good thing.
Andrea Mann, global relations director at the Anglican Church of Canada, took some time during her presentation to Council of General Synod (CoGS) Nov. 15 to talk about how Jerusalem Sunday has furthered the Canadian church’s commitment to building a strong relationship with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
On Nov. 17, representatives of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) presented a statement to the Council of General Synod (CoGS) calling for the church to allow space for structures of governance that are more in line with indigenous ways of thinking about leadership and power, and to support the movement of indigenous Anglicans toward self-determination.
Mississauga, Ont.
Council of General Synod took some time Nov. 15 to consider what council members have learned so far from the new ways of working, which were brought in as part of Vision 2019 to deal with some of the financial and administrative pressures the national church has been facing in recent years.
Bishop Lydia Mamakwa and National Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald spoke to Council of General Synod (CoGS) Nov. 14 about the long journey toward the establishment of the first indigenous diocese in North America, the Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh, and of how that journey is continuing in the wake of its creation.
Mississauga, Ont.
The Anglican Church of Canada’s special advisor for government relations on Nov. 14 gave a presentation to Council of General Synod (CoGS) about what principles should guide church involvement with government and how churches can best go about giving witness to their faith while trying to effect change in public policy.
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