From The Toronto Globe and Mail 23 December, 1999:
Under the heading "Grog proves King Midas's people from Europe, not Middle East", an article by David Morgan, Reuters News Agency, Philadelphia explained that Midas' tomb, dated to about 700 BC and discovered in 1957 in central Turkey, contained a fermented beverage consisting of beer, wine and honey mead, used across Europe from Minoan Crete and Greece to Scandinavia, and evidenced that his Phrygian people were connected to northern Greece.

From The Weekly Telegraph No. 440, of December 29-January 4, 1999: Coronation oath should change, says Archbishop - by Oliver Poole:
"THE Archbishop of York, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, has called for a change in the Coronation oath to make the monarch promise to uphold all the Christian religions.

Dr. David Hope has also called for the Act of Settlement to be reformed to allow the British Sovereign to marry a Roman Catholic.

If his suggestions were implemented, they could pave the way for the succession of a Catholic and, ultimately, lead to the disestablishment of the Church of England.

Dr. Hope, who comes from the Anglo-Catholic wing of the church, is said to have discussed his ideas with the Archbishop of Canterbury on a number of occasions.

Friends of Dr. Hope said the pair shared a "common mind" on the importance of resolving the matter.

This would mean a significant relaxation in Dr. Carey's attitudes. Previously he had repeatedly argued against any changes to arrangements between Church and state.

The sources close to Dr. Hope said: "They have discussed this several times and there is a lot of common ground that there is an inevitability that society is changing, the Millennium is coming, and Britain is a very different society to what it was in the 17th and 18th centuries.

"It is accepted that this is a situation that will probably have to be faced up to at some point."

However, any changes to the existing constitutional settlement would be strongly resisted by many both in and out of the church.

Rev. David Holloway, whose book Church and State in the New Millennium addresses the problem of Prince Charles - a divorcee who is in an unmarried relationship - becoming head of the Church, said the present arrangement benefited all Britons.

"It gives a Christian ethical dimension to public life," he said. "It is important symbolically, especially at the moment when you have confusion about the values system in our culture."

At her Coronation service, the Queen was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if she was willing "to the utmost of your power to maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant reform religion established by law".

Dr. Hope wants to substitute the word Christian for Protestant in order to end "negative" attitudes towards Roman Catholics.

He also called for reform of the Act of Settlement, the 298-year-old law which prevents members of the Royal Family who marry Roman Catholics from remaining in the line of succession.

Earlier this month members of the Scottish Parliament called for the Act to be repealed on the basis it was "discriminatory" and "offensive". However Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, ruled out any changes.

From the same issue of The Weekly Telegraph:
1. Church and state part in Sweden - "AFTER nearly five centuries as the state church, Lutheranism will end its ties with the Swedish government on New Year's Day and be treated like any other religion."

2. Cardinal Paolo Dezza, who has died age 98, was the man brought in by the present Pope to sort out the Jesuits.

Were they meant to embrace "a preferential option for the poor", in the mould of Latin American liberation theology? Or should they continue their traditional tasks, such as educating children to take up influential positions?

The crisis came to a head in 1981, after the Superior General, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, suffered a stroke.

The Jesuits appointed their own choice, Fr. Vincent O'Keefe, an American liberal, to run things until a successor could be found. But Pope John Paul II, three years into his reign, suddenly imposed on the congregation his own "Pontifical Delegate", with supreme authority: the 79-year-old Fr. Paolo Dezza, almost blind and traditionally minded. Alarmists called it the greatest blow to Jesuit autonomy since the temporary suppression of the congregation by Clement XIV in 1773.

Apart from his intellect - a tenacious memory and a mind trained in philosophy - Dezza possessed a genuine spiritual stature. He had been confessor to two popes.

Three months after Dezza's appointment, a summit meeting of senior Jesuits was held at Villa Cavalletti, 15 miles from Rome. It was charged by Dezza with making preparations for a formal General Congregation which would have powers to appoint a permanent General. After repeated delays and meetings between Dezza and the Pope this was at last allowed to take place in September 1983.

Although Dezza, a Jesuit himself, was among the four candidates for the 220 delegates at the General Congregation to choose from, they decided on Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, an academic orientalist. Dezza's delicate task of tiding the Jesuits over a crisis had been accomplished.

3. Under the heading "It looks like a tent - but it's really a temple: The Dome is sacred ground for those of the New Labour faith" a long article by Matthew D'Ancona, confirms our opinion that it glorifies Man, while ignoring Jesus Christ whose "birthday 2000" it supposedly marks.

4. Obituaries:
(a) Lady Mary Whitley, 75, second cousin and childhood friend of the Queen and a bridesmaid at four royal weddings.
(b) Viscount Stuart of Findhorn, 75, a page of honour to King George VI between 1938 and 1940. David Randolph Moray Stuart ... elder son of James Stuart, third son of 17th Earl of Moray. His father was an early suitor of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lion, and the man responsible for introducing her to the Duke of York in 1920. "the story was that James Stuart was sent out to Canada as ADC to the Governor-General, the 9th Duke of Devonshire, leaving the Duke of York freer to woo Lady Elizabeth."

From The Weekly Telegraph No. 441, of January 5-11, 2000:

1. King Arthur and his knights go on the Internet -
THE BRITISH Library's priceless collection of medieval Arthurian manuscripts is to become available to the public through computer technology. the oldest known copies of the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory's Morte d'Arthur will be housed in a new centre for the study of the Arthurian myth. www.kingarthur.co.uk

2. Jewish traders in Vatican protest:
ANGRY Jewish street traders protested outside St. Peter's in Rome claiming that their licences to sell religious souvenirs in the Vatican precincts were not renewed for the new year for reasons of "racism". The demonstrators said most of the religious souvenir sellers in the area were Jewish and had had licences in their families for generations.

3. Gallons-only garage may have to close. The metric law requires Tony Howard of Withypool on Exmoor, who runs a village store to replace his petrol pumps with new metric ones at a cost of about £10,000. "No one has ever come to my filling station and asked for 10 or 15 litres of petrol. They ask for £10 or £15 worth or three to four gallons."

4. The UK Independence Party has briefed a barrister to represent any shopkeeper or stallholder taken to court and has set aside funds to help with costs and fines. Traders face hefty penalties if they refuse to obey Britain's biggest-ever metric changeover.

5. Bible's creation story loses appeal for clerics - by Sandra Barwick:
THE BIBLE's account of the creation of the world is not believed by 100 Church of England and Roman Catholic bishops and Methodist minister. A BBC survey also found that 80 doubted that Adam and Eve had existed. Only three Church leaders polled by Radio 4's Today programme said that they believe that God made the world in six days.

One in four clerics do not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin. However, most said that they still believe that Christ rose from the dead and that the 10 Commandments still applied.

Head teachers, Church leaders, politicians, scientists, and newspaper editors were questioned, and, though few accept the truth of the Bible as John Bunyan would have done, most said they did believe God could influence events on earth.

Among scientists who replied, one believed in the creation. Most replied "no" to nearly all questions.

A quarter of the politicians did not think that the 10 Commandments applied, although a third believed in the virgin birth.

Among the 270 teachers who replied, a narrow majority believed in the resurrection.
Q. Do you believe God created the world in six days? Y 46, N 402, ?16
Q. Do you believe in the literal fact of the virgin birth? Y 183, N 228, ?52
Q. Do you believe in the literal fact of the resurrection? Y 240, N 175, ?36
Q. Will there be a second coming? Y 204, N 183, ? 73
Q. Did Adam and eve literally exist? Y 71, N 340, ? 49
Q. Is there a tangible place we would know as heaven? Y 178, N 228, ? 55
Q. Is there free will in heaven? Y 158, N 159, ?141
Q. Is there a purgatory? Y 100, N 269, ? 93
Q. Do you believe that God is able to influence or direct events on earth daily? Y 259, N 161, ? 44
Q. Are the 10 Commandments applicable today? Y 326, N 94, ? 33
The Poll also asked:
Can you name the first four books of the New Testament? - results tabulated (by %'s) were for "All", "Christians", "Non-Christians", and "1949".

	All	Christians	Non-Christians	1949
Knowing 4 Books	48	56	34	61
Knowing Some Books	10	10	9	14
Not Knowing Any Books	43	34	58	25

Among other assorted questions: Have a Bible at home? - 86%
Inclined to turn to God for help in a personal crisis? - 78%

From The Weekly Telegraph No. 441, of January 12-18, 2000:

1. George Orwell may have recalled a poem by his first wife when he chose the title of his book, 1984.

2. "Leaders of Britain's faiths stand together" heads an article by Victoria Combe, Religion Correspondent, which explains that, in an event hosted by the Prime Minister, leaders of nine religious faiths in Britain (Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Sikhs, Jains, Baha'is and Zoroastrians) stood together in the Palace of Westminster (Royal Gallery of the House of Lords) and made a public commitment to "work together for the common good." Details followed.

3. Obituary: The Countess of Barcelona, 89, the mother of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. She grew up in Spain, and knew her future husband (the late Infante Don Juan, Count of Barcelona, son and heir of Alfonso XIII, King of Spain and the Indies) from childhood. [Alfonso XIII married Victoria Eugenie (Queen Ena), daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and his wife, Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria (of Great Britain).]

From The Weekly Telegraph No. 446, of February 9-15, 2000: Headed "Carey attacks rogue bishops' infiltration role" an article by Victoria Combe explains that African and Asian bishops have performed a "rogue" consecration on two American bishops in an effort to undermine the liberal leadership of the Episcopal Church. The conflict centres on homosexuality. Many American bishops want the Church to lift the bans on the ordination and marriage of homosexuals to the dismay of bishops from Africa, Asia and South America.

From The Toronto Globe and Mail 14 February, 2000:
Obituary: Charles Schulz - Cartoonist was the man behind Charlie Brown - Comic strip about lovable loser, beagle and friends was syndicated in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries.

Observers comment that this "Comic Strip", which began on Oct. 2, 1950, contained many themes of Christian teachings, and probably reached more people in today's secular world than the work of many preachers.

Schulz died the day before his final Peanuts comic strip was published. Writing in The Globe and Mail, on February 15 under the heading "God's cartoonist - Charles Schulz created a wildly successful comic strip - and a new theological vehicle many other have emulated", the columnist, Michael Valpy has explained most beautifully the various cartoon characters' theological equivalents with touching insight. In one passage he explains "No matter how hard they try, the children of Peanuts never solve their problems. They do not learn lessons from life. They are unable to produce any radical change for the better in themselves.

Witness Charlie Brown year after year, decade after decade, running to kick the football that Lucy pulls away from him at the last moment. Or Charlie on the baseball diamond, after 43 consecutive strike-outs, getting into a heated discussion on the travails of Job. Witness his friend Linus - the seeker after false gods - waiting in vain each year for the Great Pumpkin to appear on Halloween. Witness worldly, epicurean Snoopy. In the words of Arkansas Presbyterian clergyman Robert L. Short - whose Gospel According to Peanuts, published in 1965, has sold 10 million copies - Snoopy is the typical Christian, a flawed character who is nonetheless good. Witness the proud Lucy, who would rather die than ask forgiveness..."

COMMENT: He was a Sunday School teacher, and lay minister to remember.

From The Weekly Telegraph No. 447, of February 16-22, 2000:
No celebration for the UK's 200th birthday by Robert Hardman:

The United Kingdom will not be celebrating its own 200th birthday next year, the Government has decided. Nor will it mark the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Union flag on the same day.

Britain will, however, hold extensive celebrations to mark the centenary of the confederation of Australia, which also falls on that date.

The bicentenary of the 1801 Act of Union will be reached on Jan 1, 2001.

In response to a written parliamentary question asking what celebrations were planned for the bicentenary of the Act of Union, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, the junior Foreign Office minister, replied: "None."

The question was put by Lord Laird, an Ulster Unionist life peer. He said: "Most countries would use their bicentenary as an opportunity to do something, but the only answer I've had is a four-letter word." He added: "A country which forgets its history is doomed."

It was on Jan 1, 1801, that the Irish parliament was absorbed into the British Parliament to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The title was altered after Irish independence to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Lord Laird said he had expected at least some recognition of an important date such as an official stamp and a touring exhibition explaining how the UK came about. "I suppose this is another example of Cool Britannia," he said. "Look at the events the Americans and the French organised for their bicentenaries." A Downing Street spokesman said that any celebration was a matter for the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office refused to expand on Lady Scotland's one-word answer.

But ministers are planning extensive celebrations of Britain's Australian colonies becoming the Commonwealth of Australia, and more commemorations in July marking the centenary of the passage of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act.

The Union flag has existed in its present form since the day the Act of Union came into effect. Flag experts from all over the world are coming to Britain to mark the occasion next year with a conference.

Officials from the Flag Institute, which researches and promotes vexillology (the study of flags), have written to the Prime Minister and Government departments several times, requesting some official recognition of the anniversary. They have been told that this is not possible.