The Church of Ireland Dean of Clonmacnoise and Rector of Trim, Very Rev Andrew Furlong, has had his authority to act as a priest withdrawn for three months because of his unconventional views on Christianity.
Dean Furlong does not accept that Jesus was the incarnation of God and, as such, does not believe in Christmas. "I don't believe God took human form, of which [belief] Christmas is the main festival," he told The Irish Times last night.
A statement from the Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Most Rev Richard Clarke, said he had withdrawn the Dean's episcopal authority for ministry "in order to facilitate a period of quiet during which the Dean may reflect on his statements" (which he published on the cathedral website and which now appear at anglicansonline.org).
However, since that statement was made, the Dean's statements have been removed from anglicansonline.org while the parish website carries a message: "Sorry, this website is down for the moment."
Bishop Clarke said he had taken his action against the Dean "primarily as a pastoral measure" and, therefore, could not engage in a public debate on the matter.
In a lengthy statement outlining his position Dean Furlong said: "With the deepest respect for others and their beliefs, to my mind, Jesus, and John the Baptist also, were mistaken and misguided 'end-time' prophets; Jesus was neither a mediator nor a saviour, neither super-human nor divine. There is a sense in which the time has come to leave Jesus to his place in history and to move on; while at the same time I want to say that there is a need to re-discover his place in the totality of the Christian community as we understand it now."
Dean Furlong's position will be reviewed by the Bishop on March 4th, when he must have changed his views or face severance.
