One-sided?
From Mr David Fenton
I am reliably informed that the Council of Forward in Faith passed a resolution that FiF would continue to support all its members – both those who intend, either immediately or later, to enter the Ordinariate, and those who are intending to remain in the Church of England as members of the Society of St Wilfird and St Hilda. Imagine my surprise, then, to be faced with an edition of New Directions overwhelmingly devoted to the Roman Option.
Why this partisanship, bearing in mind the even-handed decision of the Council?
David Fenton davidfenton@aol.com
Ed: Mr Fenton’s letter was by no means the only one of its kind we received. It is certainly the intention of the Editorial Board of New Directions to honour the undertakings given by the Council to members. But we have a magazine to fill. By way of explanation we print a reply by the Bishop of Plymouth to an invitation to write a leading article for the November edition.
later, later…
From the Bishop of Plymouth
Thank you for the email. I was sorry not to be with you at the FIF Assembly.
I have had some conversation with other Bishops about the Society and we would prefer to wait for any more publicity about or news from the Society until the end of this year/beginning of next. It is still in its early stages of development and discussion. Those responsible for its organisation will plan a timetable for further publicity over the course of the next month.
Thanks for the offer – if you are still the editor maybe we could accept your offer early next year.
The Right Revd John Ford
Bishop of Plymouth
Broken promises
From Greta Townsend
At the Forward in Faith Assembly both Bishop Broadhurst and Fr Sam Philpott rehearsed for us promises which had been made both to our constituency and to Parliament as part of the process which saw women ordained to the priesthood. It seems to me that we have a duty to hold the Churcch of England – its Synod and its Bishops – to those solemn undertakings. They were promises on which clergy and lay people have based their lives, and in the case of clergy, the well-being of their dependents. It would be shameful for a Christian body (as in now proposed) to betray that trust.
We were promised that the text of those promises would appear in the pages of New Directions. Where is it?
Greta Townsend
(address withheld)
Ed: The promised citations are to be found on pages 10-11 of this edition.
Letters for publication should be sent to:
The Editor
New DirectioNs
2A The Cloisters, Gordon Square
London WC1H 0AG
nd.editor@forwardinfaith.com