Anglican Prelates
Snub Head of U.S. Church
Over Gay Issues
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
and LAURIE GOODSTEIN, NYTimes on the Web, February 17, 2007
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Feb.
16 — Seven archbishops who say they represent more than 30 million Anglicans
worldwide refused to take Communion here on Friday with the new head of the
American Episcopal Church, to protest her support of gay clergy members and
blessings for same-sex unions.
Their action demonstrated the deep gulf between conservative and liberal wings
of the Anglican Communion, the world’s third largest Christian denomination,
with 77 million members. Conflict over the American branch’s acceptance of
an openly gay bishop and same-sex unions has dominated a high-level Anglican
meeting here.
A statement posted on the Web site of Nigeria’s Anglican Church said seven
archbishops, five of whom represent African countries, felt that it would be a
violation of Scripture to celebrate the Eucharist with Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was elected in June as head of the 2.3 million
Episcopalians in the United States. The statement quoted a passage from
the Book of Common Prayer calling for sinners to repent.
Their protest undercut efforts by other church leaders striving to present the
church as united. But it is not unprecedented. At the last such
meeting, in Northern Ireland two years ago, at least a dozen Anglican leaders
refused to celebrate the Eucharist with Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold,
Bishop Jefferts Schori’s predecessor, for the same reason.
“This is an expression of what has been going on,” Archbishop Phillip Aspinall
of Australia said at a news briefing here. “Some people believe that
relations have been fractured or broken with the Episcopal Church.”
A spokesman for Bishop Jefferts Schori said she was abiding by the church’s
request not to speak to reporters until the meeting ended Monday.
The Anglican Church has steadily pressed the Episcopal Church to modify its
stance on homosexuality since the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, a gay priest living
with his partner, was consecrated as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 .
The American church agreed in June to refrain from consecrating more openly gay
bishops. But it has made no such move to discourage church blessings of
same-sex unions, prompting renewed criticism here.
A draft covenant presented at the conclave on Friday could step up the pressure.
Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies, who was chairman of the drafting
committee, said Friday that once approved, the covenant would provide a way to
hold wayward churches in check.
He estimated that 9 of the 38 Anglican provinces worldwide had broken relations
with the Episcopal Church because of its stance on homosexuality, including
those who refused to take Communion with Bishop Jefferts Schori. Another
half dozen, including his own church, have declared that relations were
“impaired,” while a dozen or so more have taken no public stance, he said.
By Friday, conservative Anglicans said they were starting to despair that the
meeting here would produce neither of their goals: a condemnation and
marginalizing of the Episcopal Church, or a new church structure for American
conservatives who want to leave the Episcopal Church but remain within the
Anglican Communion.
“Conservatives are very disappointed,” said Timothy Shah, senior fellow at the
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in Washington. “They have the
feeling that the policy of the archbishop of Canterbury and the leadership of
the Episcopal Church is one of indefinite delay in the hopes that aging
conservative primates will retire and eventually be replaced by people who are
more open to a negotiated settlement.”
Liberal Episcopalians, on the other hand, were encouraged that the number of
primates — the term for the leaders of Anglican provinces — who refused to take
Communion at this meeting was only seven, about half the number who refused two
years ago.
Sharon LaFraniere reported from Dar es Salaam, and Laurie
Goodstein from New York.
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