This article tells us that the Church of England is about to issue an apology to Charles Darwin for rejecting evolution. Just when you thought the Church of England couldn’t come up with any further lunacy they cook this one up. What next, an apology to Picasso for not appreciating cubism? An apology to Nietzsche for not fully appreciating nihilism?
While they’re issuing apologies I always thought it sad that the Church of England never made a formal response to Pope John Paul II’s public act of repentance on Ash Wednesday of the Jublilee Year 2000. You might remember that among other things which were repented, were the sins of Catholics towards other Christians during the Reformation era.
Wouldn’t it have been nice if the next Ash Wednesday the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Queen of England had got together at St Paul’s Cathedral and held a solemn act of repentance for sins against Catholics during the Reformation era? They could have apologized for destroying the monasteries, raping and pillaging the local parishes, monasteries and shrines, forcing monks and nuns out of their homes, stealing huge swathes of land, property and buildings from the Catholic Church, destroying libraries, local communities, hospitals, schools and colleges, persecuting Catholics for three hundred years, slaughtering thousands of Catholics, repressing even more….
The list could go on. Instead they decide to apologize to Charles Darwin.
Go figure!
Amen brother! Sigh, now I remember why I like your blog so much!
Very good point!To me this Darwin thing feels like one of those apologies that carries more pride than humility. “We’re sorry our predecessors were not as enlightened as we are!”
While I don’t reject evolution, there is NO substantive value to this apology whatsoever. The Church of England is on a P.R. trip and this is the product of that condition.They are beginning to look new age to me:0(
Really, of all the people to apologize to! I agree that they would do better to apologize to Catholics, if only to return the gesture Pope John Paul made.
Just another act of conformity to the age (rather than a long overdue act of contrition).
Sigh –
Granted the way in which they vilified her, and granted the mess that the UK is in after a decade and a half of socialism, perhaps the CofE should consider apologising to Margaret Thatcher. And maybe the Catholic bishops of England, Wales, and Scotland might consider signing their own names at the foot of the apology…