Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Analysis: changing the way the Church of England chooses bishops

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=838

[Religious Intelligence] 19 June 2007--What are bishops for, and do we need so many of them?

Now, however, it also appears to be a topic much on the minds of the bishops themselves. The looming prospect that dioceses and bishoprics could face a Beeching-style axe is concentrating minds wonderfully, it seems.

Under legislation expected to receive Parliamentary approval and Royal assent this summer, a national body will be given sweeping powers to recommend the closure or reorganisation of dioceses and the scrapping of suffragan or assistant bishop posts.

The legislation was initially drawn up three years ago, partly in response to criticism that the Church was becoming increasingly top-heavy, stifling grass-roots growth.

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