In order to save costs, the dioceses of Montreal, Quebec, Fredericton, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Western Newfoundland, Central Newfoundland, and Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador may be reduced to just three dioceses, the synod of the ecclesiastical province of Canada has announced.

Such is the desperation of the ecclesiastical province of Canada, that its metropolitan, Archbishop Claude Miller, sees no point in denying the inevitable comparison to deckchairs aboard the Titanic. Rather, he is portraying the Titanic’s maiden voyage as one of promise and opportunity because a remnant was saved. I expect the Titanic’s passengers would have derived considerable consolation from that thought had it been shared with them as they boarded. Small wonder things are falling apart in the Anglican Church of Canada, considering the tenuous grip on reality of those at the helm.

From here:

Archbishop Miller admitted that some critics compare the church’s discussions about change to “just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” However, in his presidential address to synod members, the metropolitan noted that the doomed ship’s story isn’t entirely about unredeemed loss.

The Titanic’s maiden voyage was “a journey with a promise and opportunity for a new life for most of the passengers on board,” the archbishop said. “Not all died in that tragedy. Sometimes we forget that a remnant was saved and realized that hope. Amid the tragedies and tests of this life there is much hope and reason to give thanks.”