Tag Archives: Bishop Michael Bird

Diocese of Niagara: the wolves are circling

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From here:

Reflecting upon yesterday’s Supreme Court of Canada’s decision, Bishop Michael Bird, states: “The decision clears the way for us to proceed to a trial involving the disputed ownership of three parishes in the Diocese of Niagara. This matter has been deliberated upon at every level of our Canadian legal system and this most recent decision must surely remove any question as to our ownership of these properties. Like our counterparts in British Columbia, the issue of same-sex relationships is well behind us and we are fully engaged in the work of mission and re-visioning our church as it engages with and serves the people of this generation. The diocese has been very patient over these years but now we hope that this property dispute can be resolved quickly.”

The Diocese of Niagara has instructed its legal counsel to move forward expeditiously to bring this matter to trial.

Enjoy the orange carpet, Mike.

Anglican Church of Canada to marry penguins

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After years of searching unsuccessfully for homosexuals willing to tie the knot, the Anglican Church of Canada has, at last, found a community of suitable candidates: gay penguins.Add an Image

Bishop Michael Bird – no relation to a penguin – has stated that the requirements in the Diocese of Niagara for gay penguin matrimonial bliss is that one penguin must be baptised – no problem for the average penguin – and that the gay penguins must be in a long term monogamous relationship. The latter qualification may be relaxed since it poses a bit of a problem for the average gay penguin. And then Bishop Bird will be back to having no-one to marry.

From the BBC:

King penguins do not form long-term homosexual pairs despite same-sex “flirting”, one of the first evidence-based studies has revealed.

Researchers found that over a quarter of the birds in one colony displayed in same-sex pairs, yet only two pairs bonded by learning each other’s calls and both were later seen caring for eggs in heterosexual pairs.

The scientists suggest that these same sex displays could be caused by an excess of males or high levels of testosterone.

I’d like to make sure everyone understands that Bishop Bird has never been accused of having high levels of testosterone.

Rev. Eleanor Clitheroe pension increase denied

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From the CBC:Add an Image

Ontario’s highest court has closed the door on a pension increase for fired Hydro One Inc. executive Eleanor Clitheroe.

Clitheroe sued Hydro One seeking to have her pension raised to $33,644.21 a month — slightly more than the average Hydro One pensioner gets annually.

The lawsuit was originally dismissed, but in appealing the suit to the Court of Appeal Clitheroe noted she worked 16-hour days and earned bonuses for her performance and is the only income earner for a family of four.

In a brief decision released Friday, the court dismissed the appeal saying Clitheroe had made the same arguments at trial and the court agreed with the trial judge’s reasons and conclusion.

Clitheroe’s pension is capped at $25,637.08 a month due to legislation passed by the government that limits executive salaries at the utility.

Clitheroe was dismissed in July, 2002 after weeks of controversy over executive salaries at the publicly owned transmission utility.

Although I am generally against the government interfering with a person’s negotiated pension settlement – and that is what has happened here – I can’t help wondering why, rather than spend a small fortune on lawsuits, Rev. Clitheroe didn’t simply adopt a philosophical, “you win some and you lose some” attitude. It isn’t that hard to live on $25,637.08 per month.

Rev. Clitheroe is now a part-time priest in the Diocese of Niagara; a paid part-time priest. Bishop Michael Bird has written a letter explaining Rev Clitheroe’s financial hardship. Bird points out that “as we are all aware legal matters can sometimes drag on for many years” – and he should know. He appears to be under the impression that Rev. Clitheroe is currently receiving no pension at all, which is, to say the least – odd:

We also understand that the legal matters have been very costly for her and her family, and we do not begrudge her right to seek a peaceful resolution and compensation through the justice system. She has the right to do so, just like all Canadians, and we respect that.

Ellie’s legal issues date back several years, to a time before she was ordained and joined our Diocese as a priest. Naturally, she will want to see those matters concluded, and as we are all aware legal matters can sometimes drag on for many years.

Ellie worked for over twenty‐five years in the private and public sector and received pension compensation for her work. She consistently took her pension with her as she moved from being a lawyer and banker, to deputy minister and then a CEO.

These pension matters have no impact on her compensation for her part time work in the Diocese. She does not currently receive and has not received a pension from Hydro One or the government. She has indicated to me that she hopes that she will receive a pension when she is 65, and that she wishes to use it wisely, in Christian stewardship in support of her family, the community and her church.

This letter is all part of Michael Bird’s Blueprint for Poverty Reduction.

Bishop Michael Bird responds to the “Gaining Respect” article

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The original article is here, and Bishop Bird’s response is in the Letters section of today’s National Post and on Holy Post:

Re: Gaining Respect; St. Hilda’s Parish Is No Longer An Outpost Of Orthodoxy But A More Acceptable Manifestation Of Anglican Faith, Charles Lewis, June 12.

After reading this article I am left asking the question: What criteria did reporter Charles Lewis use in declaring a small group of conservative Christians a “religious revolution”? What he reported on is, in fact, a process of maturation within the world-wide Anglican Communion. It is a lot like adolescence, as people jostle for position in the midst of a debate. Dioceses, like the one I lead, advocate for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of our Church.

It’s hard to see exactly what point Michael Bird is making here: is he saying that it has taken 2000 years for the Christian Church to reach adolescence, that acts explicitly forbidden in the Bible become acceptable once those engaged in them have “matured”? It seems incoceivable that anyone could really be daft enough to honestly believe this; but, then, Bird does have some pretty strange ideas – see below.

For many of us, the kind of inclusion that Rev. Paul Charbonneau [who opposes same-sex unions, and who led St. Hilda’s Church out of the Anglican Church of Canada] speaks of is not acceptable.

The kind of inclusion that Rev. Paul Charbonneau believes is uncannily similar to the inclusion God advocates: everyone is welcome, but not all activities are equally good or beneficial to those who indulge in them. This is a pretty basic point: man is sinful and the church’s job is not to condone sin but help people turn away from it. Surely that should not be beyond the grasp of a bishop?

What is so ironic is that he is part of a small splinter group that represents less than 2% of Anglicans in North America. They would have us return to a way of thinking that is much closer to the last Reformation that began in the 15th century, as opposed to moving us toward a new Reformation.

The purpose of a Reformation is to return the church to orthodox Christian belief and discard the man-made accretions that tend to accumulate in the institutional church. The Diocese of Niagara is quickly becoming nothing but man-made accretions.

At the heart of our exciting vision for the Diocese of Niagara is a call for prophetic social justice making, a continuous culture of innovation and a strong desire to engage with the people of this generation and walk with them in their search for God and their desire to change the world.

This ends up being little more than leftist political activism.

As Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has stated: “God just wants us to love each other.” Many, however, say that some kinds of love are better than others. But whether a man loves a woman or another man, or a woman loves a man or another woman, to God it is all love, and God smiles whenever we recognize our need for one another.

I don’t remember God’s injunction for us to love one another including optional genital activity: I must have missed those verses in the Bible.

I will leave it to your readers to decide what a religious revolution really looks like in this day and age.

I’ve decided.

Bishop Michael Bird, Anglican Diocese of Niagara, Hamilton, Ont.