Legal advice says gay candidates should be considered as long as they have not been sexually active while in the priesthood The Church of England is set to approve the appointment of openly gay bishops, providing that they are celibate. In an attempt to clarify its policy following years of controversy and debate, the church is to publish its legal advice on the issue on Monday. The document, Choosing Bishops – The Equality Act 2010 , summarises points which those involved in the nomination process “need to keep in mind” when considering candidates in order to avoid breaking the law. It reiterates there is no bar to the promotion of gay clergy to a bishopric as long as they are not sexually active and never have been during their time in the priesthood. However, the document says a selection committee could veto a gay candidate if “the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question”. The document reads: “A person’s sexual orientation is in itself irrelevant to their suitability for episcopal office or indeed ordained ministry” but the Equality Act “allows churches and religious organisations to impose a requirement that someone should not be in a civil partnership or impose a requirement related to sexual orientation … to avoid conflicting with the strongly held religious convictions of a significant number of the religion’s followers”. “It is clearly the case that a significant number of Anglicans… believe that a Christian leader should not enter into a civil partnership, even if celibate, because it involves forming an exclusive, lifelong bond with someone of the same sex, creates family ties and is generally viewed in wider society as akin to same-sex marriage. “It is equally clear that many other Anglicans believe that it is appropriate that clergy who are gay by orientation enter into civil partnerships, even though the discipline of the church requires them to remain sexually abstinent.” The guidance, to be presented to the General Synod in York in July, comes after damaging revelations about the Church of England hierarchy refusing to accept the reality of gay clergy. Documents obtained by the Guardian showed the House of Bishops unable to agree on whether gay clergy should ever be appointed to the episcopate and that meetings about candidates descended into shouting matches, leaving some of those present in tears. Much of the debate has centred on Jeffrey John, a celibate priest who is in a longstanding civil partnership with another cleric. He was forced by the archbishop of Canterbury to stand down after being appointed suffragan bishop of Reading eight years ago after conservative evangelicals objected. Last year, the archbishops of Canterbury and York prevented John from becoming the bishop of Southwark, to the dismay of his supporters. The guidance says the criteria when considering a gay cleric for the bishopric are “whether the candidate had always complied with the church’s teachings on same-sex sexual activity; whether he was in a civil partnership; whether he was in a continuing civil partnership with a person with whom he had had an earlier same-sex sexual relationship; whether he had expressed repentance for any previous same-sex sexual activity; and whether (and to what extent) the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question, the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion.” The guidelines have angered those campaigning for greater inclusion in the Church of England. General Synod member Christina Rees said: “Nobody other than Jeffrey John has been honest about their sexuality. It is distasteful that gay clerics are asked about their sex lives. There is no parity between them and straight clerics.” Rees warned that the guidance was “too open” for people to exploit as they could argue that the appointment of a gay bishop could prove divisive at home or overseas. The Anglican communion remains at odds over the issue of gay bishops, even though the Episcopal Church in the US has made two such appointments in the last decade. Anglicanism Religion Christianity Gay rights Rowan Williams Equality Act 2010 Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Legal advice says gay candidates should be considered as long as they have not been sexually active while in the priesthood The Church of England is set to approve the appointment of openly gay bishops, providing that they are celibate. In an attempt to clarify its policy following years of controversy and debate, the church is to publish its legal advice on the issue on Monday. The document, Choosing Bishops – The Equality Act 2010 , summarises points which those involved in the nomination process “need to keep in mind” when considering candidates in order to avoid breaking the law. It reiterates there is no bar to the promotion of gay clergy to a bishopric as long as they are not sexually active and never have been during their time in the priesthood. However, the document says a selection committee could veto a gay candidate if “the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question”. The document reads: “A person’s sexual orientation is in itself irrelevant to their suitability for episcopal office or indeed ordained ministry” but the Equality Act “allows churches and religious organisations to impose a requirement that someone should not be in a civil partnership or impose a requirement related to sexual orientation … to avoid conflicting with the strongly held religious convictions of a significant number of the religion’s followers”. “It is clearly the case that a significant number of Anglicans… believe that a Christian leader should not enter into a civil partnership, even if celibate, because it involves forming an exclusive, lifelong bond with someone of the same sex, creates family ties and is generally viewed in wider society as akin to same-sex marriage. “It is equally clear that many other Anglicans believe that it is appropriate that clergy who are gay by orientation enter into civil partnerships, even though the discipline of the church requires them to remain sexually abstinent.” The guidance, to be presented to the General Synod in York in July, comes after damaging revelations about the Church of England hierarchy refusing to accept the reality of gay clergy. Documents obtained by the Guardian showed the House of Bishops unable to agree on whether gay clergy should ever be appointed to the episcopate and that meetings about candidates descended into shouting matches, leaving some of those present in tears. Much of the debate has centred on Jeffrey John, a celibate priest who is in a longstanding civil partnership with another cleric. He was forced by the archbishop of Canterbury to stand down after being appointed suffragan bishop of Reading eight years ago after conservative evangelicals objected. Last year, the archbishops of Canterbury and York prevented John from becoming the bishop of Southwark, to the dismay of his supporters. The guidance says the criteria when considering a gay cleric for the bishopric are “whether the candidate had always complied with the church’s teachings on same-sex sexual activity; whether he was in a civil partnership; whether he was in a continuing civil partnership with a person with whom he had had an earlier same-sex sexual relationship; whether he had expressed repentance for any previous same-sex sexual activity; and whether (and to what extent) the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question, the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion.” The guidelines have angered those campaigning for greater inclusion in the Church of England. General Synod member Christina Rees said: “Nobody other than Jeffrey John has been honest about their sexuality. It is distasteful that gay clerics are asked about their sex lives. There is no parity between them and straight clerics.” Rees warned that the guidance was “too open” for people to exploit as they could argue that the appointment of a gay bishop could prove divisive at home or overseas. The Anglican communion remains at odds over the issue of gay bishops, even though the Episcopal Church in the US has made two such appointments in the last decade. Anglicanism Religion Christianity Gay rights Rowan Williams Equality Act 2010 Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk
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Northern League’s Umberto Bossi makes life difficult for Italian PM with demand that could generate new eurozone crisis The threat of a new crisis on the eurozone’s southern flank loomed on Sunday as a crucial ally of Silvio Berlusconi demanded that the government cut taxes, despite the serious implications that this would have on Italy’s public finances. Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader and arbiter of the prime minister’s fate, brushed aside concerns that Italy could go the way of Greece when he told cheering supporters in Pontida that the tax burden in Italy had gone “beyond all limits”. Bossi, Berlusconi’s partner in Italy’s rightwing coalition government, has been under huge pressure from his party’s rank and file since local elections last month showed a sharp fall in the league’s support. Tax cuts would offer both men the promise of regaining their lost popularity, but could widen the budget deficit of a country that has the eurozone’s biggest public debt. On Friday, the rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade Italy’s credit ratings because of concerns that the crisis in Greece could increase eurozone interest rates and derail Italy’s already precarious economic recovery. The finance minister, Giulio Tremonti, has been urging prudence on his cabinet colleagues and was reported by La Repubblica to be planning a mini-budget that would include deficit reduction measures totalling €40m (£35m). But Bossi told his supporters: “Tremonti says that we risk ending up like Greece. But, whatever, something has to be done to bring down taxes.” He stopped well short of threatening to bring down the government in a confidence vote on Wednesday because that would force a general election “at a moment favourable to the left”. But he said Berlusconi’s leadership of the Italian right would be at stake after the next general election in 2013 “if he does not do certain things”. Largely thanks to Tremonti’s insistence on fiscal rigour, Italy has remained comparatively unscathed by the financial hurricane blowing through southern Europe. Italy’s budget deficit this year is expected to be a modest 4% and investors demand a return of less than 5% for 10-year loans to the Italian treasury; in Greece, the rate is above 17%. But Italy’s public debt is expected to top 120% of GDP by the end of the year, so any increase in the cost of borrowing could swiftly make it impossible for the Rome government to contain its budget deficit, especially as Italy’s low economic growth is holding down tax revenues. Tremonti has tried to square the circle by rooting out tax evasion, but the clampdown is among the chief grouses of Bossi’s mainly lower middle-class following of small business owners and self-employed workers. A poll on Saturday indicated 55% of the league’s voters disapproved of the government’s performance. Many would like to see Bossi withdraw from the coalition and some would like him to lead the north out of Italy. Seven times during his speech, he was interrupted by chants of “Secession. Secession.” Bossi told them Tremonti had done “shameful things” and repeated a demand for some government ministries to be moved to the north. “The industry ministry shouldn’t be in Rome. It ought to be in the north, where the factories are,” he said, adding that he and another Northern League minister had signed decrees for the transfer of their departments to Monza “but then Berlusconi shat on it”. The League’s plan could yet cause the government serious problems. The regional governor of Campania in the south promptly demanded the transfer of an equivalent number of ministries to Naples. His counterpart in Lazio, the region around Rome, announced a petition to keep the government in the capital. And the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, warned of a “hard, serious” tussle. Italy Europe European debt crisis Europe Euro Silvio Berlusconi European Union Euro Currencies John Hooper guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Northern League’s Umberto Bossi makes life difficult for Italian PM with demand that could generate new eurozone crisis The threat of a new crisis on the eurozone’s southern flank loomed on Sunday as a crucial ally of Silvio Berlusconi demanded that the government cut taxes, despite the serious implications that this would have on Italy’s public finances. Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader and arbiter of the prime minister’s fate, brushed aside concerns that Italy could go the way of Greece when he told cheering supporters in Pontida that the tax burden in Italy had gone “beyond all limits”. Bossi, Berlusconi’s partner in Italy’s rightwing coalition government, has been under huge pressure from his party’s rank and file since local elections last month showed a sharp fall in the league’s support. Tax cuts would offer both men the promise of regaining their lost popularity, but could widen the budget deficit of a country that has the eurozone’s biggest public debt. On Friday, the rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade Italy’s credit ratings because of concerns that the crisis in Greece could increase eurozone interest rates and derail Italy’s already precarious economic recovery. The finance minister, Giulio Tremonti, has been urging prudence on his cabinet colleagues and was reported by La Repubblica to be planning a mini-budget that would include deficit reduction measures totalling €40m (£35m). But Bossi told his supporters: “Tremonti says that we risk ending up like Greece. But, whatever, something has to be done to bring down taxes.” He stopped well short of threatening to bring down the government in a confidence vote on Wednesday because that would force a general election “at a moment favourable to the left”. But he said Berlusconi’s leadership of the Italian right would be at stake after the next general election in 2013 “if he does not do certain things”. Largely thanks to Tremonti’s insistence on fiscal rigour, Italy has remained comparatively unscathed by the financial hurricane blowing through southern Europe. Italy’s budget deficit this year is expected to be a modest 4% and investors demand a return of less than 5% for 10-year loans to the Italian treasury; in Greece, the rate is above 17%. But Italy’s public debt is expected to top 120% of GDP by the end of the year, so any increase in the cost of borrowing could swiftly make it impossible for the Rome government to contain its budget deficit, especially as Italy’s low economic growth is holding down tax revenues. Tremonti has tried to square the circle by rooting out tax evasion, but the clampdown is among the chief grouses of Bossi’s mainly lower middle-class following of small business owners and self-employed workers. A poll on Saturday indicated 55% of the league’s voters disapproved of the government’s performance. Many would like to see Bossi withdraw from the coalition and some would like him to lead the north out of Italy. Seven times during his speech, he was interrupted by chants of “Secession. Secession.” Bossi told them Tremonti had done “shameful things” and repeated a demand for some government ministries to be moved to the north. “The industry ministry shouldn’t be in Rome. It ought to be in the north, where the factories are,” he said, adding that he and another Northern League minister had signed decrees for the transfer of their departments to Monza “but then Berlusconi shat on it”. The League’s plan could yet cause the government serious problems. The regional governor of Campania in the south promptly demanded the transfer of an equivalent number of ministries to Naples. His counterpart in Lazio, the region around Rome, announced a petition to keep the government in the capital. And the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, warned of a “hard, serious” tussle. Italy Europe European debt crisis Europe Euro Silvio Berlusconi European Union Euro Currencies John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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Northern League’s Umberto Bossi makes life difficult for Italian PM with demand that could generate new eurozone crisis The threat of a new crisis on the eurozone’s southern flank loomed on Sunday as a crucial ally of Silvio Berlusconi demanded that the government cut taxes, despite the serious implications that this would have on Italy’s public finances. Umberto Bossi, the Northern League leader and arbiter of the prime minister’s fate, brushed aside concerns that Italy could go the way of Greece when he told cheering supporters in Pontida that the tax burden in Italy had gone “beyond all limits”. Bossi, Berlusconi’s partner in Italy’s rightwing coalition government, has been under huge pressure from his party’s rank and file since local elections last month showed a sharp fall in the league’s support. Tax cuts would offer both men the promise of regaining their lost popularity, but could widen the budget deficit of a country that has the eurozone’s biggest public debt. On Friday, the rating agency Moody’s warned it could downgrade Italy’s credit ratings because of concerns that the crisis in Greece could increase eurozone interest rates and derail Italy’s already precarious economic recovery. The finance minister, Giulio Tremonti, has been urging prudence on his cabinet colleagues and was reported by La Repubblica to be planning a mini-budget that would include deficit reduction measures totalling €40m (£35m). But Bossi told his supporters: “Tremonti says that we risk ending up like Greece. But, whatever, something has to be done to bring down taxes.” He stopped well short of threatening to bring down the government in a confidence vote on Wednesday because that would force a general election “at a moment favourable to the left”. But he said Berlusconi’s leadership of the Italian right would be at stake after the next general election in 2013 “if he does not do certain things”. Largely thanks to Tremonti’s insistence on fiscal rigour, Italy has remained comparatively unscathed by the financial hurricane blowing through southern Europe. Italy’s budget deficit this year is expected to be a modest 4% and investors demand a return of less than 5% for 10-year loans to the Italian treasury; in Greece, the rate is above 17%. But Italy’s public debt is expected to top 120% of GDP by the end of the year, so any increase in the cost of borrowing could swiftly make it impossible for the Rome government to contain its budget deficit, especially as Italy’s low economic growth is holding down tax revenues. Tremonti has tried to square the circle by rooting out tax evasion, but the clampdown is among the chief grouses of Bossi’s mainly lower middle-class following of small business owners and self-employed workers. A poll on Saturday indicated 55% of the league’s voters disapproved of the government’s performance. Many would like to see Bossi withdraw from the coalition and some would like him to lead the north out of Italy. Seven times during his speech, he was interrupted by chants of “Secession. Secession.” Bossi told them Tremonti had done “shameful things” and repeated a demand for some government ministries to be moved to the north. “The industry ministry shouldn’t be in Rome. It ought to be in the north, where the factories are,” he said, adding that he and another Northern League minister had signed decrees for the transfer of their departments to Monza “but then Berlusconi shat on it”. The League’s plan could yet cause the government serious problems. The regional governor of Campania in the south promptly demanded the transfer of an equivalent number of ministries to Naples. His counterpart in Lazio, the region around Rome, announced a petition to keep the government in the capital. And the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, warned of a “hard, serious” tussle. Italy Europe European debt crisis Europe Euro Silvio Berlusconi European Union Euro Currencies John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Chris Wallace says he just doesn’t understand the difference between Fox News’ activism and the type of material presented by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. Stewart tried to spell out the differences Sunday when he appeared on the conservative network but Wallace just didn’t seem to get it. Wallace accused Stewart of playing politics by comparing a video for former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s bus tour to a herpes medication ad. “You’re insane,” Stewart charged. “Here is the difference between you and I. I’m a comedian first. My comedy is informed by an ideological background. No question about that. The thing that you will never understand and things that conservative activists will never understand is Hollywood, yeah, they’re liberal. But that’s not their primary motivating force. I’m not an activist. I’m a comedian.” “Honestly, I think you want to be a political player,” Wallace insisted. “You can’t understand because of world you live in that there is not a designed ideological agenda on my part to affect partisan change. Because that’s the soup you swim in. I appreciate that. I understand that. It reminds me of, you know, you know, ideological regimes. They can’t understand that there is free media other places. Because they receive marching orders.” “I don’t think the viewers are the least bit disappointed with us,” Wallace said. “Our viewers think finally we’re getting somebody to tell the other side of the story.” “Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart asked. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox viewers. Consistently. Every poll.” “I’m just trying to understand you,” Wallace claimed. “Is that really true? Here is the thing that surprises me about that. I’ve existed in this country forever. There have been people like this who satirized the political process,” Stewart explained. “I’m sitting here talking to Jon Stewart. I’m trying to get it. Understand you and what I believe to be true: there is as much bias on the other side as you subscribe to Fox and why you go easy on that.” “I think there is, probably a liberal bias that exists in the media because of the medium in which it exists. The majority of people working in it probably hold liberal view points, but I don’t think they are as relentlessly activist as the conservative movement that has risen up over the last 40 years,” Stewart said. “Do you get me?” “Well, you know what? When you come back we can explore this some more,” Wallace concluded.
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Click here to view this media Chris Wallace says he just doesn’t understand the difference between Fox News’ activism and the type of material presented by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart. Stewart tried to spell out the differences Sunday when he appeared on the conservative network but Wallace just didn’t seem to get it. Wallace accused Stewart of playing politics by comparing a video for former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s bus tour to a herpes medication ad. “You’re insane,” Stewart charged. “Here is the difference between you and I. I’m a comedian first. My comedy is informed by an ideological background. No question about that. The thing that you will never understand and things that conservative activists will never understand is Hollywood, yeah, they’re liberal. But that’s not their primary motivating force. I’m not an activist. I’m a comedian.” “Honestly, I think you want to be a political player,” Wallace insisted. “You can’t understand because of world you live in that there is not a designed ideological agenda on my part to affect partisan change. Because that’s the soup you swim in. I appreciate that. I understand that. It reminds me of, you know, you know, ideological regimes. They can’t understand that there is free media other places. Because they receive marching orders.” “I don’t think the viewers are the least bit disappointed with us,” Wallace said. “Our viewers think finally we’re getting somebody to tell the other side of the story.” “Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart asked. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox viewers. Consistently. Every poll.” “I’m just trying to understand you,” Wallace claimed. “Is that really true? Here is the thing that surprises me about that. I’ve existed in this country forever. There have been people like this who satirized the political process,” Stewart explained. “I’m sitting here talking to Jon Stewart. I’m trying to get it. Understand you and what I believe to be true: there is as much bias on the other side as you subscribe to Fox and why you go easy on that.” “I think there is, probably a liberal bias that exists in the media because of the medium in which it exists. The majority of people working in it probably hold liberal view points, but I don’t think they are as relentlessly activist as the conservative movement that has risen up over the last 40 years,” Stewart said. “Do you get me?” “Well, you know what? When you come back we can explore this some more,” Wallace concluded.
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Libyan officials showed reporters five bodies, two of them of toddlers, they said were among nine civilians killed in a ‘barbaric’ NATO air raid on Sunday as pressure mounted on the alliance to allow a political solution. Government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim accused the Western alliance of ‘deliberately targeting civilians,’ insisting there were no military targets anywhere near the residential neighbourhood of the capital that was hit. NATO said it was looking into the Libyan claim. Ibrahim demanded that the alliance end its ‘aggression’ to pave the way for dialogue, speaking just hours after organisations including the the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations highlighted…
Continue reading …Gordon Murray reveals new Batmobile, Dark Knight gets serious about reducing carbon footprint
June 19, 2011 No Comment
So you’ve finished building your Batman Forever -style Batmobile , your Tumbler ‘s up on blocks in the front yard, and you’re itching for a new project. It’s not too early to start planning a DIY version of Gordon Murray’s newly unveiled Bat-ride (part of the Batman Live World Arena Tour). The designer drew on his experience with the McLaren F1 for his new concept car, which includes a healthy dose of imagineering: there’s a carbon-fiber body that “breathes,” as well as LED-lit “virtual wheels.” We’re not sure how carbon fiber breathes or what virtual wheels are, but as Murray explains in the video below, they’re based on Formula One materials as he imagines them 15-20 years from now. He also envisions a greener Dark Knight, whose ride runs on hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries — no longer will the caped crusader suffer a guilty conscience due to his excessive carbon dioxide emissions. Continue reading Gordon Murray reveals new Batmobile, Dark Knight gets serious about reducing carbon footprint Gordon Murray reveals new Batmobile, Dark Knight gets serious about reducing carbon footprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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‘The Big Man’ Clarence Clemons, the larger-than-life saxophonist and Bruce Springsteen’s right hand man, died last night at his Singer Island, Florida home from complications following a stroke he suffered a few days ago. A longtime member of the E Street Band, Clemons also released several solo albums, collaborated with greats like Aretha Franklin and Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Flavorwire Discovery Date : 19/06/2011 03:03 Number of articles : 3
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