Anglican Primates enjoy historic meeting with Pope Francis

[Paidiske]

Don't know if anyone else is following news from the Primates' meeting, but this sounded positive:

"The Pope said: "Only a love that becomes gratuitous service, only the love that Jesus taught and embodies, will bring separated Christians closer to one another. Only that love, which does not appeal to the past in order to remain aloof or to point a finger, only that love which in God's name puts our brothers and sisters before the ironclad defence of our own religious structures, only that love will unite us. First our brothers and sisters, the structures later."

 

[tampasteve]

I am following it to a degree. Thanks for sharing

 

[AlexB23]

Don't know if anyone else is following news from the Primates' meeting, but this sounded positive:

"The Pope said: "Only a love that becomes gratuitous service, only the love that Jesus taught and embodies, will bring separated Christians closer to one another. Only that love, which does not appeal to the past in order to remain aloof or to point a finger, only that love which in God's name puts our brothers and sisters before the ironclad defence of our own religious structures, only that love will unite us. First our brothers and sisters, the structures later."

I did not follow the recent news about the Primates, except that a long time ago, I watched a documentary about primates on the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet when we had satellite TV back in 2009-2012 or so.


*Is it okay if I make a lighthearted joke, as the term "primates" refers to monkeys as well? So, what is an Anglican Primate? By the way, it always puts a smile on my face when Christians of different denominations can get together.

 

[Paidiske]

A Primate is the most senior archbishop or bishop of a province in the Anglican communion. So this is a meeting of the most senior bishops in the Anglican communion, from all around the world.

 

[AlexB23]

A Primate is the most senior archbishop or bishop of a province in the Anglican communion. So this is a meeting of the most senior bishops in the Anglican communion, from all around the world.

Hey, thanks for the explanation. So, a Catholic analog to a Primate would be a Bishop for the diocese (as Catholics use diocese instead of provinces), from what you said.

 

[PloverWing]

Hey, thanks for the explanation. So, a Catholic analog to a Primate would be a Bishop for the diocese (as Catholics use diocese instead of provinces), from what you said.

A little more senior than that. We have dioceses too, with a bishop in each diocese. But we're also organized into larger, nation-sized groups: for example, the Episcopal Church in the US, the Anglican Church of Australia, the Church of Nigeria, and so on. Each of these nation-sized groups has a Primate.

 

[AlexB23]

A little more senior than that. We have dioceses too, with a bishop in each diocese. But we're also organized into larger, nation-sized groups: for example, the Episcopal Church in the US, the Anglican Church of Australia, the Church of Nigeria, and so on. Each of these nation-sized groups has a Primate.

Wow, that is interesting. So, these churches have layers, similar to an onion from church to parish to dioceses to provinces to nations.

 

[PloverWing]

We're not just the salt of the earth; we're the onion!

 

[AlexB23]

We're not just the salt of the earth; we're the onion!

Good one. Salt of the earth, bread and wine of Jesus, onion of the church. Man, a Christian dinner right there.

 

[Paidiske]

Wow, that is interesting. So, these churches have layers, similar to an onion from church to parish to dioceses to provinces to nations.

Similar. Some provinces are the size of a country. Some provinces cover several or many countries (especially if Anglicanism is small in that area). Some provinces have different arrangements; for example, in New Zealand, the Anglican church has three "strands," western, Maori and Pasifika, and three bishops - one from each strand - share the primacy.

 

[AlexB23]

Similar. Some provinces are the size of a country. Some provinces cover several or many countries (especially if Anglicanism is small in that area). Some provinces have different arrangements; for example, in New Zealand, the Anglican church has three "strands," western, Maori and Pasifika, and three bishops - one from each strand - share the primacy.

That is interesting. Does it have to deal with population?

 

[Paidiske]

That is interesting. Does it have to deal with population?

Do you mean, how big the province is? Often it's to do with history, and how the church developed in a particular place. In Australia, for example, we only became a province in 1962; before that we were a collection of dioceses still governed from England.

 

[AlexB23]

Do you mean, how big the province is? Often it's to do with history, and how the church developed in a particular place. In Australia, for example, we only became a province in 1962; before that we were a collection of dioceses still governed from England.

I mean, how many Bishops per 100,000 people?

 

[Paidiske]

I mean, how many Bishops per 100,000 people?

No, not at all. In the bigger dioceses it's common to have assistant bishops to help the bishop or archbishop, but there's no rule about it.

 

[AlexB23]

No, not at all. In the bigger dioceses it's common to have assistant bishops to help the bishop or archbishop, but there's no rule about it.

Hmm. You'd think that there would be a general rule for Bishops per 100,000 or so.

 

[Paidiske]

That doesn't necessarily make sense. Some dioceses are already so geographically big that their bishops have been known to get their pilot's licence to get around. Some are so small you can drive across them in a few hours, but have far more people crammed in. There's a combination of (churchgoing) population, physical size, financial viability (someone has to pay the bishop), and so on, all to consider.

 

[AlexB23]

That doesn't necessarily make sense. Some dioceses are already so geographically big that their bishops have been known to get their pilot's licence to get around. Some are so small you can drive across them in a few hours, but have far more people crammed in. There's a combination of (churchgoing) population, physical size, financial viability (someone has to pay the bishop), and so on, all to consider.

Yeah, there are dozens of factors involved here.

 

[RileyG]

Thanks for posting