Church in a spin

It's always worth coming to General Synod if you want to know what's really going on. So, between debates (Mental Health and Anglican Communion), I have to humbly report an error in my last blog. Revd JJ is still at the Lambeth Palace press office ... which rather undermines my theory about how the Archbishop of Canterbury was allowed to go on World at One and say what he did. It wasn't a depleted staff after all. Ruth Gledhill explores this element of the whole Sharia story in her blog. I'm sorry.

Meanwhile the Press (sitting conspiritorially next door as I write this) and the Church of England are having a stand off. The Press are calling for the Archbishop to apologise - for misleading the public (cf The Mail). The Church of England is increasingly calling for the press to apologise - for misrepresenting the Archbishop. Things are getting heated.

But it's not all about Sharia. In fact, on the floor it's hardly had a mention. Synod has been rebelling against centralisation, stalling a move to collect funeral and wedding fees centrally and throwing out plans for dioceses to take over official ownership of parsonages. There's been a moving and amazing series of stories in the mental health debate while we're now onto the Anglican Communion. And strong attacks on gambling and government plans for regional casinos.

We've also been asked if we can trace a giraffe called Kofi Annan, referred to by John Sentamu when he reported on his trip to Kenya. A woman in the public gallery shouted out her objections to Sharia Law before being hustled out yesterday and an old fella shouted out that Sodomites shouldn't be allowed in the church before being hustled out today. Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans, who was about to speak, thanked the heckler and said he wouldn't take it personally before continuing as if nothing had happened. It's those little moments of theatre that make it worth the trip.