• BURUNDI: Province inaugurates new diocese, consecrates two new bishops
• CANADA: Fire damages Iqaluit's 'igloo' cathedral; arson suspected
• ENGLAND: Southwark bishop takes action after unauthorized service
• JAPAN: After quake, air raid, then arson, church rebuilt third time
• SCOTLAND: Primus of Scottish Episcopal Church to retire
• SPAIN: Anglicans celebrate milestone in Salamanca; new Anglican Center opens honoring priest and martyr

BURUNDI: Province inaugurates new diocese, consecrates two new bishops

[ENS, Source: Anglican Province of Burundi] In "colorful and joyful cereminies," the Anglican Church of Burundi (EAB) inaugurated the new diocese of Muyinga and consecrated two new bishops November 5-6. The Rt. Rev. Eraste Bigirimana was consecrated and installed as Bishop of Muyinga. The Rt. Rev. Sixbert Macumi was consecrated and installed as Bishop of Buye.
        Presiding at the ceremonies, the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of Burundi, was joined by retiring Bishop Samuel Ndayisenga of Buye, Bishop John Nduwayo of Gitega, Bishop Pie Ntukamazina of Bujumbura, and Bishop Martin Nyaboho of Makamba.
        In his sermon based on Jesus' encounter with Simon Peter after the resurrection, Ntahoturi called on the congregation to support the new bishops. "It is time that every Christian from every congregation knows that they have been called to be harvesters in God's harvest," he said. "This is a call to the priesthood of all believers."
        The new diocese of Muyinga is the sixth diocese in the Province of the EAB and will serve the parishes in the north-eastern areas of Cankuzo and Muyinga that stretch to the border with Tanzania. It is a predominantly rural area and consists of 10 parishes and numerous sub-parishes.
        Reviewing the ceremonies, Ntahoturi said, "It has been a great weekend for the Province, and we thank God. We need however to continue to pray for the whole Church, and especially for the work of reconciliation."

CANADA: Fire damages Iqaluit's 'igloo' cathedral; arson suspected

[ENS, Source: Anglican Journal] Igloo-shaped St. Jude's Cathedral in Iqaluit, Canada, the capital of Nunavut territory, was extensively damaged by fire on the night of November 5.
        "There is a lot of heat, smoke and fire damage inside. The structure is still standing. From the outside, you only see some smoke damage at the front door," said Iqaluit acting fire chief Gregory Jewers in a telephone interview.
        The fire broke out shortly after 9 p.m. and was under control by 2 a.m., he said. The fire marshal is investigating the possibility of arson and a dollar estimate of the damage was not available. Jewers also said some of the cathedral's art and artifacts were damaged.
        "The church is at the heart of the community. We do 99 percent of the funerals here. The soup kitchen is part of our ministry. The hall is used by community groups. The church has such historic value," said Rev. Ron McLean, rector of St. Jude's. He was allowed by fire officials to tour the blackened church, but said he could not disclose details of the damage while the fire marshal's investigation was underway.

Full story: http://www.anglicanjournal.com/extra/news.html?newsItem=2005-11-07_a.news

ENGLAND: Southwark bishop takes action after unauthorized service

[ENS, Source: Diocese of Southwark] The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt. Rev. Tom Butler, has revoked the license of the Rev. Richard Coekin after a bishop from the Church of England in South Africa -- not a member of the Anglican Communion -- ordained three members of Coekin's staff at Christ Church Surbiton on November 2.
        In a letter to the diocese, Butler said, "We do not do schism in the Diocese of Southwark" pointing to Church tradition and law that bishops from outside the diocese have no authority to perform ordinations within it without the express permission of the diocesan bishop.
        Coekin had earlier threatened to take such action unless Butler dissociated himself from the House of Bishops' Pastoral Statement on Civil Partnerships, which "does not regard entering into a civil partnership as intrinsically incompatible with holy orders, provided the person concerned is willing to give assurances to his or her bishop that the relationship is consistent with the standards for the clergy set out in Issues in Human Sexuality." Full text: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr5605.html.
        As well as revoking Coekin's license, Butler made it clear that the three people involved in the unauthorized ordination -- Andy Fenton, Richard Perkins, and Loots Lambrechts -- have no legal authority to claim to exercise ordained ministry in the Church of England in the Diocese of Southwark.

JAPAN: After quake, air raid, then arson, church rebuilt third time
By Hisashi Yukimoto

[ENS, Source: Ecumenical News International] A historic church in Japan's second-largest city of Yokohama, has been rebuilt after being burned down, allegedly by an American arsonist, who had apparently regularly attended its services.
        "Once totally destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and then totally destroyed by an American air raid [during the Second World War] in 1945, and with the fire, the church has gone through three trials," said the office of the Yokohama diocese of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Anglican Communion in Japan. The English-speaking Yokohama Christ Church was once rebuilt at the present site in 1931 and again in 1947 as an imposing stone Norman-Gothic edifice designed by U.S. architect J.H. Morgan.
        On January 4, police announced they had arrested the alleged arsonist, identified as a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was a member of the congregation, whose motive was unknown.
        In 1990, the church, which since the end of the war also served a Japanese-speaking congregation, was officially designated by the city government as a historic building retaining the atmosphere of the port city since its opening to foreign vessels in 1859.
        The building has been a popular tourist attraction in the international Yamate area of the city. It is seen as a historic symbol of Protestant missionaries in Japan who arrived in Yokohama from the West in the mid-19th century, when Christianity was still banned in Japan.
        "This church is not only a church for its believers but also an important building to witness Christ to the city, the local community and visitors to the Yamate area," the diocese said.
        The church needed to raise 80 million yen, or about US$68,000 for rebuilding. The funds were raised by the church and other Anglican churches in Japan and abroad, as well as through public subsidies and funding from the city government. Fund-raising efforts included holding charity concerts by a group of student cappella singers from Yale University in the United States.

SCOTLAND: Primus of Scottish Episcopal Church to retire

[ENS, Source: Scottish Episcopal Church] The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Bruce Cameron, has announced that he will step down as Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church at the end of April 2006, prior to his retirement after 14 years as Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney at the end of June 2006.
        Cameron has been Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church for 5 years and was the first Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney to become Primus in more than 140 years. He is stepping down as Primus before retiring as Bishop to give time for his successor to prepare for the vacancy and election process for a new Bishop of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.
        The election of a new Primus is made by the seven bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church and an announcement will be made in May 2006.
 Cameron has led the Church through times of significant change, most notably the debate concerning women in the Episcopate, and its final approval in 2003.
        Following his announcement of retirement, Cameron said, "I have greatly enjoyed the enormous privilege of being Primus and of course Bishop of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. I feel that new energy in leadership is now needed to continue to take the church forward in its mission and ministry. On a personal level, I would want to regard retirement not so much as an ending but as a new beginning -- an opportunity to explore new pursuits and activities while I have the energy and enthusiasm to do so."

Full story: http://www.scotland.anglican.org/archives/2005/11/06/primus-of-the-scottish-episcopal-church-to-retire.

SPAIN: Anglicans celebrate milestone in Salamanca; new Anglican Center opens honoring priest and martyr

[ENS, Source: Anglican Communion News Service] The memory of the slain priest, the Rev. Atilano Coco, murdered by General Franco as he seized Salamanca during the civil war, is honored in the new Anglican Center in the historic city, opened November 5.
        A spacious well-equipped conference facility, with modern accommodation for 50 persons, catering and a chapel, awaits those coming to use this new resource center for the Communion. Bishop Carlos Lopez-Lozano of the Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain, said, "Our church wants this to be a place for pilgrims, students and to serve the wider church, and especially the Anglican Communion."
        The work is the result of the vision of 43-year-old Bishop in Spain who wants the center to be "ecumenical and global."
        The Spanish Episcopal Church, like the Lusitanian Church of Portugal and the Diocese in Europe of the Church of England, has been celebrating various anniversaries. Spain is marking the 125th anniversary of the consecration of their first bishop and indeed the 10th anniversary of their current diocesan bishop. The church is extra-provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent a special greeting to those assembled in Salamanca for the inauguration ceremony.

Photographs and full story: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/50/acns4072.cfm