Mitregate

'Tis true, my friends! The Presiding Bishop confirmed that she was asked not to wear her mitre at Southwark Cathedral last Sunday. In addition, "In the week before her visit, the presiding bishop said, Lambeth [palace, aka the Archbishop of Canterbury's office] pressured her office to provide evidence of her ordination to each order of ministry." Because you can't be too sure about these women bishops.

This whole debacle is on twitter as #mitregate where Diana Butler Bass wrote, "Has anyone in the CoE [Church of England] ever read American history? That was just abt the worst thing ABC RW cd have done in light of TEC origins." She talks about it further on her blog.

The problem, of course, isn't the headgear; it's the power trip. Do I give a rat's ass who wears a mitre? Not normally. But this has totally pushed my buttons. DBB is right. This does not sit well with me. Who knew I was such a rebellious colonist?

Personally, I would love it if all bishops carried their mitres this Sunday in support and in protest. Or maybe they could wear some of this militant millinery instead.

A little purple, in both men's and women's styles:

Or maybe a seasonal green, with a World Cup theme to boot. (So to speak.)

If you want to stick with the readings for the day, maybe this one could be the whirlwind.



Or, if you want something more practical, this one doubles as an aspergillum. Or aspergilla perhaps.

How the world will look at us if the Anglican Communion falls apart over headgear, I do not care to imagine. I'm going to take a deep breath now and remember that this is exceedingly unimportant in the Grand Scheme of Things.

hat tip (as it were) to Tom and Lorenzo who pulled these photos from Royal Ascot 2010.