Conservatives rule out Anglican reconciliation on gay clergy
Pastor Dale Morgan
Conservatives rule out Anglican reconciliation on gay clergy*
* Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
* The Guardian,
* Saturday June 21, 2008
There is no longer any hope for a unified Anglican communion because of
divisions over homosexual clergy and civil partnerships, according to
conservative bishops gathering in Jerusalem for a breakaway summit.
Clergy attending the Global Anglican Futures Conference (Gafcon), which
starts tomorrow, have issued a manifesto declaring there is no
possibility of reconciliation with the Episcopal church in the US and
the Anglican church of Canada, because both ordain gay bishops and
accept same-sex unions. The summit comes in the wake of controversy
around the "wedding" of two gay priests at St Bartholomew the Great
church in the City of London.
About 200 of the 280 bishops in Jerusalem will boycott this summer's
Lambeth conference, an event symbolising one of the four instruments
that binds the church. Although the Archbishop of Canterbury invited
more than 800 bishops, those from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda are
shunning his conference in favour of one reflecting their views.
They join bishops from England, Australia and some Asian and Latin
America countries. Eight American bishops, unhappy with their church's
direction, will also be attending.
Conservatives say after years of meetings on key issues they remain
"ignored", "demonised" and "marginalised", concluding there "is no
longer any hope, therefore, for a unified communion".
Despite the gloomy prognosis the conservatives are playing down talk of
a schism, a message at odds with the pronouncements of some delegates.
The manifesto features the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola,
questioning the Archbishop of Canterbury's status as an instrument of
unity. His colleague Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda, has said
in interviews that the rift in the church can only be bridged if liberal
bishops "espousing sexual perversion, repent and return to Christ's
teachings".
Two of Gafcon's leaders are prominent members of the Church of England:
Michael Nazir-Ali, bishop of Rochester, and Wallace Benn, bishop of
Lewes. Neither has confirmed whether they will be at Lambeth. Organisers
say the 1,000 delegates will spend the week in discussion, prayer and
workshops. The convention clashes with Jerusalem Gay Pride, although
participants from the two events are unlikely to meet.
There has been no reaction from the Archbishops of Canterbury or York to
the conference. But, in an interview with Premier, a Christian radio
station, the Bishop of Durham, the Right Rev Dr Tom Wright, urged people
not to abandon the communion.
"The boat is in rocky, choppy waters; don't jump out of the boat and
swim to the right," he said. "Stick with it. We're going towards Lambeth."