A bishop, a cross and a poignant link

A group of us were back at church this morning - this time to run through the moves for the institution (actually it seems to be called a collation, which makes me think of cold stewed fruit) on Saturday of our new rector. It's extraordinarily like herding hens, as apparently sane and capable adults stray, mix their hands up, forget the few words they have to say and which are written in the booklet ... but we got it done in the end, as far as my part in the proceedings was concerned.

Of much greater interest was the story our bishop (seen here arriving) told us about his pectoral cross. Everyone assumed, he said, that it depicted a Celtic cross sitting in a coracle. In fact, it shows a Christian cross resting in a Buddhist lotus flower, and symbolises the respect that religions can have for one another. It was made in Sri Lanka, and only Rowan Williams has one like it.

And so we prayed for the people of Sri Lanka in the wake of the attacks there on Christians on Easter Day, and we prayed for respect between faiths and the will to overcome bigotry and hatred.

And then we escaped into the sunshine ...