Anglican/Episcopalian Church faces new gay row
Pastor Dale Morgan
Anglican/Episcopalian Church faces new gay row*
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:51am BST 23/06/2007
Canada's Anglicans could dramatically deepen the rifts within the
worldwide Church over homosexuality this weekend by giving approval to
gay blessings.
A couple talk to reporters after receiving a blessing of their union
outside a church in Vancouver
Such a step by the Canadian General Synod would all but extinguish the
chances of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, averting schism.
Observers say the vote, which would give individual dioceses the
discretion to allow same-sex blessings, is "on a knife-edge".
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who is attending the Synod in
Winnipeg, issued a coded call for unity, urging delegates to take
account of the wider Church.
But most of the Canadian bishops, including the primate, Archbishop
Andrew Hutchison, are liberal on the issue.
The gay crisis was triggered by the 2002 decision by the liberal
Canadian Bishop of New Westminster, the Rt Rev Michael Ingham, to allow
gay blessings in his diocese, though this was eclipsed by the
consecration of Gene Robinson as Anglicanism's first openly gay bishop.
The Canadians could once again lead the way by voting clearly in favour
of same-sex blessings because the equally liberal American Church has so
far given only an equivocal ruling on the issue.
Canon Charlie Masters, the head of the conservative Canadian group
Anglican Essentials, said: "We recognise we're at a crossroads for the
Church."