From Cleric To Relic

[JR976evil 885]

That's actually just made me feel depressed because it reminds me of Happy Feet the penguin who went missing ,presumed eaten, recently

 

Away and cut your wrists then...

 

Hey this isn't one of those websites

[DevonDeathTrip 2,305]

Spirtual leader Kirtanananda Swami, aka Swami Bhaktipada, perhaps one of the West's most prominent Hare Krishna devotees, is suffering from serious health problems.

 

Bhaktipada was admitted to a hospital...at the end of July with a collapsed lung. A CAT scan revealed bleeding inside the brain...the 73-year-old Bhaktipada returned to his nearby temple this week after doctors indicated there was nothing more they could do.

 

Dead.

 

According to the tenements of his faith, he will already have been reincarnated as another human (if he's lived a good life) or a lower form of life (if he's been bad). As Bhaktipada served ten years in jail for racketeering, there is every possibility that he could now be a newt living in a pond near you.

[Windsor 2,157]

The Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, The Right Rev Crispian Hollis, has announced in a letter to the clergy of his Diocese that he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

 

He seems to have responded well to his treatment: http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19404

 

I went back into hospital last Monday and under the care of the same surgeon, Mr Jim Khan, I was given a reversal of the ileostomy that had been put in place in September. I am glad to say that the operation was successful and no further treatment is envisaged.

[Guest the holy profit]

John Patrick Foley, 76, Cardinal and Grand Master Emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, has died. http://whispersinthe...ey-dies-at.html

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

I haven't seen him deliver it but radio reports are that accused paedophile/Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall was pale and incoherent when giving one of his Christmas Day speeches. He was only born in '59 though so I am not expecting anything to be too seriously wrong with him.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

I haven't seen him deliver it but radio reports are that accused paedophile/Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall was pale and incoherent when giving one of his Christmas Day speeches. He was only born in '59 though so I am not expecting anything to be too seriously wrong with him.

 

It seems that Phillip Aspinall's Wikipedia page has been the subject of a recent edit war. Before the last wave of edits chopped out most of the content, it showed that his tenure as head of the Diocese of Brisbane has not been a particularly happy one:

 

 

***

Career

 

He was consecrated a bishop in Adelaide on 29 June 1998 where he served as assistant bishop until December 2001.

 

In 2003, he was implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. This was widely reported in the national news at the time. [1]

 

During his tenure, the pro-homosexual Anglo-Catholic clergy organisation, the Oratory of the Good Shepherd has been allowed to flourish. Another notable event in his reign has been the completion of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.

 

Controversially, the cathedral includes a souvenir shop within its walls which many parishioners find inappropriate. Also highly controversial has been the installation of reserved pews for politicians and members of the military. [3]

 

He was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia in 2005. He has an authoritarian, centralist leadership style and has tried to silence any form of dissent. This has led to a culture of intimidation. For instance, priests are not inclined to publish their sermons on their parish websites for fear of reprimand.

 

By his own admission, Archbishop Aspinall was caught off-guard by "No Religion" campaign that was launched by an atheist lobby group in the lead-up to the 2011 Census. [4]

 

Throughout his career, the Anglo-Catholic Aspinall has been in a power struggle with the evangelical Archbishop Peter Jensen from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. As a result of this, priests who have graduated from Moore Theological College are not permitted to preach in Brisbane.

 

In terms of social justice issues, Aspinall has spoken out against the ill-treatment of asylum seekers [5] but has provided very little support to international social justice organisations active in his diocese, such as the Tearfund, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship and the local environmental group, Angligreen. He has, however, shown support for women bishops [6] against the wishes of the local branch of the conservative lobby group, Forward in Faith.

 

During the 2011 Diocese of Brisbane Synod, Aspinall's deputy, Bishop Jonathan Holland, stifled a motion that would have led to an investigation into alleged malpractice at Saint Francis' Theological College, at which most of the diocese's priests are trained. [7]

 

A motion raised that would have lead to Anglican Church schools shifting focus away from academic elitism towards producing good Christians was also quashed at this synod [8]

 

Aspinall has also encouraged new money-making ventures for the Diocese. During the time of the Cathedral's construction, several fundraising efforts were made. He has also initiated ventures to allow parishioners to tithe via direct debit and leave their estates to the Church by distributing information about creating wills that favour the Diocese. [9]

***

 

So Phillip Aspinall is a bullying, authoritarian. money-grubbing pro-military, class-conscious elitist... Under him, Anglicanism in Brisbane really does sound like it has been reduced to nothing more than the last shadow of the British Empire then. :(

[Magere Hein 1,398]

So Phillip Aspinall is a bullying, authoritarian. money-grubbing pro-military, class-conscious elitist...

 

Sounds like he's pope material.

 

Oh wait...

 

regards,

Hein

[Guest Inner Sanctum Spy]

I haven't seen him deliver it but radio reports are that accused paedophile/Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall was pale and incoherent when giving one of his Christmas Day speeches. He was only born in '59 though so I am not expecting anything to be too seriously wrong with him.

 

It seems that Phillip Aspinall's Wikipedia page has been the subject of a recent edit war. Before the last wave of edits chopped out most of the content, it showed that his tenure as head of the Diocese of Brisbane has not been a particularly happy one:

 

 

***

Career

 

He was consecrated a bishop in Adelaide on 29 June 1998 where he served as assistant bishop until December 2001.

 

In 2003, he was implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. This was widely reported in the national news at the time. [1]

 

During his tenure, the pro-homosexual Anglo-Catholic clergy organisation, the Oratory of the Good Shepherd has been allowed to flourish. Another notable event in his reign has been the completion of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.

 

Controversially, the cathedral includes a souvenir shop within its walls which many parishioners find inappropriate. Also highly controversial has been the installation of reserved pews for politicians and members of the military. [3]

 

He was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia in 2005. He has an authoritarian, centralist leadership style and has tried to silence any form of dissent. This has led to a culture of intimidation. For instance, priests are not inclined to publish their sermons on their parish websites for fear of reprimand.

 

By his own admission, Archbishop Aspinall was caught off-guard by "No Religion" campaign that was launched by an atheist lobby group in the lead-up to the 2011 Census. [4]

 

Throughout his career, the Anglo-Catholic Aspinall has been in a power struggle with the evangelical Archbishop Peter Jensen from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. As a result of this, priests who have graduated from Moore Theological College are not permitted to preach in Brisbane.

 

In terms of social justice issues, Aspinall has spoken out against the ill-treatment of asylum seekers [5] but has provided very little support to international social justice organisations active in his diocese, such as the Tearfund, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship and the local environmental group, Angligreen. He has, however, shown support for women bishops [6] against the wishes of the local branch of the conservative lobby group, Forward in Faith.

 

During the 2011 Diocese of Brisbane Synod, Aspinall's deputy, Bishop Jonathan Holland, stifled a motion that would have led to an investigation into alleged malpractice at Saint Francis' Theological College, at which most of the diocese's priests are trained. [7]

 

A motion raised that would have lead to Anglican Church schools shifting focus away from academic elitism towards producing good Christians was also quashed at this synod [8]

 

Aspinall has also encouraged new money-making ventures for the Diocese. During the time of the Cathedral's construction, several fundraising efforts were made. He has also initiated ventures to allow parishioners to tithe via direct debit and leave their estates to the Church by distributing information about creating wills that favour the Diocese. [9]

***

 

So Phillip Aspinall is a bullying, authoritarian. money-grubbing pro-military, class-conscious elitist... Under him, Anglicanism in Brisbane really does sound like it has been reduced to nothing more than the last shadow of the British Empire then. :(

 

 

I am a long time lurker from Australia. Love your deliciously wicked sense of humour on this site. (Thanks to DJL for pointing this discussion out to me.)

 

Anyway, time to bite the bullet and post. I used to work with Phillip Aspinall quite some time ago so I know a lot about the Archbishop and, yes, most of the horror stories are all too true, IMHO.

 

First of all, though, and of most interest to all of you, I doubt he has any health problems. I didn't hear the radio report about him being pale or vague yesterday but it was probably due to the stuffiness of the Cathedral. It knocks everyone from time to time, especially the priests in their heavy vestments. The ventilation is just one of the problems in what has been a white elephant of a building.

 

Also to be fair to Aspinall, he has always denied the paedophilia charges and no substantial proof has come out, just allegations so it has just been his word against those of his accusers. He did work at the Church of England Boys' Society (CEBS) back in the 1970s when a lot of priests were involved in illicit sexual activity, though, most of whom have now been convicted. You can find his detailed denials online though.

 

As for the other statements in that Wikipedia page, they are unfortunately spot on. Forget about bishops being great Christian shepherds caring for their flocks. By and large, they are politicians. Full stop. Phillip Aspinall is not the worst of them but he is mostly interested in furthering his own career. Little things like Jesus' Gospel don't get in the way of that.

 

Yes, huge amounts of money have been poured into building the Cathedral that could have gone to helping the poor. Also, yes, a lot of people hate the fact there is a shop as soon as you walk in the door. Jesus driving out moneylenders anyone?

 

In addition, if you read Phillip Aspinall's Christmas address from yesterday, you will see it is largely a political speech peppered with Biblical allusions. It is nothing to do with Jesus' teachings-he even goes counter to them once or twice. In fact, a bearded hippie pacifist radical (as many people knowingly refer to Jesus these days) would be a threat to the institutional church.

 

Yes, there is a lot of bullying and powerplays in the Church, too. Brisbane is an Anglo-Catholic diocese so it tends to be especially authoritarian but priests are afraid to speak out on certain issues. Disobeying a bishop is the beginning of the end of their careers.

 

To sum up, I cannot emphasize enough that these bishops are careerist politicians and quite ruthless and bitchy in their own little arena. I know the C of E back in the UK is basically eating itself with all the bitchy fighting over homosexuals and we have just the same factionalism here.

 

They are also surrounded by advisors and become fairly insular after a while. You will see above that His Grace was not even aware of the "No Religion" 2011 census campaign until the last minute, despite all of the publicity it received in the UK and Australia! He even wrote an article in the Focus (Anglican newspaper) confessing his ignorance. This is how arrogant and out of touch they become, while people like our late rambunctious friend, Mr Hitchens go out and ask questions about the basis of our religious suppositions. I don't think Christopher Hitchens was a deep thinker but the bishops either responded in an extremely muddled way for failed to take the time to address the concerns of the common man that he was able to raise in such a biting way.

 

Likewise their opposition to the Iraq War was very muted to the point of being absolutely gutless and their response to the big moral issue of our age, climate change, has come about twenty years too late, allowing green groups to get the jump on them and show the real leadership. Aspinall plays his politics very safe - he would rather go with the popular trends than take a stand on an issue. He is all for "our troops in Iraq" and forgets about Jesus being the Prince of Peace or little teachings like "turn the other cheek." This is in real contrast to many of the Bishops in New Zealand who actually do have some balls and take a strong anti-war stance. You won't ever see Aspinall being nailed up on a cross for something he believes in, though. He is way too much of a populist. The only reason he gets away with it is that he uses humour to undermine his enemies (both in the church and in the wider political sphere.) Once people wake up to that, he will be finished.

 

In short, I respected bishops until I came to work closely with Phillip Aspinall and his peers. I am still a Christian but I now attend a small church where there are no bishops and feel a lot happier for it. I feel that the Puritans (the original Puritans, not the dills who wanted to ban sex and Christmas) were right in wanting to rid the church of bishops. Removing that office way back then would mean Anglicanism would not be going the way of the dinosaurs now. Real Christianity is the poor people down the bottom of the hierarchy helping in the soup kitchens, protesting outside army bases or working with the Occupy Brisbane mob. You will never see the bishops at any of these events unless they want to be on TV.

 

Regarding the Anglican schools - yes they are very elitist (much like the English Public Schools). They are a throwback to the days of Queen Vic and I always think a poor carpenter like Joseph would never have been able to afford to send his Son there. If he did, Jesus would probably have ended up an atheist lawyer when he graduated!

 

Anyway, time to end this epic rant! I will go back to being a lurker now after this little fleeting appearance in the sunlight - I love the dark humour here and I am eager to see which poor blighters will be on your 2012 list. As for Aspinall and his ilk, I suspect they will be around to plague us for a long time. I did giggle when Hein said he has the making of a Pope! That is all too true...

 

So, yes, Phillip Aspinall has been a bad bishop, and a disaster for Brisbane and Australia but bad bishops are the rule, not the exception.

 

But yes, Aspinall almost certainly just had a touch of heat stroke the other day as he has suffered from this before so no mortal illnesses, ladies and gents. I will keep my ear to the ground and let you know of any developments in case he ever does get really sick. I have contacts in a few interesting Aussie social circles so I will either post here or let DJL know if anyone of interest nears the end of their mortal coil.

 

Anyway, in the best spirit of this site, Merry Christmas and Happy Reaping in the New Year, my (slightly ghoulish) friends!

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

I haven't seen him deliver it but radio reports are that accused paedophile/Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall was pale and incoherent when giving one of his Christmas Day speeches. He was only born in '59 though so I am not expecting anything to be too seriously wrong with him.

 

It seems that Phillip Aspinall's Wikipedia page has been the subject of a recent edit war. Before the last wave of edits chopped out most of the content, it showed that his tenure as head of the Diocese of Brisbane has not been a particularly happy one:

 

 

***

Career

 

He was consecrated a bishop in Adelaide on 29 June 1998 where he served as assistant bishop until December 2001.

 

In 2003, he was implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. This was widely reported in the national news at the time. [1]

 

During his tenure, the pro-homosexual Anglo-Catholic clergy organisation, the Oratory of the Good Shepherd has been allowed to flourish. Another notable event in his reign has been the completion of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.

 

Controversially, the cathedral includes a souvenir shop within its walls which many parishioners find inappropriate. Also highly controversial has been the installation of reserved pews for politicians and members of the military. [3]

 

He was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia in 2005. He has an authoritarian, centralist leadership style and has tried to silence any form of dissent. This has led to a culture of intimidation. For instance, priests are not inclined to publish their sermons on their parish websites for fear of reprimand.

 

By his own admission, Archbishop Aspinall was caught off-guard by "No Religion" campaign that was launched by an atheist lobby group in the lead-up to the 2011 Census. [4]

 

Throughout his career, the Anglo-Catholic Aspinall has been in a power struggle with the evangelical Archbishop Peter Jensen from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. As a result of this, priests who have graduated from Moore Theological College are not permitted to preach in Brisbane.

 

In terms of social justice issues, Aspinall has spoken out against the ill-treatment of asylum seekers [5] but has provided very little support to international social justice organisations active in his diocese, such as the Tearfund, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship and the local environmental group, Angligreen. He has, however, shown support for women bishops [6] against the wishes of the local branch of the conservative lobby group, Forward in Faith.

 

During the 2011 Diocese of Brisbane Synod, Aspinall's deputy, Bishop Jonathan Holland, stifled a motion that would have led to an investigation into alleged malpractice at Saint Francis' Theological College, at which most of the diocese's priests are trained. [7]

 

A motion raised that would have lead to Anglican Church schools shifting focus away from academic elitism towards producing good Christians was also quashed at this synod [8]

 

Aspinall has also encouraged new money-making ventures for the Diocese. During the time of the Cathedral's construction, several fundraising efforts were made. He has also initiated ventures to allow parishioners to tithe via direct debit and leave their estates to the Church by distributing information about creating wills that favour the Diocese. [9]

***

 

So Phillip Aspinall is a bullying, authoritarian. money-grubbing pro-military, class-conscious elitist... Under him, Anglicanism in Brisbane really does sound like it has been reduced to nothing more than the last shadow of the British Empire then. :(

 

 

I am a long time lurker from Australia. Love your deliciously wicked sense of humour on this site. (Thanks to DJL for pointing this discussion out to me.)

 

Anyway, time to bite the bullet and post. I used to work with Phillip Aspinall quite some time ago so I know a lot about the Archbishop and, yes, most of the horror stories are all too true, IMHO.

 

First of all, though, and of most interest to all of you, I doubt he has any health problems. I didn't hear the radio report about him being pale or vague yesterday but it was probably due to the stuffiness of the Cathedral. It knocks everyone from time to time, especially the priests in their heavy vestments. The ventilation is just one of the problems in what has been a white elephant of a building.

 

Also to be fair to Aspinall, he has always denied the paedophilia charges and no substantial proof has come out, just allegations so it has just been his word against those of his accusers. He did work at the Church of England Boys' Society (CEBS) back in the 1970s when a lot of priests were involved in illicit sexual activity, though, most of whom have now been convicted. You can find his detailed denials online though.

 

As for the other statements in that Wikipedia page, they are unfortunately spot on. Forget about bishops being great Christian shepherds caring for their flocks. By and large, they are politicians. Full stop. Phillip Aspinall is not the worst of them but he is mostly interested in furthering his own career. Little things like Jesus' Gospel don't get in the way of that.

 

Yes, huge amounts of money have been poured into building the Cathedral that could have gone to helping the poor. Also, yes, a lot of people hate the fact there is a shop as soon as you walk in the door. Jesus driving out moneylenders anyone?

 

In addition, if you read Phillip Aspinall's Christmas address from yesterday, you will see it is largely a political speech peppered with Biblical allusions. It is nothing to do with Jesus' teachings-he even goes counter to them once or twice. In fact, a bearded hippie pacifist radical (as many people knowingly refer to Jesus these days) would be a threat to the institutional church.

 

Yes, there is a lot of bullying and powerplays in the Church, too. Brisbane is an Anglo-Catholic diocese so it tends to be especially authoritarian but priests are afraid to speak out on certain issues. Disobeying a bishop is the beginning of the end of their careers.

 

To sum up, I cannot emphasize enough that these bishops are careerist politicians and quite ruthless and bitchy in their own little arena. I know the C of E back in the UK is basically eating itself with all the bitchy fighting over homosexuals and we have just the same factionalism here.

 

They are also surrounded by advisors and become fairly insular after a while. You will see above that His Grace was not even aware of the "No Religion" 2011 census campaign until the last minute, despite all of the publicity it received in the UK and Australia! He even wrote an article in the Focus (Anglican newspaper) confessing his ignorance. This is how arrogant and out of touch they become, while people like our late rambunctious friend, Mr Hitchens go out and ask questions about the basis of our religious suppositions. I don't think Christopher Hitchens was a deep thinker but the bishops either responded in an extremely muddled way for failed to take the time to address the concerns of the common man that he was able to raise in such a biting way.

 

Likewise their opposition to the Iraq War was very muted to the point of being absolutely gutless and their response to the big moral issue of our age, climate change, has come about twenty years too late, allowing green groups to get the jump on them and show the real leadership. Aspinall plays his politics very safe - he would rather go with the popular trends than take a stand on an issue. He is all for "our troops in Iraq" and forgets about Jesus being the Prince of Peace or little teachings like "turn the other cheek." This is in real contrast to many of the Bishops in New Zealand who actually do have some balls and take a strong anti-war stance. You won't ever see Aspinall being nailed up on a cross for something he believes in, though. He is way too much of a populist. The only reason he gets away with it is that he uses humour to undermine his enemies (both in the church and in the wider political sphere.) Once people wake up to that, he will be finished.

 

In short, I respected bishops until I came to work closely with Phillip Aspinall and his peers. I am still a Christian but I now attend a small church where there are no bishops and feel a lot happier for it. I feel that the Puritans (the original Puritans, not the dills who wanted to ban sex and Christmas) were right in wanting to rid the church of bishops. Removing that office way back then would mean Anglicanism would not be going the way of the dinosaurs now. Real Christianity is the poor people down the bottom of the hierarchy helping in the soup kitchens, protesting outside army bases or working with the Occupy Brisbane mob. You will never see the bishops at any of these events unless they want to be on TV.

 

Regarding the Anglican schools - yes they are very elitist (much like the English Public Schools). They are a throwback to the days of Queen Vic and I always think a poor carpenter like Joseph would never have been able to afford to send his Son there. If he did, Jesus would probably have ended up an atheist lawyer when he graduated!

 

Anyway, time to end this epic rant! I will go back to being a lurker now after this little fleeting appearance in the sunlight - I love the dark humour here and I am eager to see which poor blighters will be on your 2012 list. As for Aspinall and his ilk, I suspect they will be around to plague us for a long time. I did giggle when Hein said he has the making of a Pope! That is all too true...

 

So, yes, Phillip Aspinall has been a bad bishop, and a disaster for Brisbane and Australia but bad bishops are the rule, not the exception.

 

But yes, Aspinall almost certainly just had a touch of heat stroke the other day as he has suffered from this before so no mortal illnesses, ladies and gents. I will keep my ear to the ground and let you know of any developments in case he ever does get really sick. I have contacts in a few interesting Aussie social circles so I will either post here or let DJL know if anyone of interest nears the end of their mortal coil.

 

Anyway, in the best spirit of this site, Merry Christmas and Happy Reaping in the New Year, my (slightly ghoulish) friends!

 

Thanks, I think... Glad to give you this opportunity to vent your spleen about your old nemesis. Was really just after a health update but it is interesting to get the inside info on the woes and corruption in the Anglican Church. Assuming God doesn't hurl a bolt of lightning at Phillip Aspinall in the next few days sounds like he will be around a long time to plague us. I am guessing Archbishops can't be sacked easily either...

[Guest Guest]

The right rev Michael Mann ,chaplain to HM the Queen hath passed at 89 http://www.telegraph...chael-Mann.html

[Windsor 2,157]

The right rev Michael Mann ,chaplain to HM the Queen hath passed at 89 http://www.telegraph...chael-Mann.html

 

He was 87...and for interested parties he died on the 31st December 2011.

[Guest maryportfuncity]

_{The reverend Reginald Dean (108) is Britain's oldest man, a status that tends to prove fatal within a calendar year of being achieved.}

[maryportfuncity 10,194]

Rose Runcie, widow of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has died, reported in a few papers over the weekend.

[Guest Lux Mundi]

I haven't seen him deliver it but radio reports are that accused paedophile/Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall was pale and incoherent when giving one of his Christmas Day speeches. He was only born in '59 though so I am not expecting anything to be too seriously wrong with him.

 

It seems that Phillip Aspinall's Wikipedia page has been the subject of a recent edit war. Before the last wave of edits chopped out most of the content, it showed that his tenure as head of the Diocese of Brisbane has not been a particularly happy one:

 

 

***

Career

 

He was consecrated a bishop in Adelaide on 29 June 1998 where he served as assistant bishop until December 2001.

 

In 2003, he was implicated in a sexual abuse scandal. This was widely reported in the national news at the time. [1]

 

During his tenure, the pro-homosexual Anglo-Catholic clergy organisation, the Oratory of the Good Shepherd has been allowed to flourish. Another notable event in his reign has been the completion of St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.

 

Controversially, the cathedral includes a souvenir shop within its walls which many parishioners find inappropriate. Also highly controversial has been the installation of reserved pews for politicians and members of the military. [3]

 

He was elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia in 2005. He has an authoritarian, centralist leadership style and has tried to silence any form of dissent. This has led to a culture of intimidation. For instance, priests are not inclined to publish their sermons on their parish websites for fear of reprimand.

 

By his own admission, Archbishop Aspinall was caught off-guard by "No Religion" campaign that was launched by an atheist lobby group in the lead-up to the 2011 Census. [4]

 

Throughout his career, the Anglo-Catholic Aspinall has been in a power struggle with the evangelical Archbishop Peter Jensen from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. As a result of this, priests who have graduated from Moore Theological College are not permitted to preach in Brisbane.

 

In terms of social justice issues, Aspinall has spoken out against the ill-treatment of asylum seekers [5] but has provided very little support to international social justice organisations active in his diocese, such as the Tearfund, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship and the local environmental group, Angligreen. He has, however, shown support for women bishops [6] against the wishes of the local branch of the conservative lobby group, Forward in Faith.

 

During the 2011 Diocese of Brisbane Synod, Aspinall's deputy, Bishop Jonathan Holland, stifled a motion that would have led to an investigation into alleged malpractice at Saint Francis' Theological College, at which most of the diocese's priests are trained. [7]

 

A motion raised that would have lead to Anglican Church schools shifting focus away from academic elitism towards producing good Christians was also quashed at this synod [8]

 

Aspinall has also encouraged new money-making ventures for the Diocese. During the time of the Cathedral's construction, several fundraising efforts were made. He has also initiated ventures to allow parishioners to tithe via direct debit and leave their estates to the Church by distributing information about creating wills that favour the Diocese. [9]

***

 

So Phillip Aspinall is a bullying, authoritarian. money-grubbing pro-military, class-conscious elitist... Under him, Anglicanism in Brisbane really does sound like it has been reduced to nothing more than the last shadow of the British Empire then. :(

 

Just discovered this website when Googling for info on Phillip Aspinall. What an 'interesting' concept a death list is. Still not sure I am entirely comfortable with the idea...

 

Anyway, no, Aspinall appears to be in perfect health. I agree with the self-proclaimed 'rant' above though - I know from personal experience there are lots of problems in the Diocese of Brisbane. Phillip Aspinall is a mixture of conservative and liberal - he supports women priests and stood up to the (conservative) Howard government for workers and the rights of asylum seekers yet he runs his own diocese as a conservative centralist and quickly silences any priest who says anything remotely controversial.

 

On the other hand he appeases too much. As the person above rightly notes he did very, very little to oppose Iraq and has not done anything to support Christian anti-war activists. Same for environmentalists - he tries to appease conservatives by silencing anyone who speaks out on these issues. Compared to New Zealand bishops, he is very conservative and, to be frank, very disappointing. By trying to appease all he forgets to stand up for the gospel. As the church failed to speak out loudly enough for peace, Aspinall has to take his share of blame for the slaughter of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan and the increasingly pro-military pro-nationalist mindset in Australia. This is a fundamental failure to proclaim the pacifist Gospel of Jesus. He has aligned the church too closely with the world (the State) and has not stood apart. There is a small but steady exodus of parishioners from the Anglican church in Brisbane to alternative forms of Christianity like the Quakers and this is the reason why!

 

Aspinall is also very political on the issue of ecumenism - it is really up to Christians at the 'grassroots' to work together as it will take decades more for us to see any progress with regards to cooperation and joint ventures between churches at a formal level. it is all about bureaucracy at this stage.

 

Yes, Brisbane has a troubled history with a lot of sexual abuse. Aspinall has cleaned up some of this but he does turn a blind eye to the 'Oratory of the Good Shepherd', many members of which are sexual deviants. Again strange that he is proactive in some areas but turns a blind eye in others. That is part of the reason why Brisbane is sometimes known, very sadly, as the 'Diocese of Sleaze'.

 

I think the biggest problem is his advisors. to be part of the inner clique at Brisbane you have to be either a lawyer or an academic and the Diocese reflects that insular, elitist, arrogant mindset. If you approach them to discuss an issue or advise and are not part of the clique they will just laugh at you.

 

Also, as the person above noted, Bishop Jonathan Holland strikes me as very ambitious and cunning, not typical qualities of a 'man of God.' If Aspinall ever resigns I dread to think what the Diocese would be like with him in charge.

 

Of course, the most damning stuff is the allegations of sexual misconduct. Here are some samples from the media. I have no idea if the allegations are true or not:

 

 

1.

'In a statement read to journalists, this is part of what he had to say:

 

PHILLIP ASPINALL: A person contacted me just after I had become

Brisbane's Anglican Archbishop alleging that he was sexually abused by

a priest in Tasmania over twenty years ago.

 

He alleged that I had arranged for him to share the bed of the priest

who subsequently abused him. I absolutely and totally rejected this

allegation then, as I do now. Independent witnesses also reject the

allegation.

 

JO MAZZOCCHI: Dr Aspinall concedes he did know the complainant at the

time of the alleged incident.

 

PHILLIP ASPINALL: At the time of the alleged assault by the priest,

the person who contacted me, and I, were both young adults and both

church youth group leaders. I was 22, and he was 18. I was not a priest.

 

Both of us were part of a group of adult friends who were staying

overnight at the accused person's house.

 

I absolutely and totally reject the assertion that I arranged for this

person to share the accused person's bed. There was no suggestion of

any untoward behaviour until this allegation surfaced twenty years later.

 

JO MAZZOCCHI: But Dr Aspinall's statement only refers to the

allegations generally. PM understands the claims are linked to a case

that's currently before a court in Tasmania. This case involves a

former Anglican priest, Garth Stephen Hawkins who's facing more than

20 sex offence charges, allegedly committed between 1974 and 1984.

 

PM has been told one of the complainants in that case is the person Dr

Aspinall refers to in his statement.

 

PHILLIP ASPINALL: Let me be clear. This person's primary allegation is

not against me, but against someone else. The complainant's

accusations against this other person came before a Tasmanian church

tribunal last year. I gave evidence, I cannot detail the evidence that

was given, but I stress I was a witness before the tribunal and not

the subject of the tribunal's investigation.

 

JO MAZZOCCHI: The Anglican Archbishop then rejects a second allegation

against him that he and the accused person had been engaged in sexual

activity.

 

PHILLIP ASPINALL: I absolutely and totally reject this hearsay upon

hearsay allegation. It is as false as it is distressing and damaging.'

 

http://www.abc.net.a...003/s930323.htm

 

 

 

 

 

2.

'THE Anglican Primate of Australia, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, has

been accused of failing to act on evidence of child sexual abuse by

the victim of a pedophile priest who was jailed this week.

 

The Queensland man, who was sexually abused over three years as a

teenager by the priest, claimed Archbishop Aspinall did not tell

police about an incriminating letter he was sent in 2002 -- just four

months after he was appointed head of the Brisbane diocese.

 

On Thursday, Robert Francis Sharwood, 62, was sentenced in the

Brisbane District Court to two years and nine months' jail, suspended

after he served a year.

 

The June 26, 2002 letter, which referred to an incident at a local

parish for which Sharwood had apologised to the victim's parents, was

sent to Archbishop Aspinall by priest Thomas Hood, who was protesting

against Sharwood's sacking as the chaplain at the prestigious Brisbane

Anglican private boys school, Churchie, where he had worked since 1985.

 

 

Hood and the senior clerics did not report the crime to police.

 

Archbishop Aspinall - appointed Primate in September last year -

yesterday conceded he had not referred the 2002 letter to police, with

the victim only learning of its existence 18 months later when he

obtained it in the legal discovery process.

 

But he insisted he and the church had acted in accordance with police

requests.

 

"Police request us to deal with this information in a particular way.

They say report the matter to them as soon as it comes to you and hold

all the information you have in a file together, keep it secure and

when we want the information we will come and get it. That is exactly

what we did in this instance," he said.

 

But the victim, still a churchgoer, said Archbishop Aspinall should

have told him about the letter. "Archbishop Aspinall did not disclose

in all our meetings that he had that letter.

 

"It would have been reasonable for him to mention that he had a letter

about the abuse and that it said both my parents knew.

 

"My wife and I did not know that my parents knew.

 

"Had we known that in 2002, we could have succeeded in our civil

action against the church, because my mother was alive then and could

have given evidence."

 

Just four days before receiving Hood's letter, Archbishop Aspinall, in

his presidential address to the Synod of the Brisbane diocese, vowed

to tackle child sex abuse in the church head on. "The only way we can

move on is if we face the hurtful reality of what has happened, extend

care and support to those harmed and take steps to ensure as far as

possible that it never happens again," he said.'

 

 

http://www.theaustra...f-1111112505188

 

 

3.

'First, there is a missing June 1998 letter from the then bishop of

Tasmania, Phillip Newel, to the Adelaide diocese warning about the

abusive behaviours of a man who would later be exposed as a one of

Australia's most rampant pedophiles, Robert Brandenburg.

 

During the course of Brandenburg's 30-year "career" with the Church of

England Boys Society in South Australia and Tasmania, the board of

inquiry says, "it is possible that his victims numbered in excess of 80

young lads".

 

In its attempt to establish who among the church hierarchy knew about

Brandenburg and what they did about him, the board notes testimony from

a witness, POI2, that Brandenburg fondled him and other boys on holiday

in Tasmania in about 1977-78.

 

POI2 said a complaint to his parents led to a meeting with an Anglican

office- holder, POI23, at which Brandenburg had admitted the alleged

conduct and was reprimanded.

 

This is the earliest time at which the Anglican Church appears to have

become aware of Brandenburg's abuse and the reports says "it appears

that nothing further was done at the time".

 

"Brandenburg thereafter continued a course of more serious abuse of POI2

until about 1981," the board says.

 

More than 20 years later, an item appeared in the newspaper of the

northwest Tasmanian town of Burnie in which Brandenburg was named as a

pedophile. This appears to be the first whiff of public exposure of

Brandenburg and it immediately gained the attention of the Tasmanian

Anglican hierarchy.

 

It is clear the board of inquiry is incredulous that nobody in the

Anglican Church acted against Brandenburg from the time Anglican

officers became aware of complaints in 1977, perhaps earlier. The

position of Phillip Aspinall in the "shell game" of who knew what and

when was clearly of interest to the board of inquiry.

 

Aspinall became involved in CEBS in Tasmania, first as a boy in the

1970s, then in 1980 as field officer, state secretary, national delegate

and leader and training commissioner. He knew three CEBS leaders known

to have abused boys: two Tasmanian priests since jailed, including Louis

Daniels and Brandenburg, from the Adelaide parish of Magill.

 

In June 1998, just before Brandenburg's abuse was reported in the

Tasmanian press, Aspinall moved from Tasmania to Adelaide, where he was

consecrated an assistant bishop.

 

Since early 2002, Aspinall has been the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane,

where he played a pivotal role in the resignation of his predecessor,

former governor-general Peter Hollingworth, over the handling of sexual

abuse in the Brisbane diocese of the church.

 

Despite the letter Newell sent to Adelaide and Aspinall's long history

with CEBS, it was his testimony to the board of inquiry that Brandenburg

had not been discussed with Newell. Further, Aspinall denies ever seeing

the letter from Newell advising of Brandenburg and Daniels's then

alleged sex abuse.

 

"It remains a mystery as to what happened to the letter," the board says. '

 

http://www.bishop-ac...l_DioceseOf.htm

 

4.

 

'TANYA NOLAN: Archbishop Aspinall has had his fair share of bad media

as well.

 

He has publicly denied allegations that when he was a youth group

leader more than 20 years ago, he facilitated the sexual abuse of a

young Tasmanian man, whom he had arranged to share a priest's bed.

 

Then he was questioned over his association with three known

paedophiles while assistant bishop of Adelaide.

 

Steve Fisher from Survivors Investigating Child Sexual Abuse says

although he was surprised, he will keep an open mind about Dr

Aspinall's appointment as Primate. But he says some burning questions

remain.

 

STEVE FISHER: Given his position within the Church of England Boys'

Society, and given his friendships with known convicted paedophiles,

we are finding it very hard to believe that he could not have

conceivably known that there was something going on at that time.

 

TANYA NOLAN: Dr Aspinall denies any impropriety and says none of these

issues preclude him from carrying out the role of Primate effectively.

 

PHILLIP ASPINALL: Look, I don't know what anyone can do about the kind

of guilt by association implication. Those three people would've known

literally hundreds and thousands of people.

 

And one of the things about paedophiles we know is that they are very

secretive about what they do. They conceal it even from close family

members. So to say that just because a person knew people they

necessarily knew of their behaviour, I just don't think stands up.'

 

http://www.abc.net.a...05/s1411518.htm

 

See no evil, hear no evil, Bishop Aspinall?

 

Anyway, that is the end of my own 'epic rant'. Hope you found it interesting if off-topic, especially the person who wrote the original post above.

 

To go back 'on-topic' I am still not sure if I am fully comfortable with the idea of this Deathlist but, in the spirit of the site, I will wager you $5.00 that Maggie T is gone by May Day. ;-)

[Paul Bearer 5,835]

>Snip

To go back 'on-topic' I am still not sure if I am fully comfortable with the idea of this Deathlist but, in the spirit of the site, I will wager you $5.00 that Maggie T is gone by May Day. ;-)

<snip

 

Welcome to deathlist Lux, feel free to join. It that a cyber $5.00 or a real $5.00?

[Spade_Cooley 9,174]

tl;dr

[Magere Hein 1,398]

Just discovered this website when Googling for info on Phillip Aspinall. What an 'interesting' concept a death list is. Still not sure I am entirely comfortable with the idea...

 

Welcome to DeathList, where sinners and saints are treated equally under the sun.

 

[snips]

 

See no evil, hear no evil, Bishop Aspinall?

I have no particular opinion of The Most Reverend Dr. I'm not a christian, my knowledge of the many churches is spotty, and the Church of England I see as a strange mix of protestant and catholic that I fail to understand.

 

That said, I appreciate Archbishop Aspinal's precarious position. Within the church he's an authority. Outside the church he's at best a moral guide.

 

In the church he's supposed to be the boss of all faithful, progressive, conservative and politically apathetic alike. You can't keep all of them happy at once. He may be a shepherd, but his flock resemble cats more than sheep.

 

I have no idea what his opinions and proclamations mean in Australia at large. In my ideal world his opinions would mean nothing outside the church.

 

One more thing: I'm not so sure Christ is actually the Lord of Peace many people believe in. Not only did He say "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword", it's also hard to dismiss as christians the many who went to war in His name.

 

regards,

Hein

[DevonDeathTrip 2,305]

The Rt Rev. John Reginald Sperry, the former Bishop of The Arctic, has died, aged 87. His patch covered 4000000 square miles of snowy wasteland and he preached from the pulpit of the igloo shaped St Judes Cathedral.

[Toast 15,335]

His patch covered 4000000 square miles of snowy wasteland and he preached from the pulpit of the igloo shaped St Judes Cathedral.

 

Cool.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,305]

I have recently unearthed several ecclesatical leaders, who are very aged or in frail health. Sadly none of them are really famous enough to qualify for their own thread, but I would think most of them should get an obit in the UK.

 

It has been a spiritually enriching experience, reading about the exploits of fine fellows below. Feel free to add any men of God I might have missed:

 

Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria

Archbishop Christodoulos

Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria

Whakahuihui Vercoe of Rotorua

Cahal Cardinal Daly

Pavle, Patriarch of Serbia

The Most Reverend and Most Holy Father, His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Patriarch of Antioch, the Great City of God, of Syria, Lebanon, Arabia, Cilicia, Mesopotamia and all the East

 

I predict they will all be dead within 2 3 4 5 years.

 

Pope Shenouda's officials have said that his health is deteriorating, but denied reports that he is close to death.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,305]

His Holiness Patriarch Antonious, the leader of the Eritrean Orthodox Church was briefly hospitalised last month because of blood pressure and diabetic problems.

 

He lives under house arrest (it's a long story) and his supporters claim that he has been denied access to the medical attention he needs.

 

His chances of getting a UK obit are pretty slim, but you never know.

 

 

Patriarch Antonious is now critically ill, apparently. No doubt nations, empires and obit writers everywhere are quaking at this disturbing news.

[maryportfuncity 10,194]

Can I have his hat and coat when he goes, absolutely stunning fashion statements.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,305]

Pope Shenouda III looks to be a good bet for this year....

 

The 18 million Coptic community in Egypt, the UAE and worldwide began the Great Lent fast four weeks ago and have offered their prayers to Pope Shenouda, who is in poor health. The venerated Pope has been weak since back surgery a few years ago and members of his congregation are holding their breath for a sad announcement

[Guest Steve]

This current Pope is goner post haste.....then The Legendary Black Pope will run all ops,..frenzied buggery that it is

[TAFKAG 70]

Pope Shenouda III looks to be a good bet for this year....

 

The 18 million Coptic community in Egypt, the UAE and worldwide began the Great Lent fast four weeks ago and have offered their prayers to Pope Shenouda, who is in poor health. The venerated Pope has been weak since back surgery a few years ago and members of his congregation are holding their breath for a sad announcement

 

A good bet indeed. Pelicans 1-0 Puffins.