IS THIS OUR FUTURE IN WALES?

One of the perennial complaints of traditionalists both in England and Wales in recent years has been the lack of appointments made to senior positions of those who hold orthodox, catholic views (the evangelicals no doubt have a similar grievance.) Those “catholic” appointments which have been made have come, almost without exception, from the “Iscariot” tendency.
To hammer this home the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has appointed Canon Frances (Peggy) Jackson from the Diocese of Southwark as the new Archdeacon of Llandaff. Mrs Jackson is a leading member of GRAS, the Group for Rescinding the Act of Synod.

These are her views on those of us she refers to as “conscientious objectors”

“It is one thing to make special arrangements for those around whom the CofE has changed its mind; it is quite another to split the CofE into ‘special’ divisions accommodated at all levels, specifically to foster and accommodate a new generation of people who wish to make a conscientious choice from the outset, never to engage with the mainstream ministry of the church. No structural provision should be made for such people, beyond any bishop’s normal pastoral concern for the variety of individual feelings and circumstances among serving clergy. New individuals with conscientious difficulties over women’s ministry will simply have to make personal decisions and individual choices, to find accommodation as best they can – just as many already have to do over a host of other current issues, some very uncomfortable, where people find themselves representative of a view which is not that sanctioned by the ‘church’ as a whole, and upheld through Synod and Parliament.”

Outside the snow is melting; for Catholics in the Church in Wales, I fear the big freeze is only just beginning.