Categories: uncategorized
Date: 02 April 2013 17:46:07
It has been 10 years since an enthronement. I do remember Rowan Williams' enthronement which featured a traditional Welsh harp and voice duet, where the voice and harp do entirely different things in terms of the melody, and African dancers.
I'm not sure what anyone in the Church of England really expects of Archbishop Justin Welby (I reckon he must've wanted to get the person back for saddling him with the middle name Portal, though. maybe not these days, but when he was in his teenage years...). He seems to be a straight forward man. He supports the campaign for women bishops, which is a positive for me, but he is unsure about gay marriage. This is disappointing, but it is something he is having to question himself about, and I accept that I am very liberal. Very, very liberal.
The enthromement service, at Canterbury Cathedral (I've taken Sunday communion there) was different. The reading of the mandate for the Archbishop's appointment, and Welby banging on the door to gain entrance was all familiar. At the door, he was first of all challenged by a young girl (in a beautiful green sari) about why he wanted to gain entrance. This was his addition to the service, and he said that he came to "serve God and all the people, in fear and trembling, and knowing nothing except Jesus Christ". The installations in the chair of the province of Canterbury (conducted by a woman, who is the archdeacon of Canterbury) and in the Chair of st Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, which allows the new Archbishop to become Primate of All England and Metropolitan were expected. The African dancers that escorted the Archbishop to and from the reading of the Gospel were not, and were very good. You could see the looks on faces though. "Anglicans don't do things like this". I'm as guilty of it as anyone. Things don't happen as you expect. Usually with me, it's because somebody doesn't do something as they are supposed to. I get fidgety. It's STUPID, and I hold my hands up in shame and accept it. I will do better. There was a period of contemplation which I found very thought-provoking. During an organ improvisation by the Principal Organist of the Cathedral, symbols from countries all over the Anglican Communion were bought to the altar and placed around the Archbishop's pastoral staff, which was laid on top of the altar. I liked this.
So, now he has been enthroned. He has been doing the job since January, but now its official, and his Easter message said "Don't expect me to sort out all the problems". Dr Giles Fraser commented that women bishops could possibly be achieved, but gay marriage was "a square problem in a round hole". I think , sadly, that they are both square problems in round holes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLirdU0QIdM
Click on this link to see highlights from the BBC broadcast.