The crumbling C of E - More bad news.

This report of a speech delivered at Lambeth Palace by Metropolitan Hilarion has just appeared on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Relations. The speech was presented last year. The Metropolitan does not mince his words. The same problems many Anglicans now have in ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church - with regard to homosexuality, abortion, women priests (and especially bishops) are also problems in their relations with Orthodoxy. These problems are not going to go away, and one has to say - with respect - that those Anglican commentators, whether clergy or laypeople, who maintain the attitude that "all is well" and, in due course, "all shall be well" as regards Christian unity are simply living in a mad dream world. Those in the Anglican "communion" (I do not mean to be disrespectful) who believe that they are trail-blazing are deeply deceived and will have to wake up to a world the possibility of which they have stubbornly refused to contemplate.