Pre-Lambeth 2008
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/07/13/protest-disrupts-bishops-sermon/#more-4263
Protest disrupts bishop’s sermon
July 13th, 2008 Posted in Anglican Communion |
From BBC News
Openly gay US bishop Gene Robinson was forced to halt a sermon at a west London church after being heckled.
As Bishop Robinson began his sermon a member of the congregation repeatedly called him a "heretic" and said "repent, repent, repent".
He began his sermon by saying how sad it was that the Anglican Communion was tearing itself apart.
But he was stopped when the man in the congregation shouted that the schism was the bishop’s fault.
The man’s protest was followed by slow hand-clapping by members of the congregation, and Bishop Robinson halted his sermon while a hymn was sung and the protester was escorted from the church in Putney, south west London.
You know, whatever you think makes you unworthy, I don’t think God wants to hear it any more
The man was taken outside and left on a motorbike, but no further action was taken against him by police officers present.
Bishop Robinson resumed speaking shortly after the interruption, asking church members to "pray for that man".
Bishop Robinson went on to say: "This discussion of homosexuality we are having in the Church is not so significant because of what it says about homosexuality, but of what it says about God.
"When someone stands up and says homosexuality is an abomination, does that make you want to get to know God?"
Bishop Robinson emphasised that the congregation should reject fear.
He said: "I think God wants us to be bold, I think God wants us to take risks, I don’t think God wants us to be afraid.
‘Almost untenable’
"You know, whatever you think makes you unworthy, I don’t think God wants to hear it any more."
"All you have to do is turn up and open up your heart."
Among those in the congregation was Health Minister Ben Bradshaw. Speaking afterwards, Mr Bradshaw said the sermon was excellent and inspirational.
"He is a very brave man speaking the truth," he added. The end of the sermon was met with warm applause.
Bishop Robinson’s address comes as the Anglican Communion gather for their 10-yearly Lambeth Conference in Canterbury.
His ordination as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 split the Anglican Communion, and he has been excluded from the conference amid deep Anglican divisions over the issues of women bishops and homosexuality in the Church.
Earlier, he said "a mistake was made" in not inviting him to the conference, but he would do whatever he could to raise the issue of gay rights "from the fringe".
He said he would not stage any kind of protest, but would be in Canterbury during the conference simply to "preach the word of God".
Bishop Robinson also said the Archbishop of Canterbury was in an "almost untenable" position as he tries to retain unity in the Church.
Splinter movement
He said that despite Dr Rowan Williams’s attempts to overcome deep divisions over the ordination of women and gay people, "no matter what he does he makes someone mad."
Anglican conservatives set up a splinter movement earlier this month, in rejection of the acceptance of gay bishops.
And last week the General Synod, the Church of England’s ruling body, voted in favour of legislation aimed at introducing women bishops, a move which generated acrimony.
Some 1,300 clergy opposed to it had threatened to leave the Church if the safeguards they wanted were not agreed.
Bishop Robinson went public with his sexuality in 1980 and has since been in a 20-year relationship with current partner, Mark Andrew.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
14.
David Batty
Latest blog posts
Hells Anglican or ghost rider?
Bloggers are wondering whether the biker who heckled the gay bishop Gene Robinson was quite what he seemed to be
July 14, 2008 4:25 PM
Protests by bikers usually take the form of fleets of motorcyles blocking motorways over rising petrol prices. So the heckling of the openly gay Anglican bishop Gene Robinson by a lone biker during a sermon at a church in Putney, south London, has raised a few eyebrows.
The heckler, who was escorted from the service, is described by by Jim Naughton on Episcopal Cafe as "a broad-chested man with shoulder-length brown hair", wearing "a black Triumph T-shirt and black leather pants".
After waving his motorcycle helmet at Robinson, he stood outside "for several minutes near his bike, pulled on his black leather jacket and matching gloves, and departed".
Naughton says a journalist asked the church's vicar whether he had "pulled the man off of the street and paid him to disrupt the service in order to create as unfavourable an image as possible of Robinson's adversaries".
This cynical view is shared by the rightwing blog Blaney's Blarney, which wonders "whether the biker who heckled 'Bishop' Robinson might have been a plant, a paid heckler who was tasked with heckling on cue" in order to raise sympathy for the American clergyman.
Taking a different tack, Keith Hitchman, a pastor in Cheltenham, says what was interesting about the heckler was his age and scruffy appearance. He writes: "The clergy and congregation, on the other hand, were virtually all over 45 and greying (just like me). What does that say about where the church is really at?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
16.
Dr Rowan Williams' Anglican power to be tested at Lambeth Conference
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones
Last Updated: 2:14AM BST 13/07/2008
Buffeted from both sides: Dr Rowan Williams
There had been 103 Archbishops of Canterbury before Dr Rowan Williams arrived at the ultimate seat of Anglican power, yet few can have presided over more turbulent times.
From women bishops to gay clergy, it has been the scholarly Archbishop to whom people have looked for guidance and leadership as the warring factions have warned repeatedly that the Church would split.
However, while he may hold the greatest sway in theory, a panel of experts - enlisted by The Sunday Telegraph - argued that to claim he is the most influential figure in the Anglican communion is no longer a foregone conclusion, and that the Lambeth Conference, which opens on Wednesday, will test that claim to its limit.
In drawing up The Lambeth Power List, they said that Dr Williams has been buffeted from one side by the liberal actions of the American Church, led by Katharine Jefferts Schori, and the reactionary zeal of the Africans, led by Peter Akinola, the Archbishop of Nigeria, on the other.
Instead of persuading them to follow his lead, some of the panel asserted that the two antagonists have had more influence over the current state of the Anglican communion, pulling the Archbishop in both directions, leaving him torn and broken.
Others countered that, in reality, there is little that he can do, as the Archbishop of Canterbury does not have the same powers that the Pope has to make binding edicts.
This month's Lambeth Conference will test what influence he still holds and whether he is able to turn the considerable esteem and affection that is felt for him by his colleagues into support for a resolution to the crisis.
In particular, much will rest on his ability to convince the bishops to back his plans for an Anglican Covenant - or rulebook of beliefs - to bring some sort of uniformity of belief in the worldwide communion.
Last Sunday, he delivered a powerful and passionate sermon in York Minster that received near-universal acclaim, yet a day later he was unable to persuade the General Synod to heed his call for provisions to be made for traditionalists opposed to women bishops.
This was undoubtedly because his call for a compromise seemed so tortured, telling Synod members that he felt "uncomfortably led" to the conclusion that proper safeguards should be given.
Further into the list, Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, speak with directness and clarity on issues that matter to the British public, ranging from knife crime and fatherless babies to the impact of immigration and the rise of secularism.
On the wider stage, while Archbishop Sentamu is from Uganda, it is Pakistan-born Bishop Nazir-Ali whom the panel believes holds the greater sway across the Anglican Communion.
The bishop's speech at last month's Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) was received enthusiastically and he has become a leading figure in the conservative movement.
He is part of a global alliance that includes Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, Henry Orombi, the Archbishop of Uganda, and Greg Venables, the South American primate, and has created a new church within the Anglican church.
Orombi and Venables have already taken over dozens of churches in the west that are opposed to the consecration of Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, and have a growing network of influence.
Archbishop Orombi was seen by the panel as the most likely African to succeed Archbishop Akinola, who retires soon, in leading the battle against the pro-gay agenda.
Bishop Robinson will remain in the eye of the storm, maintaining a totemic significance for the liberal wing of the Church, which was dismayed by his exclusion from the Lambeth Conference.
No one more so than Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who may be retired but still holds a role as a global statesman, crossing the divide between the west and Africa.
"Our world is facing problems - poverty, HIV and Aids - a devastating pandemic, and conflict," he said. "In the face of all of that, our Church, especially the Anglican Church, at this time is almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality."
Related Content
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
17.
The 50 most influential figures in the Anglican Church: 10-1
Page 1 of 3
Last Updated: 1:03AM BST 13/07/2008
With the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican communion’s landmark summit, beginning next week, The Sunday Telegraph has compiled the Lambeth Power List, a countdown of the most influential figures in the worldwide Church.
Have your say: Who should be on the list?
10. John Sentamu - Archbishop of York
Yorkshireman of the Year in 2007, the Ugandan-born John Sentamu has become immensely popular in Britain - his adopted country after being forced into exile following incurring the wrath of dictator Idi Amin.
A high court judge in the country, he was locked up for 90 days and beaten before he escaped to England, where he read theology and trained for ministry in the Church of England.
His enthusiastic brand of learned and muscular Christianity quickly brought him to notice. He was appointed Bishop of Stepney in 1996 and at that time served as advisor to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Enquiry, he later chaired the Damilola Taylor review.
In 2002 he was appointed Bishop of Birmingham and in 2005 became Archbishop of York.
In an interview before his enthronement he gained the affection of the British public by calling for a rediscovery of pride in their cultural identity, warning against multiculturalism. He has also become well known for his symbolic protests.
In 2006 he pitched a tent in York Minster and fasted in solidarity with those suffering from the Middle East Conflict. In a BBC interview with Andrew Marr, he cut up his dog collar as a symbol for the way President Mugabe is stripping Zimbabweans of their identity. He also campaigned for the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston.
He is a loyal supporter and friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury and widely tipped as a potential successor.
9. Michael Nazir-Ali - Bishop of Rochester
Michael Nazir-Ali has become one of the most prominent church figures in Britain with his championing of traditional Christianity.
He came to Britain in 1986 after receiving death threats in his native Pakistan, but his stand on issues such as immigration and Islam has seen his life threatened in this country as well.
Despite facing vitriolic criticism from liberal quarters, he is widely admired for speaking up for British values that much of the public are concerned are under threat.
He was the youngest bishop in the Anglican Communion in the Raiwind diocese being made a consultant to the 1988 Lambeth Conference by Archbishop Robert Runcie.
Subsequently he became head of the Church of England's influential Church Mission Society.
He was appointed England's first Asian diocesan bishop of Rochester in 1994 and was touted as a likely successor to Lord Carey, as Archbishop of Canterbury.
He has become increasingly unhappy with the liberal drift of the Church of England and Anglican Communion and is one of the few English bishops who has refused to attend the Lambeth Conference, a decision made because of the Anglican Church’s failure to discipline the Episcopal Church of the USA.
He was a keynote speaker at the recent Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem.
8. Peter Jensen - Archbishop of Sydney
Consecrated Archbishop of Sydney in 2001, Peter Jensen is a forceful spokesman for evangelical Christianity in Australia and beyond.
He called upon all churches in his archdiocese to aim to reach ten per cent of their communities by 2012.
As a result of this initiative more than 60 new congregations were started between 2002 and 2005 seeing a thirty per cent increase in candidates for Anglican ministry.
He has become an increasingly influential ally to the conservative African churches of Anglicanism despite the fact that he is only a regional Archbishop rather than Primate of the Australian Church.
He became the public face of the recent Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem and shortly afterwards travelled across to England to rouse up evangelical clergy in support. "Sexual immorality leads you outside the Kingdom of God, just as does greed. It is not a second-order issue," he told them.
7. Greg Venables - South American primate
Despite heading a small province, he has become one of the most articulate proponents of the Anglican communion’s conservative wing, bridging the cultural divide between west and 'global south'.
Originally a missionary from England, he presides over minority Anglican dioceses in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay.
He has provided alternative episcopal oversight to parishes in the US and Canada, and has recently taken the Diocese of San Joaquin under his wing.
He is in negotiations with the Diocese of Pittsburgh which looks certain to depart The Episcopal Church later this year.
He intends to attend the Lambeth Conference, despite the fact that many of his African allies are boycotting it.
He says of the split in the Anglican Communion that the division is near to final.
"Dialogue is the one thing that is lacking. I don't thing we are going to change people's minds but I think it would be wrong for us to get to a point where we acknowledge a division and try to organise it without being together and talking about it."
6. Desmond Tutu - Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town
The Nobel Peace prize winner is widely regarded as the greatest Anglican of the 20th century, and still commandss enormous influence, affection and respect today.
His courageous stand against apartheid gained him unprecedented support for the better part of three decades.
It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the infrastructure and closer links within the Anglican Communion grew precisely to support him as he personally risked life and limb in the struggle.
He later earned even greater kudos when he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which became the litmus test for effective mediation work between divided factions.
In retirement he became a champion of the cause of gays and lesbians comparing their liberation to the struggle against apartheid.
5. Henry Orombi - Archbishop of Uganda
Leader-in-waiting for millions of Anglicans in sub-saharan Africa as Archbishop Akinola gets closer to retirement. Archbishop Orombi represents a younger generation of evangelical leaders in the Anglican Church presiding over growth and commitment to mission and social work.
The Anglican Church in Uganda has been at the forefront of halting the country's HIV/Aids pandemic and has experienced significant growth in the number of churchgoers.
Ugandan's opposition to homosexual practice is defended in terms of its history.
Archbishop Orombi is one of the few Anglican leaders to unequivocally condemn violence against homosexuals, but recently said he didn't wear his dog collar when he is in countries where there are supporters of homosexuals.
He described "these people" as "dangerous".
4. Gene Robinson - Bishop of New Hampshire
He is the most divisive figure in the Anglican world, whose appointment as bishop five years ago engulfed the Anglican communion in a bitter conflict that shows no signs of abating.
The openly gay cleric is controversially being given a platform at St Mary’s Putney where revolutionaries plotted to change the English constitution during the civil war.
His sermon marks the launch of a radical agenda that the liberals hope will help to rewrite Anglican policy over the coming weeks as hundreds of bishops prepare to head to Canterbury to discuss resolving the current crisis.
Bishop Robinson, who “married” Mark Andrew, his partner of nearly 20 years, believes that the gay clergy in the Church of England are unable to lead fulfilled lives because they are being forced to lie about their sexuality.
3. Peter Akinola - Archbishop of Nigeria
Peter Akinola represents for many commentators an epochal shift in the centre of gravity for Christianity from western dominance to what is now commonly known as the 'Global South'.
With 18 million committed churchgoers, the Church of Nigeria dwarfs any other in the Anglican Communion. After his election as Archbishop in 2000 he outlined a clear programme of evangelism, social work and self-sufficiency in the sectarian and troubled country.
At first he appeared to have a close relationship to the American Presiding Bishop, Frank Griswold, but that changed in 2003 when the General Convention ratified the election of Gene Robinson to New Hampshire.
Since then he has upset the American Church by intervening in its affairs with the creation of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America that he brought under his leadership.
In 2006 he was named as one of Time magazines leaders of the year, but since then his stock has fallen.
He failed to be re-elected as Chairman of the 37 million-strong Christian Association of Nigeria, and has attracted criticism for inciting violence in the Cartoon riots.
His defenders argue that he was doing no more than voice the frustration a leader of a Christian community whose members are routinely attacked in some parts of the country.
However his support for draconian anti-gay legislation has made him a favourite bete-noire for liberal anger. He has also referred to homosexuals as an 'abomination'.
One of the key leaders of the Gafcon movement, the Church of Nigeria was a trailblazer for removing the link to Canterbury from their constitution.
He is believed to be behind Gafcon's own revision of the office of the Archbishop, as merely an 'historic' one rather than an instrument or focus of unity in the worldwide church.
It seems now that after Akinola's frequent gaffes other leaders are taking over the leadership of the Communion's conservatives but as leader of 18 million of the continents Anglicans, Archbishop Akinola remains one of the most influential Anglican leaders - for better and for worse.
2. Katherine Jefferts Schori - Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the US
A former oceanographer and pilot, Katharine Jefferts Schori came from nowhere to become Presiding Bishop in 2006. Despite being bishop of one of the smallest dioceses, Nevada, she was projected to the primacy on a wave of pushing the frontiers of American Anglicanism, rather than through a long, demonstrable record as a bishop.
She doesn't believe that Jesus is the only way to God - that would be to "put God in an awfully small box" and also said: "To believe there is only one way of reading the Bible is hubris.”
She is influential because she represents an Episcopal Church which has increasingly hardened its stance towards the Anglican Communion.
As the leader of the American Church, she has used very precise language to walk a thin line between flouting the requests of the Anglican Communion and doing just enough to garner the support of other parts of the liberal Church.
Schori has concentrated on relationships with Canada, the central American dioceses, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa and, Europe which some say points towards an Episcopalian Communion in future, if the Anglican Communion falls apart.
Has pursued a strategy of litigation in the US in cases where conservative congregations and dioceses are keen to pursue a negotiated settlement on property questions. Believes that parish property is held in trust for The Episcopal Church and is happy to spend millions in the courts to pursue that policy.
1. Rowan Williams - Archbishop of Canterbury
A Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford by the age of 36, he was made Bishop of Monmouth five years later and was received with almost universal acclaim when he became Archbishop of Canterbury.
Churchgoers and the media were excited at the prospect of a highly-gifted theologian and academic in charge of the Church of England.
The only objections came from some evangelicals who were wary of his liberal past. As Archbishop of Wales he had ordained a practising homosexual, and Oxford argued that gay relationships could be accepted by the Church.
However, he moved to meet these concerns by promising to abide by the majority teaching of the Church.
Those who hoped he would lead the Church of England in a more liberal direction have found instead he has tried to back a middle path through the Anglican Communion's travails.
Only months into office, he asked his friend Jeffrey John to withdraw from becoming Bishop of Reading amid great controversy and he commissioned the Windsor Report which largely placed the blame for division on the North Americans 'walking apart' from the rest of the Communion.
While many liberals have attacked him, the conservatives in the communion are also becoming increasingly critical, believing that he has not done enough to discipline the liberal American Church, which consecrated Gene Robinson.
He also became embroiled in a controversy this year over his remarks on the role of sharia law in Britain, later apologising for any “unclarity” that provoked the uproar.
This Lambeth Conference could define how the Archbishop is remembered.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
18.
|
Issue 7582 - 11 July, 2008 |
Central control not Anglican, says Williams
by Rachel Boulding
|
In transit: Dr Williams on the York University campus last weekend SAM ATKINS |
|
THE Archbishop of Canterbury was in defiant mood this week, as he spoke of his hopes for the Lambeth Conference. He was positive about its strong mission agenda, which he believes should put into perspective the debate about sexuality.
In an interview for this paper, Dr Williams admits to feeling “frustrated”, and even to having “kicked the furniture a bit over the last few weeks”. But he is clear in his analysis that GAFCON (News, 4 July) was not just about the biblical interpretation. “The vast majority of Anglican theologians and Anglican leaders have an absolutely clear commitment to the authority of scripture in the way we always have,” he says. Rather: “There are major ethical and cultural anxieties about sexual ethics here.”
He affirms the Anglican approach as being able to encompass plurality, without any one view undermining the basis of scriptural authority.
In the long term, the Anglican Communion would survive, he argues. “We may be less obviously at one for a few years, but that doesn’t let us off the obligation to keep listening to each other.” The model of diffused authority was part of the essence of Anglicanism: “If we did have a tight central model, we would cease to be the kind of Church we have always set out to be.”
The Church does, however, need to keep up to date with the new speed of global communications: “When something which happens in one province is instantly around the world, you have to go for a more coherent structure.”
When pressed about the personal hostility he has encountered, Dr Williams confesses to “feeling really whingeing” about the idea that he might be “incapable of talking to the person in the pew”. He jokingly painted a picture of himself “hiding in a foetal position under the bedcovers” if the situation gets any worse, but he remains resilient.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 19. One Bishop’s reflections on Lambeth 1998 Posted on July 15, 2008
In 1998, the then Bishop of North Sydney, Dr. Paul Barnett, attended the Lambeth Conference as part of the Sydney contingent. Human sexuality was the crucial issue. Bishop Barnett spoke at the ACL’s Sydney Synod Dinner in October 1998 and gave his personal reflection on Lambeth. His talk is worth re-reading in the light of all that has happened in the last ten years. Spong said the fight for gay rights would go on and that Lambeth 2008 would be a different story…
ACL Synod Dinner 15 October 1998 Bishop Paul Barnett - Bishop of North Sydney (An edited version of an address given at the 1998 ACL Synod Dinner.)
Thank
you for the opportunity to reflect on Lambeth. These are indeed personal
reflections. Others might see it differently.
Bishop Paul Barnett is the Bishop of North Sydney in the Diocese of Sydney. He is also a Vice-President Emeritus of the Anglican Church League. © Paul Barnett 1998 Document updated 27 October 1998. Anglican Church League, www.acl.asn.au OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 20.
The Road towards or away from Lambeth 2008? July 8th, 2008 Posted in Lambeth Conference | July-August 1998, Lambeth: Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’ and cannot advise ‘the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.’ October 2003, Primates Meeting: ‘If his (Robinson’s) consecration proceeds, we recognise that we have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of the Anglican Communion and we have had to conclude that the future of the Communion itself will be put in jeopardy. In this case, the ministry of this one bishop will not be recognised by most of the Anglican world, and many provinces are likely to consider themselves to be out of Communion with the Episcopal Church (USA).This will tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level (emphasis added) 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). Similar considerations apply to the situation pertaining in the Diocese of New Westminster.’ November 2003, Gay Bishop: Ordination of Victoria Eugenia (baptismal name) Gene Robinson, first openly practicing gay priest to the bishopric of New Hampshire October 2004, Windsor Report: ‘Actions to move towards the authorisation of such rites (of blessing same-sex unions) in the face of opposition from the wider Anglican Communion constitutes a denial of the bonds of Communion. In order for these bonds to be properly acknowledged and addressed, the churches proposing to take action must be able, as a beginning, to demonstrate to the rest of the Communion why their proposal meets the criteria of scripture, tradition and reason.’ February 2005, Primates Meeting Dromantine: Twelve primates do not take Communion with Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. ‘We request that the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada voluntarily withdraw their members from the Anglican Consultative Council for the period leading up to the next Lambeth Conference. During that period we request that both churches respond through their relevant constitutional bodies to the questions specifically addressed to them in the Windsor Report as they consider their place within the Anglican Communion.’ December 2005: ‘Vows’ exchanged between the Revd Christopher Wardale, Vicar of Holy Trinity, Darlington, and Malcolm Macourt, in Newcastle. The former bishop of Durham David Jenkins preached at the service. The present bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, warned against this move but no action has occurred. September 2006, Kigali: ˜Road to Lambeth’ published for Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA). ‘We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.’ November 2006, Changing Attitude notes official same-sex blessing policies in the US: Dioceses in the states of Arkansas, California, Delaware, Long Island, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont and Washington now have written guidelines on the performance of same-sex blessings. December 2006, Changing Attitude publishes UK Civil Partnership survey: 46 couples are presently in civil partnerships, including 36 ordained gay men, 2 ordained lesbians, 31 lay gay men and 6 lay lesbians. February 2007, Tanzania: Eight primates do not take Communion with Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. ‘The Primates request, through the Presiding Bishop, that the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church 1) make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorise any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses, or through General Convention, (The Windsor Report, Paras 143,144) and (2) confirm that the passing of Resolution BO33 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for Episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent (The Windsor Report, Para 134), unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion. The Primates request that the answer of the House of Bishops is conveyed to the Primates by 30th September 2007. If the reassurances requested of the House of Bishops cannot in good conscience be given, the relationship between The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion remains damaged at best, and this has consequences for the full participation of the Church in the life of the Communion.’ February 2007 Tanzania Communique, The Recognition of AMiA and CANA: ’Although there are particular difficulties associated with AMiA and CANA, the Pastoral Council should negotiate with them and the Primates currently ministering to them to find a place within these provisions. We believe that with goodwill this may be possible.’ February 25, 2007 The Episcopal Church presses on with ‘Gay Marriages’. Far from exercising a moratorium, The Episcopal Church is clearly pressing on with its agenda as evidenced by this civil union ceremony in a Church of Cindy Meneghin & Maureen Kilian (View report here) March 2007, TEC House of Bishops: ‘We believe that there is an urgent need for us to meet face to face with the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the primates’ standing committee, and we hereby request and urge that such a meeting be negotiated by the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury at the earliest possible opportunity’ they said. ‘We invite the Archbishop and members of the primates’ standing committee to join us at our expense for three days of prayer and conversation regarding these important matters.’ May 2007, TEC Civil Union: Mark Lewis, NJ TEC priest, and K. Dennis Winslow, NY TEC priest, were joined in a civil union at their New Jersey home by TEC priests Tim Hall and Jacqueline Schmidt. May 2007, Publication of Lambeth Invitation List: The following conservative bishops did not receive invitations: (1) Robinson Cavalcanti, Bp of Recife, Brazil (2) Martyn Minns, Bp of the CANA who sits in the Nigerian House of Bishops(3) Chuck Murphy III (4) John Rodgers (5) Alexander Green (6) Thaddeus Barnum (7) T.J. Johnson and (8) Douglas Weiss of the Anglican Mission in America who sit in the Rwandan House of Bishops Whom do these bishops lead and represent? Recife - 4,000 people, 32 congregations, 50 clergy. CANA - 7,000 Anglicans at least. 50 clergy in 32 congregations. AMiA - over 100 congregations; allowing for 100 per congregation makes 10,000 people. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, also was not invited to Lambeth. He represents 16,000 Anglicans in 49 New Hampshire parishes. May 2007, Statement of the Primate of All Nigeria: ‘The withholding of invitation to a Nigerian bishop, elected and consecrated by other Nigerian bishops will be viewed as withholding invitation to the entire House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria.’ May 2007, Statement of the Archbishop of Uganda: ˜We note that all the American Bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration as bishop of a man living in a homosexual relationship have been invited to the Lambeth Conference. These are Bishops who have violated the Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’ and ‘cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.’ Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth." November 29, 2007, Clergy Consultation Conference, London: Rowan Williams officiates at the Eucharist of the Clergy Consultation for GLBT clergy and their partners. According to Changing Attitude, 80 or so individuals were present. January 27, 2008, BBC Radio 4 Interview of AB Rowan Williams by Roger Bolton RB: What do you think is the best that the Lambeth Conference can achieve? Archbishop: Two things that I’m hoping and praying for. I hope that we’ll be able to have a good serious look at what structures we need to avoid the kind of confusion we’ve had in the last couple of years, that we’ll actually look hard at the ways we manage conflict, the ways we meet and how often and who. I think the last few years have shown us that somehow there’s a bit of a lack of confidence in how we do our business together. We need to get that back. Second thing is that I would hope that both ends of the spectrum will say, “Well, we are willing to take a step forward, make some concessions to stay together.” So the American Church is willing to say, “Alright, we won’t rush things”, if the African and other churches are willing to say, “We won’t instantly condemn"’ (emphasis added). May 2008, St Bartholomew’s, London, SS ‘Wedding’: The Revd Peter Cowell and The Revd Dr John Lord commit themselves to each other in a version of the 1662 Service of Holy Matrimony; four bishops attend.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 22. Gay Anglican bishop marries his partner
Mark Andrew, left, and
Bishop Gene Robinson during their private civil union ceremony on Saturday. Latest related coverage Other related coverage
June 9, 2008 The openly gay US Episcopal bishop at the centre of the Anglican church's global battle over homosexuality, has entered into a civil union with his longtime partner at a private ceremony. About 120 guests gathered at St Paul's Church in New Hampshire for Saturday's ceremony for Bishop Gene Robinson and his partner of more than 19 years, Mark Andrews. The event was kept private out of respect for next month's worldwide Anglican conference, Robinson's spokesman, Mike Barwell, said on Sunday. "It was absolutely joyful," Barwell said by telephone. "A lot of his supporters and friends were there, including many members of the gay and lesbian community." The 77 million-member Anglican Communion, a global federation of national churches, has been in upheaval since 2003 when the Episcopal Church consecrated Robinson as the first bishop known to be in an openly homosexual relationship in more than four centuries of church history. The Episcopal Church is the US branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Disputes over scriptural authority, the blessing of gay unions and other matters have become a worldwide issue and threaten turmoil this summer when Anglicans gather for their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference in Britain. Robinson has in the past received death threats and wore a bulletproof vest under his vestments at his consecration in 2003. Two uniformed police officers stood guard at Saturday's ceremony in the state capital Concord, said Barwell. Robinson and Andrews held two ceremonies - a non-religious one in which they became legal partners followed by a formal church service to give blessings to God for their relationship. Robinson, 61, a divorced father of two, praised New Hampshire's lawmakers when they passed legislation last year to make the state the fourth in the country where same-sex civil unions are legal. The law took effect on January 1. Robinson has suggested states go further and follow Massachusetts, which in 2003 became the first US state to legalise gay marriage. Robinson has said he wanted to enter into the civil union before leaving for England to ensure Andrew and his two daughters had legal protections given the threats to his life. Civil unions grant largely the same state rights as married couples - from insurance coverage to tax benefits and hospital visiting rights - but lack the full, federal legal protections of marriage. Robinson has been excluded from the Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conference but plans to attend as an outside observer. Reuters OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
