Sydney, NSW
Australia
St. James - King Street St. James' Church AIDS Memorial Bell since 27 July 2003
unknown
Among the peal of new bells, one marks the toll of AIDS
Amid a smokescreen of incense, one of the new bells of St James Anglican Church, dedicated to the memory of those who have died of AIDS, was rung for the first time yesterday. The bell, the fourth of the King Street church's eight, is inscribed with the legend "Nomine - let their names ring out", and plays the note D.

Last month the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, and his five regional bishops issued a statement - later endorsed by the diocese's elite decision-making body - condemning same-sex blessings and gay bishops in the church. The rector of St James, the Reverend Peter Kurti, said the installation of the bell was approved by the diocese. "The bell makes no statement about homosexuality at all," Mr Kurti said. "It's just a memorial of all people who have died anywhere of AIDS. It wasn't given by a particular group of people."

The bells are named after luminaries from the early days of St James, the oldest church in the city, including the architect Francis Greenway, Australia's earliest female entrepreneur, Mary Reiby, and the NSW governor Lachlan Macquarie.

No photo available any more The Sydney Morning Herald

27 July 2003
Alexa Moses, Sydney