Deja vu

30Days wouldn’t have dreamt of mentioning something of an apparent recent spat between the Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Toronto, who is acting as the Delegate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for Anglicanorum Coetibus in Canada – especially as such spat seems to have been all nicely sorted out now – had it not been for Anna Arco’s 12 May Report on the affair for The Catholic Herald. ‘This morning’, she wrote, ‘we learned that the leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion has thrown his toys out of the pram.’

Quite what Australian Archbishop John Hepworth has done to deserve being thus bracketed with a former Bishop of Southwark escapes us but, if there is any truth at all in the story, 30DAys does hope that they really were his toys, as opposed to those of an innocent bystander!

Technological Tosh

To Spain now for a piece of must-have computer hardware. Available online

(where else?) at just €59.00, what every PC needs is the 2 gigabyte Maria USB Stick: ‘Is there anyone who hasn’t sometimes wished for holy backup to protect their most precious data? It’s finally available in the form of the Maria USB! She’s appeared in modern guise to secure and safely store what is most important and precious to us, offering heavenly support next to the computer; especially for those situations where prayer is the only solution.

Standing dignified on her socket, enshrined in Plexiglas, when work calls she frees herself of her surroundings. Connected with the computer she comes to life, her red LED heard starts to beat – in passive state slowly, quicker whilst connecting or saving data. On her halo is engraved the prayer – “Oh Maria, keep my data safe!”

Apparently, most designers want to ‘form and improve the world’ but the progenitor of this little gem, one Luis Eslava, ‘prefers to explore the irony of this task.’ Which explains everything.

Once, twice . . .

Sad news from the Diocese of Brechin, in Scotland (depending on your point of view), where the Revd Canon Dr Alison Peden last month failed to be elected as bishop in succession to the Right Revd John Mantle, who retired last year.

This result may come as a bitter blow to the Rector of Holy Trinity, Stirling, coming as it does only just over a year after she failed to be elected as Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway.

30Days was naturally interested to find out more about Mrs Peden, but a visit to Crockford online was less than helpful, as her biographical details seem for some reason not to be available. Still, Ruth Gledhill helpfully published them on her Blog back in 2009:

Rev Canon Dr Alison Peden 1952. Sommerville Coll, Oxford, MA 1975; DPhil 1981. Univ of Edinburgh, MTh 2002. TISEC 2000-2002. Luscombe Scholar 2002. D, 2002. P, 2003. Res Fel, St Hugh’s Coll, Oxford 1978-81. Fel, St Hilda’s Coll, Oxford 1981-84. Tutor, Dept History, Bristol Univ 1985-86. Hon Lec, Glasgow Univ 1991-2001. Visiting Lec, Stirling Univ 1994-99. Chapl, Cornton Vale Prison, Stirling 2001-2003. C, St John the Baptist, Perth 2002-03. R, Holy Trinity, Stirling 2003-. Chapl, Forth Valley Coll, Stirling 2007 – . Canon, St Ninian’s Cathedral, Perth 2007 –

In the light of which, her double failure surely beggars belief. 30DAys will await with interest to discover if it’s to be a case of third time lucky . . .

Heresy Watch

Back Down Under now, for the cautionary tale of Bishop William Morris of Toowoomba who, back in 2006, wrote in a Pastoral Letter that he would be prepared to ordain married priests and women priests, at the same time arguing that the Catholic Church should be open to recognising the validity of Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting church orders. Unsurprisingly, there followed a lengthy debate (sic) with the Vatican, during which he was asked to resign no less than six times by three Vatican congregations and the Holy Father himself, before Pope Benedict finally insisted that he leave office.

Following a supportive outcry from parishioners in his diocese, Bishop Morris might have hoped for some similar measure of support from his brother bishops. Alas, no. In a letter released by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Philip Wilson said.

‘We appreciate that Bishop Morris’ human qualities were never in question; nor is there any doubt about the contribution he has made to the life of the church in Toowoomba and beyond. Rather, it was judged that there were problems of doctrine and discipline, and we regret that these could not be resolved.’

The words ‘bread’ and ‘buttered’ inexplicably come to mind . . .

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