Primates Meeting at Lambeth
The primates of the Anglican Communion emerged October 16 from a closed two-day meeting at London's Lambeth Palace, headquarters of the archbishop of Canterbury, with a strong statement on what they perceive as threats to unity.
The special meeting was called by Archbishop
of Canterbury Rowan Williams to address "controversial decisions by the Diocese of New Westminster" in Canada to bless same-sex unions, and the confirmation of the election of an openly gay bishop by the Episcopal Church's General Convention in August.
"These actions threaten the unity of our own
Communion as well as our relationships with other parts of Christ's Church, our mission and witness, and our relations with other faiths, in a world already confused in areas of sexuality, morality and theology, and polarize Christian opinion," the statement said.
The statement said that the actions in Canada
and the US "could be perceived to alter unilaterally the teaching of the Anglican Communion...Whilst we recognize the juridical autonomy of each province in our Communion, the mutual interdependence of the provinces means that none has authority unilaterally to substitute an alternative teaching as if it were the teaching of the entire Anglican Communion." Such decisions "jeopardize our sacramental fellowship with each other."
The 37 primates representing the provinces or
autonomous churches of worldwide Anglicanism argued
that "each province needs to be aware of the possible effects of its interpretation of Scripture on the life of other provinces in the Communion." The statement made it clear that the primates reaffirmed the resolutions from the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops stating that homosexual behavior is contrary to Scripture and that blessing of same-sex relationships was not acceptable.
At the same time the statement pointed to an
other resolution that calls on the church "to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and to assure them that they are loved by God" and full members of the Body of Christ.
The statement also warned that the consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire would signal that the church has "reached a crucial and critical point," one that could place the future of the Anglican Communion itself in jeopardy. "This [pulling away]will tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level, and may lead to further division on this and further issues as provinces have to decide in consequence whether they can remain in communion with provinces that choose not to break communion with the Episcopal Church USA," said the primates.
The primates asked the archbishop of Canter
bury to appoint a commission "to consider his own role in maintaining communion within and between provinces when grave difficulties arise." The statement concluded, "It is clear that recent controversies have opened debates within the life of our Communion which will not be resolved until there has been a lengthy process of prayer, reflection and substantial work in and alongside the commission."
In comments at a closing press conference,
Williams said that "what we have achieved has been hard won but we found the will to keep working together." Noting that the meeting "has certainly been anything but easy and not without pain," he added that "it has been honest and open and I hope we have grown in some real shared understanding as a result."
Williams said that "we have grown closer to
gether rather than, as many people predicted, further apart during this meeting". Yet he admitted that "issues around homosexuality will continue to be difficult and divisive for the Anglican Communion, as they are for many Christians. It will continue to cause pain and an
ger and misunderstanding and resentment all around." Williams also said that the final statement "renders talk of winners and losers irrelevant."
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold agreed
with Williams that it was "a difficult but truthful meeting. We work in very different contexts," he said, so what may be good news for one province can turn out to be bad news for another province."
Underscoring the comments by Williams,
Griswold said that "sexuality issues are far from settled" but that "the Anglican Communion is not static but dynamic" in the way it addresses issues.
Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies,
a leading spokesman for the conservative primates, was asked at the press conference if he thought the statement would fall apart if Robinson were consecrated. He said that "we will follow the process" and wait for the commission report. "That's what I expect to do."
Pope Tells Archbishop Gay Priests a Threat
Archbishop Robin Eames' Address to the Media
The media attention has been overwhelming and it was necessary to hold a press briefing at 4pm in the courtyard of Lambeth Palace where an unscripted statement was delivered by the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Robin Eames, on behalf of the primates meeting. The full text of the statement follows:
"I think we wanted to give you an update on
how things are going. We are now seven hours into the meeting. The meeting has combined worship, prayer, bible study and discussion and, at the present time, the Primates are all here, bar one who just has a problem unrelated to the subject or anything like that.
"We are telling the story of how the Provinces
of the Anglican Communion have reacted to the developments that the Archbishop of Canterbury thought necessary to bring to our attention. Those stories represent the cultural differences right across our Communion, the reaction the Primates have had in their own countries and nations, and also the opportunity to show that there is an underlying anxiety right across the board to maintain the Anglican Communion.
"I have to say that in all my experience of these
meetings, I have never attended or been involved with one where there is such openness, frankness and honesty. And also, one where each and every Primate has been given the opportunity to respond in his own way to the question that has brought us together. I have also to say to you, that the anxiety to maintain the Anglican Communion, contrary to many of the predictions which your profession may well have shown to us earlier on, I
have to say to you that that was unfounded because there is a tremendous anxiety to maintain the Anglican Communion on a basis of collegiality, cooperation and the common faith.
"Now, as I say, we are seven hours into the
meeting. The programme is permitting the telling of those stories, as we put it. And I cannot tell you any more at this stage of the agenda, simply to say that we are still at that point. How long it will take, I wish I could tell you, because seven hours is quite a long time of intensity and I am sure you will understand, having waited out here in the wind, that seven hours is seven hours! But I would like to stress once more, that the Archbishop of Canterbury who is chairing this meeting is very anxious indeed that every possible opportunity is given to individual Primates to express the concerns that they have, which are varied, which in some cases are totally coloured by the culture of that country. But above all else, it is a very open and a very, very serious meeting.
"Now, I want to get back to what is happen
ing. I'll take three questions and I'm not having any favourites!"
Question: Will this eventually come to a vote? How will this be resolved?
Answer: I can't honestly answer that, because at the moment, it's a case of telling the reactions, telling the stories. But if I were to hazard a guess, I would say it's moving towards a consensus situation. Now what form
that consensus will take obviously won't become obvious--if it is to become obvious--until tomorrow. But certainly, at the moment, it's very, very much an honest expression of concerns.
Question: Are you a betting man? Could you let us know what you think the odds are of coming to a consensus that keeps the Church together?
Answer: In Northern Ireland terms, I'm known quite simply as the divine optimist! And I don't know whether that classifies me as a betting man or not, but I would say I am optimistic that the Anglican Communion will emerge from this stronger than it has ever been. What I would also like to predict is that there will be much greater honesty than perhaps we have had up until now.
Question: What is the next stage once you have heard the stories and the reactions.
Answer: Well I can answer that. The next stage is to reflect on what we have heard from the various Provinces. The process has simply been one after the other going through the 37 or so provinces. And obviously we want now the chance to reflect on what we have heard from our colleagues. So the next stage will be building on the current session that we are having.
"Now can you be good enough to let me go
back because, as I said it's a very, very open session and I would like to thank you for your patience." [ACNS]
International Reaction to Robinson Consecration: a Spectrum of Opinion
The November 2 consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of New Hampshire brought swift and varied reactions from Anglican leaders around the world--and dire warnings that the future of the Anglican Communion is in jeopardy. At the same time, it was evident that not everyone was prepared to rush into schism.
A statement, issued by Archbishop Peter
Akinola of Nigeria "for and [on] behalf of the working committee for the Primates of the Global South," said that they were "appalled" that the Episcopal Church USA "ignored the heartfelt plea of the Communion not to proceed with the scheduled consecration" and the "clear and strong warning of its detrimental consequences for the unity of the Communion."
As a result, "A state of impaired communion
now exists both within a significant part of ECUSA and between ECUSA and most of the provinces within the Communion." The statement urged the archbishop of Canterbury to "bring forward urgently a mechanism to guarantee adequate provision of episcopal oversight" for parishes and clergy within ECUSA and the Diocese of New Westminster in the Anglican Church of Canada.
In a radio interview, Akinola said, "We can no
longer claim to be in the same Communion. We cannot go to them and they cannot come to us. We will not share communion. We have come to the end of the road."
When pressed about what such cutting of ties
meant, he said that the Kenyans would not accept any support from the Episcopal Church, including missionaries. "The devil has clearly entered the church. God cannot be mocked," he said.
As a columnist in the Times of London pointed
out recently, "The Anglican Communion has been out of communion with itself since at least 1989 when the American Church appointed Barbara Harris as its first
woman bishop. What's one more schism among such friends."
Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Province
of the Southern Cone in South America added his voice. "The United States have declared independence. I think the chances of consensus are very slim. We are having a time of separation and thinking. We are not saying it is a divorce yet."
Archbishop Peter Jensen, who branded
Robinson as a "bishop of disunity," said that he expects two distinct strands of Anglicanism to develop as a result of the sexuality controversies.
In New Zealand, Bishop Thomas Brown said
that, while he was opposed to the consecration, the church should not dwell on its divisions. "The church is not so much a place to stand and divide as it is a place to love and unite."
According to Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the
Province of the West Indies, a majority of Anglicans would be willing to sacrifice their financial support rather than accept the consecration of Robinson.
Funding agencies have made it very clear, how
ever, that support is not conditioned by theological agreement. Akinola has warned of a financial backlash "against the financially weak church in Africa" if its opposition was too loud.
The issue was addressed at a recent meeting
of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) in Nairobi. Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold sent a letter challenging rumors that the Episcopal Church "has threatened African primates with withholding our support. The Episcopal Church has no ideological litmus test for overseas partners and has `punished' no one for holding different opinions of church order."
The Rev. James Calloway, director of grants
for Trinity Church Wall Street, said in a presentation at the CAPA meeting, "We do not believe we have to see eye to eye with you on every issue to work with you around common mission concerns... You don't have to agree with us to be eligible for a Trinity grant."
The swirling controversy places more pressure
on a special commission appointed by the archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Robin Eames of Ireland, appointed to head the commission--similar to the task he accepted in 1988 when the issue was the ordination of women--was cautiously hopeful. Noting that "we are moving into unknown territory," when asked whether a split was inevitable, he said, "I don't think you can prevent a realignment. I sincerely hope we can prevent what you call a split."
"We're still here, because we looked at ways
in which the guidelines could be accepted across the world to maintain the highest possible degree of unity-and I believe we can do it again," he said.
As he has in the past, Archbishop Njongonkulu
Ndungane of the Province of the Church in Southern Africa struck a much more conciliatory note, offering his congratulations to Robinson and offering prayers for him.
Other voices were delighted with the conse
cration. Dean Colin Slee of Southwark Cathedral in London said that Anglicans should rejoice that "at last there is an open and honest consecration of a homosexual bishop within the church. There have been many before but they have not been honest or open."
"His ministry will inspire lesbian, gay,
bisexual and heterosexual Christians with new confidence that we have a full place at the communion table of our Lord," said the Rev. Colin Coward, director of Changing Attitude, a British organization of Anglican bishops, priests and lay people that promotes a more open attitude in the church.
"This consecration is God's way of making the
church come to terms with homosexuality," said Christopher Ssenyonjo, a retired Ugandan bishop. "Bishop Robinson did not elect himself, he was elected by others. To me it seems God inspired them to vote that way."
Connecticut Clergy Refuse to Sign Marriage Licenses
Approximately a dozen clergy from Connecticut and Massachusetts were in attendance for an announcement: group of Connecticut clerics have decided to refuse to sign marriage licenses for heterosexual couples until unions between same-sex couples are legally recognized. The announcement of gay union support was not spearheaded by one denomination. The clergy involved in this protest include Unitarian Universalists, a Presbyterian minister, a rabbi, and ministers from the United Church of Christ. Many of the clerics plan to continue officiating weddings, but will leave the signing of the legal document to a justice of the peace.