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January 5th, 2013
09:34 AM ET
Priests in same-sex relationships may become Anglican BishopsBy Ben Brumfield, CNN (CNN) - Men in a civil union will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England, but they are not allowed to have sex. Intercourse between two men - or two women - remains a sin. "Homosexual genital acts fall short of the Christian ideal and are to be met with a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion," according to Anglican doctrine. Men and women in same-sex unions were already allowed to serve as priests in the Church of England, but there was a moratorium on advancement to the episcopate - becoming a bishop - while the church considered the issue. The church announced Friday that if men in celibate civil unions may be priests, then there is no reason for them not to be bishops, as long as they are "living in accordance with the teaching of the Church on human sexuality."  The Church of England's General Synod was held in London this week.
November 21st, 2012
12:01 PM ET
My Take: Vote on female bishops flawed
By Danielle Elizabeth Tumminio, Special to CNN (CNN) – On Tuesday, the Church of England voted against the consecration of female bishops, which means that for now at least, while women are able to become priests and deacons, they are unable to assume the leadership responsibilities that come with the miter. But just because the Church of England voted down allowing female bishops does not mean female bishops don’t exist within the denomination in other parts of the world.
November 20th, 2012
04:38 PM ET
Church of England rejects female bishops by six votesBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN)– After decades of debate, the Church of England formally voted down draft legislation that would have allowed women to become bishops. Debate on the draft legislation Tuesday spanned seven hours and saw more than 100 people voice support or opposition for the draft legislation. At its General Synod meeting, despite the ardent support of the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt. Rev. Justin Welby, the measure failed to secure a two-thirds majority in all of the three voting bodies of the church, the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity.
November 9th, 2012
08:41 AM ET
New archbishop of Canterbury is former oil exec who faces global challengesBy Laura Smith-Spark, CNN London CNN) - It's not a career path followed by many. On Friday, the Right Reverend Justin Welby, a former oil executive, was confirmed as the next archbishop of Canterbury, and as such will become head of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion. Although Welby has been a bishop for just less than a year, his experience beyond the pulpit may be what has given him the edge over his rivals for the top job. He will take over from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who has headed the church for more than a decade, in March. Welby faces the challenge of holding together an increasingly fractured Communion as it wrestles with the issues of homosexuality and women bishops, as well as tensions between the shrinking Western provinces of the Anglican Communion, including the United States and United Kingdom, and the exploding growth of the provinces in the Global South, many of them in Africa and Asia.
July 18th, 2012
07:00 AM ET
Father and son join Catholic priesthood – togetherBy Dan Merica, CNN (CNN) – The Revs. Chuck Hough IV and Chuck Hough III have more in common than just their names. The two have become a rarity in the Catholic Church – a father and son who became ordained Catholic priests at the same time. Both men are both former Episcopal priests, each with a wife and children. The younger Hough grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his father as a leader in the Episcopal Church and ended up following in his footsteps, joining the church when he was 25. The elder Hough had been an Episcopal priest for 31 years before both he and his son decided in 2011 to join the Catholic Church. First they became members of the Catholic Church, then applied to join as priests through the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a group to help Anglicans join the Catholic communion while maintaining some hallmarks of the Anglican tradition. “We felt that something was missing for years and years,” the father said. 
March 16th, 2012
08:10 AM ET
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to step downLondon (CNN) – Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, head of the 85 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, announced Friday he will step down from his post at the end of the year. Williams has been archbishop of Canterbury, the top role in the Church of England, for 10 years. He has accepted the position of master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University, starting in January, a statement on his website said. Read the full story on the Archbishop of Canterbury's resignation
February 22nd, 2012
12:06 AM ET
Faithful prepare for Lent with pancake feast, raceBy Stacey Samuel, CNN Producer Washington (CNN) - Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral, school children alongside clergy competed in a pancake tossing relay race. It was an exercise in religious fun, the day before Ash Wednesday. "It is the last opportunity to feast, and be merry before we enter the Holy season of Lent, which is the time of abstinence and reflection," said Reverend Jan Naylor Cope, vicar at the National Cathedral, who took part in the races herself. Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras by a different name, Shrove Tuesday is the Anglican Church’s pre-Lenten celebration before kicking off the 40-day fast leading up to Easter Sunday. The origin of the word “shrove” is believed to be a derivation of “shriving” which means to ask for forgiveness. But why a pancake race? Shrove Tuesday traditionally is the day that Christians emptied out their cupboards that would be filled with flour, sugar, eggs and other dessert ingredients which had to be used before observers began their Lenten sacrifice. The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams expressed understanding for Occupy Wall Street protesters.
November 2nd, 2011
11:00 AM ET
Praising Occupy movement, Archbishop of Canterbury backs bank taxBy Richard Allen Greene, CNN Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, said "the best outcome" of the controversies surrounding the occupation would be to "effect credible change in the financial world." He expressed understanding for the protesters, saying: "There is still a powerful sense around - fair or not - of a whole society paying for the errors and irresponsibility of bankers." He said there was "impatience with a return to 'business as usual' - represented by still-soaring bonuses and little visible change in banking practices."  The Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, addresses 'Occupy London' activists in the City of London.
October 31st, 2011
02:11 PM ET
Dean of St Paul's Cathedral quits over protestsBy Bryony Jones, CNN London (CNN) - The Dean of London's St Paul's Cathedral has resigned amid criticism of his handling of a large "Occupy" protest taking place on the church's doorstep. The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles announced his decision on Monday, saying his position was "becoming untenable" following weeks of debate over the demonstrations. St Paul's has come under fire after it said it would take legal action to try to remove around 200 tents from the square outside its main entrance.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, (left) meets with women in Zimbabwe.
October 11th, 2011
07:05 AM ET
My Take: Archbishop goes where Western leaders won’t
By Nick Spencer, Special to CNN (CNN)–Striding across the world stage and challenging dictatorial regimes, he cuts an unlikely figure. But Monday the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, met with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The agenda was not published, but it seems clear that the discussion was likely heated. In Zimbabwe, nothing is sacred in the power contest – state, economy, land nor church. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke and Eric Marrapodi with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
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Editor's note: Danielle Elizabeth Tumminio is an ordained Episcopal Church priest and author of "
Editor's Note: Nick Spencer is research director at 
