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Concerning Requiem at Canterbury

A note perhaps pedantic, perhaps not. The requiem for Dr Vanier in Canterbury Cathedral would likely have been the first papalist requiem there since the Reformation - at the gracious and courteous invitation of the Cathedral.('Latin' or 'Roman Catholic' is perhaps a term best reserved for the larger part of the Western Church remaining in communion with Rome from the 16th century.) There would probably have been many non-papal, Anglican requiem masses in Canterbury Cathedral in recent times.

It is still worth noting that the Church of England existed for about a 1000 years before the Reformation, but in communion of course with the see of Rome, a see the power of which and the claims of which grew over that time. It was no more a new Church in the 16th Church than was the Eastern Orthodox in the 11th. Described as ecclesia Anglicana in Magna Carta (literally English Church though often translated as Church of England), an earlier name was ecclesia Angliae, literally Church of England (as in S.Anselm's letters). From the 14th century, 'chirche of Engelond' was a common form. 'The accepted legal doctrine is that the Church of England is a continuous body from its early establishment in Saxon times' (Ecclesiastical Law, from Halsbury's Laws of England, as edited for the Church Assembly, 1957). The same authority notes that when papal jurisdiction was abolished under Henry VIII, the Church of England was regarded as an existing church. This still relevant information comes from The Study of Anglicanism, edited by Stephen Sykes and John Booty (SPCK/Fortress, 1988) in Part VII, 3, 'What is Anglicanism?' by Paul Avis.

The Revd Dr John Bunyan
St John the Baptist's, Canberra & King's Chapel, Boston
Campbelltown, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
bunyanj@tpg.com.au
4 August 2014

Christianity in Mesopotamia

I know I am a little late in my comments, but in regard to your very heartfelt letter of 27 July.
Given that Christianity has been present in Mesopotamia for around 1600 years, and our own beloved communion is only 450 years old, I suspect there are (or very sadly now - were) many Christians in the area who weren't Anglican, but more probably Orthodox.

That doesn't in any way lessen their despair, of course, but should make us aware of the grief of our Orthodox sisters and brothers as well as our own.

Margaret Campbell
St Bartholomew Anglican Church
Crookwell, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
4 August 2014

Of Parish Newsletters

(In response to our front page of 25 May)

The latest edition of our Parish Magazine may be found online here

We're rather proud of this, the editorial content of which is produced entirely by volunteers. Our new Parish website is under construction, but I shall write to let you know when the great work has been completed.

Very many thanks for your work in keeping this globally oriented site open.

Graeme Durie
Anglican Parish of Epping
Wahroonga New South Wales, AUSTRALIA,
4 August 2014

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.