Archbishop Andrew Hutchison of Canada has made it clear in his recent statements that the Communion is indeed broken. A dramatic demonstration of this, possibly confusing cause with effect, was the joint refusal of what he counted as 14, (that is 40% of the primates present), to share at the Lord's table at the recent meeting in Northern Ireland.

The Houston-based Diocese of Texas covers 49,000 square miles and includes 57 counties, including Travis.

Daniels, a native of Panama, also serves on the national church's executive council, the body that monitors and implements decisions made at the triennial conventions.

In referring to the fact that there is no current bar to ordination for someone who might be in a close relationship with a member of the same sex, the Bishops were simply stating the present position as it applies in Scotland where, unlike some other provinces, no motion discouraging such ordinations has ever been passed by our General Synod. Consequently, the statement earlier this month does not represent any change in policy on the part of the Bishops.

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It should not need saying, but it must be said: our Christian faith is a faith in the rising of Jesus Christ from the tomb in his glorified body; and so it is about leading lives that take the life of the body seriously. The words for 'salvation' and 'health' cannot be distinguished in most languages, and this should remind us that faith in Christ has to be bound up with care for suffering bodies as well as suffering souls.