The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, said: “We note from the Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy that churches could be open from July as part of the conditional and phased plan to begin lifting the lockdown. We look forward to the time when we are able to gather again in our church buildings.
“We are examining what steps we will need to take to do so safely and are actively planning ahead in preparation. We strongly support the Government’s approach of continuing to suppress the transmission of the virus and accordingly, we recognise that at this time public worship cannot return in the interests of public health and safety.”
Come on, bishops, give a proper lead! Please stop virtue-signalling, toadying up to the government to avoid being disestablished, and speak up for Christian ministry. If 10 people can attend a service in a cramped crematorium, why not that number or less in a much larger church so that people can get married? And you wonder why your stock has fallen so low in this country?
The CofE can open when it likes, or not. The damage is done.
Because now everybody knows that the Bishops regard their institution as inessential, less necessary than hardware shops and take-away coffee.
The CofE Bishops did not just follow government guidelines, but by-choice shut down their buildings and activities more completely (and explicitly) than any other British institution.
And the Bishops did not apologise for this, for their dereliction of sacred responsibility at the greatest time of distress and need; did not even seem to notice that they were putting the material and bodily above the spiritual and eternal – but instead aggressively celebrated their (beyond the call of obedience) surrender to Mammon.
This is as clear as it gets (things have ‘come to a point’ as CS Lewis says in That Hideous Strength). Serious Anglican Christians now need to make alternative institutional arrangements, or else go it alone.
Well said.
Agreed. Apparently annual parochial church meetings are to be postponed because while it’s fine for the CofE to deny the people the Eucharist, baptism, marriage, the last rights and a funeral service, it isn’t acceptable to make administrative appointments via Zoom. Church wardens etc have to be appointed correctly. This was explained to me via Zoom by my parish priestess at a meeting comprising all of nine people, which could very easily have been conducted safely face to face at a reasonable distance in either our large church or equally large church hall. The substance of the meeting was that the Parish Visitors group may not make any visits and should not offer the elderly and isolated of the parish any assistance with their shopping. I’m afraid Jesus left the building long before the doors were locked.
The response of the Anglican Bishops of England contrasts with that of the Catholic Bishops. At least the Catholic Bishops are trying to find a way to reopen their churches. The Anglican bishops don’t seem to care. Surely you can do better Bishop Doolalley!