Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Persecution Index 4: South Africa, Pakistan

Muslim parents have taken over the school governing body of a Christian-majority high school in Kwazulu-Natal, SoutMuslimh Africa, the Barnabas Fund reports. By law meetings must be held to elect members of the governing body. 'Apathy among the Christian parents meant that hardly any Christians showed up at an electoral meeting, allowing the Muslim parents to seize control of the governing body by winning six of the seven elected positions. In South Africa the curriculum of the school is set by the government, but almost all other management issues relating to the school are decided upon by the governors. This includes decisions on the headmaster, staff, sport, culture and ethos.

Speculation over whether Atwood et al to come to Lambeth

As we report, the two Bills, Atwood and Murdoch, have now been consecrated and are Anglican bishops, even if rather 'extraordinary' ones. Or irregular. Or even rather frightening, if this picture is anything to go by. (Lots more wonderful pics in Kevin's gallery.) The question now for me is whether they will be invited to the Lambeth Conference. It appears they might be. But then again, they might not. Thinking Anglicans has latest news reports. Meanwhile, in Peru, the Anglican diocese is struggling to feed 5,000 people a day after the recent earthquake. Which is the more important story, I wonder?

Peter Akinola: 'Unity will never be at the expense of truth'

I was privileged to be given the opportunity the other day to go and meet the Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinola for an unprecedentedly frank interview. We spoke in his office in Abuja. One focus was the kind of man he is, his upbringing, relations with Islam. But inevitably we discussed the problems in the Anglican Communion as well. I wanted to know whether he and his 122 bishops - another five have been elected since we spoke - would be coming to Lambeth. Some of his words on that are also reported in our accompanying news story. (Update: There is lots of reaction, but for now I'll point you to one of the best. As usual, Get Religion has got it exactly. Thank you Mollie Hemingway. Apologies for earlier misattribution. Also thank you Chuck Blanchard for good analysis.)

Akinola on Lambeth, Canterbury, Islam and ritual sacrifice

The Archbishop and Primate of Nigeria, Dr Peter Akinola, has granted me an exclusive interview. I met him at his office in Abuja a few days ago. The piece will appear in T2 tomorrow, with added coverage online. Meanwhile, here is a little taster, on how God had other plans for him when he tried to evade his calling to the ministry as a young man.

Will this save or break the Communion?

This is Anglican TV's video of Martyn Minns' installation by Peter Akinola to serve as a missionary bishop in the US. Bishop Martyn is English by birth. Read Father Jake on how aspects of this controversy are now being fought out with pies. And MadPriest is getting madder. Read him for the latest Anglican jokes.

Poisonings and beheadings

On Remembrance Day last year, a 73-year-old English missionary priest died in Malawi. Canon Rodney Hunter merited a short Times obituary and was much mourned by those who knew and loved him here and in Africa. But he was elderly, and had had cancer. There seemed little in his death to arouse suspicion. Now, it turns out, he was poisoned. Mutterings that all was not right with his death began a few weeks back, and police in Africa have this week confirmed the worst.

Justice badly done by

Embracing principles of justice and equality as many of have been in the debate over homosexuality in the Anglican Church, it might be time that some of us white Westerners asked ourselves whether we have inadvertently allowed ourselves to become perpetrators of another equally wicked calumny. We must stop and question whether, in condemning so stridently the seemingly homophobic stance adopted by the churches of the Global South, we have not allowed ourselves to veer just a teeny little bit towards racism. What a disgrace that would be, were we so to have done so, on this bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.