Friday 18 April 2008

Title fight


I am having a bit of a stoush on another site (here) about the use of appropriate titles.
this is largely because certain nasty people insist on referring to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church as Mrs Schori.
Let us not pretend they do not know what they are doing.
By not even according her the minimalist title The Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Schori they are saying she is not even an ordained priest.
She is properly styled the Most Rev'd Katherine...etc, which puts her on the same sort of level as our own Primate, The Most Rev'd Philip Aspinall, and the Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Rev'd Rowan Williams.
Now on one level it doesn't matter, because many people will happily call her Katherine, just as I get called Stephen by young and old alike. On a formal level I like to be called Father Stephen. On an official level I am styled The Rev'd Fr Stephen Clark. And it all doesn't bother me very much.
I rather think, as a matter of courtesy, people should be styled (within reason) as they want to be...thus I prefer as a Catholic Anglican to be called Father Stephen rather than Mr Clark.
If and when I get a doctorate I will still prefer to be called Father rather than Dr (unless I need to bulk-bill).
But of course, there seems so much vitriol in all this name calling of women by men who simply wouldn't make it in the episcopal race. And so they name call.
No wonder people desert the church in droves!

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