In one of the online articles about the recent ACNA / Lutherans meeting, I saw a comment from someone who remembers that time in Church of England when women priests were first allowed, this must have been in 1994... He says that lightning struck York Minster!..... Seems eerily similar to the lightning striking the Vatican and ushering the disastrous reign of Pope Francis.... Does anyone know about this?
I remember this happening but I don't think it was attributed to WO as the fire happened in 1984. From memory shortly before hand someone of stature in York had denied the trinity. I remember a Christian work mate (reformed) telling me this was God punishing the Anglican church for it's sins. I remarked that this was possibly a "Job" like situation. Shortly after his child died of cot death.
Upon further investigation. Some churchgoers feared the fire was a sign from God in response to the consecration at the minster three days earlier of the Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins. He had made the news for saying he did not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ.
The York Minster fire occurred in the early hours of the morning of 9th July 1984. That was eight years before the C of E's General Synod passed the Measure to allow women to be ordained. David Jenkins had been consecrated as Bishop of Durham in the Minister three days earlier on 6th July. He was a divisive figure in the C of E believed to hold heterodox views, e.g. he claimed the virgin birth of Christ did not happen and he denied the physical resurrection of Christ's body. Many believed that the lightning bolt that caused the Minster fire was God expressing his displeasure. I, for one, do not hold this view. It seems to me to make God powerless and the thunderbolt was nothing more than a divine tantrum. If God did not want David Jenkins to be the Bishop of Durham he could have moved the selection panel to have chosen someone else, guding them through the power of the Holy Spirit.