THE P RTAL
February 2015
Page 20
Ecumenism
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane Interviewed The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce,
Vicar of St Bride’s Fleet Street in the City of London
S
t Bride’s Church in London is proud of its association with newspapers and the media in general.
Although the traditional “Fleet Street” has moved away, the church maintains its close association with
newspapers, magazines and other media.
I have known Alison for some years, and was
interested to know how she saw things on the
ecumenical front, now that the dear old CofE is to
have women bishops. First, though, Alison told me a
bit about herself.
the sharp end of the divisions
“I’m married to a cradle Catholic whose family
is from Ireland. Both my children were baptised,
had first Holy Communion and were confirmed in
the Roman Catholic Church and went to Catholic
schools. I’m one of the people who have had to live on
the sharp end of the divisions between Anglicanism
and Catholicism. It’s not theory; it has been a part of
my family life for the last 27 years. My husband claims
that I’m the real Catholic and he’s a liberal Protestant
at heart! There is something about his Catholicism
that is profoundly important to him and that is about
identity. It’s tribal.
“I do not lightly engage with these questions. There
has been great personal cost to having conducted
a marriage across ecumenical divisions. Although
anyone who is a communicant in their own church is
welcome to receive communion at an Anglican altar,
the same does not work the other way round.
nothing to do with equal rights
“The second thing is, I would want to make it clear
that my views on the ordination of women have never
been anything to do with equal rights; I don’t believe
anybody has a right to ordination. Ordination is about
vocation and gift and obedience. I think people often
jump to conclusions about ordained women and those
who have pressed for the development of women’s
ministry. I do think people who feel they have a
vocation should have that tested.
I asked if it all felt different now that the matter is
settled. “At the moment it is like that strange time that
existed after Synod had taken the decision to ordain
women priests but before it became a reality, so at the
moment I think we are all living in a fairly unknown
space. I am both pleased and relieved that the first
woman who has been selected to take on that role is
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a parish priest. The right kind of criteria have been
employed in her selection.
I think that is a wise and good move and everything
I have seen and heard about her since her appointment
was announced has given me confidence in her. What
is quite significant is that the impetus seems to be
one of service, which is why I’m so opposed to the
arguments about equal rights.
“The glorious Church of England, being as broad and
diverse as it is, is always going to mean that there will
be different understandings of where truth lies - and of
course it’s not just one wing of the Church of England
that is resisting women’s ordination. Conversely, we
will draw closer to some churches as a result of this.
off the agenda.
I opined, “You must agree that organic union with
Rome is off the agenda.” Alison replied, “The first
thing to remember is that at the present time the
Roman Catholic Church doesn’t recognise Anglican
Orders anyway. This represents an additional obstacle
to that so it’s not been made easier, it’s been made
more difficult by this particular step and there is no
doubt about this.