Anglican views of homosexuality
Encyclopedia
Since the 1990s, the Anglican Communion
has struggled with controversy regarding homosexuality
in the church. In 1998, the 13th Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops passed a resolution stating that homosexual acts are "incompatible with Scripture". In 2002, the Diocese of New Westminster, in the Anglican Church of Canada
, permitted the blessing of same-sex unions
. The crisis deepened in 2003 when two openly gay men in England and the United States became candidates for bishop. In the Church of England
, Jeffrey John
eventually succumbed to pressure to withdraw his name from consideration to be the Bishop of Reading
. In the Episcopal Church USA, Gene Robinson
was elected and consecrated Bishop of New Hampshire
, becoming the first openly gay bishop
in the Anglican Communion. This was highly controversial and led several hundred bishops to boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference. As an alternative to Lambeth, many of these bishops attended the Global Anglican Futures Conference in Jerusalem.
Many provinces, primarily from the Global South
and representing about half of the 80 million practicing Anglicans worldwide, have responded to these theological disputes by declaring a state of impaired communion
with their Western counterparts. Minority groups in Western provinces have stated their opposition to what they consider unscriptural actions by the churches in England, Canada, Australia, and the United States. Since 2000, some conservative Global South provinces have appointed missionary bishops to the United States and Canada to provide pastoral oversight to disaffected Anglicans. This process, known as Anglican realignment
, is considered by the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada to be an illegitimate incursion into their territories; however, conservative Anglicans argued that the incursions were necessary because of the failure of these churches to uphold orthodox teaching with regard to human sexuality.
Some of the more specific issues under study within member churches and dioceses are:
Anglican churches are diverse in their views, from churches which do not accept any LGBT
members, to churches which are happy to have openly LGBT, partnered, non-celibate bishops. The nature of the Anglican Communion is such that not all churches or dioceses must agree on all issues in order to share a common faith
and baptism
. Part of the current controversy concerns how much and what sort of disagreement over these issues may exist while still calling it a "common faith."
In August 2003 the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
elected an openly gay
priest, Gene Robinson
, as a bishop. This came shortly after a similar controversy in England when a gay priest, Canon Jeffrey John
, was appointed to become the Suffragan Bishop of Reading
. Eventually, however, John agreed to withdraw in order to avoid division. In 2004, in the aftermath of the Gene Robinson election as bishop, Jeffrey John was installed as Dean of St. Albans Cathedral, the site of England's first Christian martyr
.
in an attempt to avoid a schism
on the issue. The day after, they released a lengthy statement:
, Rowan Williams
wrote a letter to Anglican churches worldwide in which he condemned comments by bishops outside the Western world for inciting violence against gay men and women.
In a 2007 speech to theology students in Toronto
, Williams argued that conservatives have failed to consider the wider context of Romans
1:27, which states, "and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for error." Williams pointed out that although St. Paul (the author of this epistle
) and his contemporaries viewed homosexual behaviour "as obviously immoral as idol worship
or disobedience
to parents", the main thrust of this passage is that humans must not judge one another for being sin
ful: Romans 2:1 says "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another: for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things." Williams admitted that his analysis "does nothing to settle the exegetical questions fiercely debated at the moment", but called upon conservatives to avoid self-righteousness rather than "happily identifying with Paul's castigation of someone else".
and the Province of South East Asia
, consecrated missionary bishops for the United States in January 2000 and formally established the Anglican Mission in America, now the Anglican Mission in the Americas, later that year (see Anglican realignment
). Bishops in Uganda cut relations with the Diocese of New Hampshire following Robinson's consecration on November 2, 2003. The Church of Nigeria declared itself in "impaired communion" with the Episcopal Church on November 2, 2003, and nine days later announced it was planning to establish a United States branch of its province to support Nigerian Anglicans living in the U.S. The Province of South East Asia broke communion with the Episcopal Church on November 20, 2003, citing Robinson's consecration as the reason for its action.
. This report took a strong stand against homosexual practice, recommended a moratorium on further consecrations of actively homosexual bishops and blessings of same-sex unions, and called for all involved in Robinson's consecration "to consider in all conscience whether they should withdraw themselves from representative functions in the Anglican Communion". However, it stopped short of recommending discipline against the Episcopal Church or Anglican Church of Canada.
In February 2005, the Primates of the Anglican Communion held a regular meeting
at Dromantine in Northern Ireland
at which the issue of homosexuality was heavily discussed. Of the 38 Primates, 35 attended. The Primates issued a communiqué that reiterated most of the Windsor Report's statements, but added a new twist. The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada were asked to voluntarily withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council
, the main formal international entity within the Anglican Communion until the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.
, was elected as a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Her consecration took place on 15 May 2010. Leaders from 20 Anglican provinces, meeting in Singapore in April 2010 declared the election and intended consecration of Canon Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian in the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC), “demonstrated, yet again, a total disregard for the mind of the Communion”.
, a gay priest, was elected Bishop of Reading
in May 2003. Before he could take up his post there was strong opposition from a minority of bishops and he was persuaded to not proceed with the appointment. However, many senior bishops have voiced disappointment at his decision to resign. Later in 2004 he was then installed as Dean of St Albans. Further controversy erupted when churches in the Diocese of St Albans decided that they would withhold contributions until further notice to protest this appointment. St Peter and Paul's Church in Cranfield, near Bedford
, and Holy Trinity Church, in New Barnet
, north London pledged to withhold money from diocesan funds in protest. St Andrews Church in the Hertfordshire
town of Chorleywood
has also announced that it would withhold funds until further notice.
in September 2002. The rector of the parish, the Reverend Patrick Towers, told the press, "I refuse to do weddings of same gender couples as they simply don't exist. But I am always very happy to look favourably on anyone seeking a blessing, be it for divorced couples, animals or friendships. It was a standard blessing, one I wrote myself, based on the Claddagh ring
theme."
There was also widespread concern within the Church of Ireland at the Bishop of Limerick's attendance at Gene Robinson's consecration.
Views at parish level reflect this with many evangelical parishes as well as those in the more populous (in terms of Church of Ireland membership) north being generally opposed to homosexual practice, while middle and high church parishes, especially in the south, have openly gay parishioners as a matter of routine. For example, at General Synod 2005, Dean Michael Burrows (now a bishop) stated that he regularly gives Holy Communion to parishioners in long-standing homosexual relationships.
The bishops have announced a process of listening and reflection within the church. A preliminary response to the Windsor Report was produced by the church's standing committee in January 2005.
Most of the northern dioceses have passed motions favouring Lambeth Resolution I.10, although a similar motion failed to receive overall endorsement in the Diocese of Connor, covering most of County Antrim
and the diocese with the most members in the Church of Ireland.
Sensational headlines in North America announced that the SEC had agreed to ordain gay people and lesbians in committed partnerships. The church thus released a statement pointing out that the policy was not "news". Regarding the media release that the above quote came from, it noted that "Press interest has focused on one small part of the overall statement". It continued to say that:
)
Gay clergy is in Church in Wales allowed. In 2011, Church in Wales
gives pensions for gay partners of anglican clergy. The Church of England
General Synod approved the change in 2010.
, Indonesia
, Laos
, Malaysia, Nepal
, Singapore
, Thailand
, Vietnam
)
The Province of South East Asia criticized the confirmation of Gene Robinson as a bishop by the Episcopal Church (USA), stating:
On 24 November 2003, the province declared that it had entered into a state of impaired communion with the Episcopal Church (USA) by releasing the following statement:
, at its meeting on 15 October 2007, resolved that the Anglican Church in Hong Kong
and Macau
supports the recommendations contained in the Windsor Report
so as to safeguard the unity of the Anglican Communion
.
tikanga are committed to this, and see homosexuality as a sin. There is no official support for the ordination of actively gay or lesbian clergy, although there can be local support. Some Pākehā
parishes are more open to gay and lesbian issues, including ordination and blessing of unions. The Dunedin
and Auckland
dioceses are notable for other such examples, including the ordination of a non-celibate gay priest and the blessings of same-sex relationships performed by priests in an official capacity.
New Zealand writer Liz Lightfoot has documented the experiences of individuals coming out in the Anglican Church as a contribution to the 'listening process' in the Anglican Church.
The current Primate, Phillip Aspinall
, has stated the topic is not worth splitting the church over. Peter Jensen, the archbishop of the strongly Evangelical Diocese of Sydney
, has vigorously opposed homosexuality, stating that accepting it would be "calling holy what God called sin." The former Australian primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley
, who retired in 2005, criticized "Sydney Anglicans" for "empty moralizing" and questioned if the Bible condemns homosexuality in a statement:
St Andrew's Church in Subiaco
, Perth
, Western Australia was the first Anglican church in Australia to publicly welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Its Sunday evening services are specifically for GLBT people but heterosexual people are also welcome.
has also been strongly critical of homosexuality. Bishops in his province criticized the Windsor Report for failing to call liberal churches to repentance. The province has declared itself in "impaired communion" with ECUSA, but continues to maintain full communion with opponents of the Robinson consecration. Venables has authorized dioceses within his province to provide episcopal oversight to United States churches that have left ECUSA.
In December 2007, the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
, an ECUSA diocese in central California
, voted to leave ECUSA and joined the Province of the Southern Cone as the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin
. A minority of the Episcopal Diocese remained in ECUSA. In October 2008, a majority of the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted to leave ECUSA and affiliate with the Southern Cone, resulting in one body affiliated with the Southern Cone and a second body remaining within ECUSA. The following month, the conventions of two more US dioceses—the Diocese of Quincy in Illinois
and the Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas
—voted to leave ECUSA and affiliate with the Southern Cone.
Conference, the Anglican Church in Brazil has decided to promote two national forums on Human Sexuality, both held in Rio de Janeiro
. Its decisions guide the actual policy on this subject. According to the final document, the consensus of the Brazilian Church is that human sexuality is a gift from God, and it should be experienced in peace, freedom, love and respect. It is understood that the Church should respect the privacy of its members and clergy. So, any kind of public exposure of someone's sexual orientation (as a pre-requisite to be a member or take part of any ministry) violates this privacy. Because of that progressive position, the Bishop of the Diocese of Recife (the only one that is still strongly Evangelical), Robinson Cavalcanti, declared Recife to be independent of the Church of Brazil, an action that resulted in his being deposed as a bishop by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Among his main reasons, he pointed that the Brazilian Church was sympathetic to the ordination of Gene Robinson
's and dangerously coping with the allowing of homosexuals being part of its clergy. This split separated the Diocese of Recife in two parts: one of them, loyal to Bishop Orlando Santos de Oliveira, primate of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, and currently coordinated by Bishop Sebastião Gameleira, and the other, under Cavalcanti's leadership, tied to the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.
in the majority of Canada's provinces, and on 20 July 2005, the Canadian government extended the new definition nationwide by statute.
passed a resolution stating: "It is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church."
Various interpretations were held within ECUSA on this resolution, ranging from the majority of dioceses that ordain noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy to the minority group who founded the Anglican Communion Network
which opposes such ordinations. On June 23, 2005 the ECUSA defined its meaning in a one hundred and thirty page document entitled "To Set Our Hope on Christ":
In July 2009, the General Convention voted to allow bishops to bless same-sex unions
, and also called for bishops to "collect and develop theological and liturgical resources" for possibly creating an official rite for such ceremonies at the 2012 General Convention.
In January 2010, Anglican Reverend Mally Lloyd and the Anglican Reverend Katherine Ragsdale, two high-level Episcopal priests, married in a ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston
, Massachusetts.
and poverty. Their previous Archbishop, Desmond Tutu
, stated:
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
has struggled with controversy regarding homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in the church. In 1998, the 13th Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops passed a resolution stating that homosexual acts are "incompatible with Scripture". In 2002, the Diocese of New Westminster, in the Anglican Church of Canada
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, permitted the blessing of same-sex unions
Blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches
The blessing of same-sex unions is currently an issue about which some Christian churches are at present in disagreement with other Christian churches...
. The crisis deepened in 2003 when two openly gay men in England and the United States became candidates for bishop. In the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Jeffrey John
Jeffrey John
Jeffrey Philip Hywel John SCP is a Church of England priest and the current Dean of St Albans. He made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a same-sex relationship to be nominated as a Church of England bishop...
eventually succumbed to pressure to withdraw his name from consideration to be the Bishop of Reading
Bishop of Reading
The Bishop of Reading is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, which is within the Province of Canterbury, England. The current Bishop is the Rt Revd Andrew Proud....
. In the Episcopal Church USA, Gene Robinson
Gene Robinson
Vicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
was elected and consecrated Bishop of New Hampshire
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , covers the entire state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. The see city is Concord...
, becoming the first openly gay bishop
Gay bishops
The existence of homosexual bishops in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions is a matter of historical record, though never, until recently, considered licit by any of the main Christian denominations. Homosexual activity was engaged in secretly. When it was made public, official...
in the Anglican Communion. This was highly controversial and led several hundred bishops to boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference. As an alternative to Lambeth, many of these bishops attended the Global Anglican Futures Conference in Jerusalem.
Many provinces, primarily from the Global South
Global South (Anglican)
The Anglican Global South is a grouping of twenty of the thirty-eight provinces of the Anglican Communion. The provinces identified with the Global South grouping represent most, but not all, of the Third World countries within the Communion and are mostly conservative on matters of sexual ethics,...
and representing about half of the 80 million practicing Anglicans worldwide, have responded to these theological disputes by declaring a state of impaired communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with their Western counterparts. Minority groups in Western provinces have stated their opposition to what they consider unscriptural actions by the churches in England, Canada, Australia, and the United States. Since 2000, some conservative Global South provinces have appointed missionary bishops to the United States and Canada to provide pastoral oversight to disaffected Anglicans. This process, known as Anglican realignment
Anglican realignment
The term Anglican realignment refers to a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada...
, is considered by the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada to be an illegitimate incursion into their territories; however, conservative Anglicans argued that the incursions were necessary because of the failure of these churches to uphold orthodox teaching with regard to human sexuality.
Summary of issues
There is a wide range of beliefs within the Anglican Communion regarding homosexuality. The majority of followers believe that heterosexuality or celibacy is required of Christians, but believe in tolerance towards others. This differs from secular society in most western democracies, which considers homosexuality to be a normal human variation, and affirms this in law.Some of the more specific issues under study within member churches and dioceses are:
- Homosexual members of the church or communion
- May they exist?
- Must they denounce homosexuality and try to become heterosexual?
- Must they be celibate?
- Should same-sex unions of LGBTLGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members be blessed?
- May they exist?
- Homosexual clergy
- May they exist?
- May they be openly gay and lesbian?
- To what extent may they be "out" (e.g. only to their bishop, partner or family, or to the wider public)
- May they openly have a partner?
- Must they be celibate?
- May any of these individuals (those who are celibate and those who are non-celibate) be bishops?
Anglican churches are diverse in their views, from churches which do not accept any LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members, to churches which are happy to have openly LGBT, partnered, non-celibate bishops. The nature of the Anglican Communion is such that not all churches or dioceses must agree on all issues in order to share a common faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
and baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
. Part of the current controversy concerns how much and what sort of disagreement over these issues may exist while still calling it a "common faith."
- The bishops of the Anglican Communion in 1998 upheld the traditional Christian teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman and that others are not called to marriage and should remain celibate. A resolution was passed stating that homosexual acts are "incompatible with Scripture" by a vote of 526–70; however, it also contained a statement which "calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex," and noted importantly: "We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ." The Lambeth Conference is "not an executive which imposes doctrine or discipline but it is a forum where the mind of the Communion can be expressed on matters of controversy." Over 100 bishops, including some who voted in favour of the resolution, immediately repudiated it and signed a letter of apology to gay and lesbian Anglicans.
- The Church of England considers a celibate person of homosexual orientation to be eligible for ordination, even if the person has entered into a civil same-sex partnership, noting "The Church should not collude with the present assumptions of society that all close relationships necessarily include sexual activity."
- The Church of England affirmed in 2005 that lay homosexuals who have entered into civil partnerships are still eligible for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and communion.
- In 2002, the Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, the Diocese of New Westminster voted to allow the blessing of same-sex unions by those parishes who choose to do so. - The Anglican Church of NigeriaChurch of NigeriaThe Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership, after the Church of England. It gives its current membership as "over 18 million", out of a total Nigerian population of 140 million.Since 2002...
issued a statement in 2006 affirming "our commitment to the total rejection of the evil of homosexuality which is a perversion of human dignity and encourages the National Assembly to ratify the Bill prohibiting the legality of homosexuality". - Homosexuality, specifically the consecration of Gene Robinson, is anticipated to be a major issue at the 2008 Lambeth Conference. A group of conservative bishops opposed to homosexual ordination and marriage, including most of the "global southGlobal South (Anglican)The Anglican Global South is a grouping of twenty of the thirty-eight provinces of the Anglican Communion. The provinces identified with the Global South grouping represent most, but not all, of the Third World countries within the Communion and are mostly conservative on matters of sexual ethics,...
", will be gathering in June 2008 at the Global Anglican Future ConferenceGlobal Anglican Future ConferenceThe Global Anglican Future Conference was a seven day conference of conservative Anglican bishops and leaders held in Jerusalem in June 2008 to address the rise of secularism in the Church, HIV/AIDS and poverty. As a result of the Conference, the Jerusalem Declaration was issued, and the...
.http://www.gafcon.org/
Gay bishop controversy
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , covers the entire state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. The see city is Concord...
elected an openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
priest, Gene Robinson
Gene Robinson
Vicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
, as a bishop. This came shortly after a similar controversy in England when a gay priest, Canon Jeffrey John
Jeffrey John
Jeffrey Philip Hywel John SCP is a Church of England priest and the current Dean of St Albans. He made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a same-sex relationship to be nominated as a Church of England bishop...
, was appointed to become the Suffragan Bishop of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. Eventually, however, John agreed to withdraw in order to avoid division. In 2004, in the aftermath of the Gene Robinson election as bishop, Jeffrey John was installed as Dean of St. Albans Cathedral, the site of England's first Christian martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
.
2003 Lambeth Palace meeting
As a result of the controversy over the ordination of gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions, on October 15, 2003, Anglican leaders from around the world met in Lambeth PalaceLambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
in an attempt to avoid a schism
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
on the issue. The day after, they released a lengthy statement:
We must make clear that recent actions in New Westminster and in the Episcopal Church (USA) do not express the mind of our Communion as a whole, and these decisions jeopardise our sacramental fellowship with each other. ...
If his [Gene 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, 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.
We commend the report of that Conference in its entirety to all members of the Anglican Communion, valuing especially its emphasis on the need to listen to the experience of homosexual persons, and [...] to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of ChristBody of ChristIn Christian theology, the term Body of Christ has two separate connotations: it may refer to Jesus's statement about the Eucharist at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in , or the explicit usage of the term by the Apostle Paul in to refer to the Christian Church.Although in general usage the...
"; and its acknowledgement of the need for ongoing study on questions of human sexualityHuman sexualityHuman sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. ...
As Primates, it is not for us to pass judgement on the constitutional processes of another province. We recognise the sensitive balance between provincial autonomy and the expression of critical opinion by others on the internal actions of a province.
Statements from Rowan Williams
In 2004 the Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
wrote a letter to Anglican churches worldwide in which he condemned comments by bishops outside the Western world for inciting violence against gay men and women.
Any words that could make it easier for someone to attack or abuse a homosexual person are words of which we must repent. Do not think repentanceRepentanceRepentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
is always something others are called to, but acknowledge the failings we all share, sinSinIn religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
ful and struggling discipleDisciple (Christianity)In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
s as we are.
In a 2007 speech to theology students in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Williams argued that conservatives have failed to consider the wider context of Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
1:27, which states, "and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for error." Williams pointed out that although St. Paul (the author of this epistle
Epistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
) and his contemporaries viewed homosexual behaviour "as obviously immoral as idol worship
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
or disobedience
Obedience (human behavior)
In human behavior, obedience is the quality of being obedient, which describes the act of carrying-out commands or being actuated. Obedience differs from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority. Obedience can...
to parents", the main thrust of this passage is that humans must not judge one another for being sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
ful: Romans 2:1 says "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another: for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things." Williams admitted that his analysis "does nothing to settle the exegetical questions fiercely debated at the moment", but called upon conservatives to avoid self-righteousness rather than "happily identifying with Paul's castigation of someone else".
Subsequent division
Bishops from two Anglican provinces, Province of RwandaChurch of the Province of Rwanda
The Church of the Province of Rwanda is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 9 sees in East Africa. The current primate of the province is Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, consecrated Dec. 12, 2010.-Official names:...
and the Province of South East Asia
Church of the Province of South East Asia
The Church of the Province of South East Asia, a member church of the Anglican Communion, was created in 1996, comprising the four dioceses of Kuching, Sabah, Singapore and West Malaysia...
, consecrated missionary bishops for the United States in January 2000 and formally established the Anglican Mission in America, now the Anglican Mission in the Americas, later that year (see Anglican realignment
Anglican realignment
The term Anglican realignment refers to a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada...
). Bishops in Uganda cut relations with the Diocese of New Hampshire following Robinson's consecration on November 2, 2003. The Church of Nigeria declared itself in "impaired communion" with the Episcopal Church on November 2, 2003, and nine days later announced it was planning to establish a United States branch of its province to support Nigerian Anglicans living in the U.S. The Province of South East Asia broke communion with the Episcopal Church on November 20, 2003, citing Robinson's consecration as the reason for its action.
Windsor Report and 2005 Primates Meeting
In 2004, the Lambeth Commission on Communion issued a report on the issue of homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, which became known as the Windsor ReportWindsor Report
In 2003, the Lambeth Commission on Communion was appointed by the Anglican Communion to study problems stemming from the consecration of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained as an Anglican bishop, in the Episcopal Church in the United States and the blessing of...
. This report took a strong stand against homosexual practice, recommended a moratorium on further consecrations of actively homosexual bishops and blessings of same-sex unions, and called for all involved in Robinson's consecration "to consider in all conscience whether they should withdraw themselves from representative functions in the Anglican Communion". However, it stopped short of recommending discipline against the Episcopal Church or Anglican Church of Canada.
In February 2005, the Primates of the Anglican Communion held a regular meeting
Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting
The Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings are regular meetings of the Anglican Primates, i.e. the chief archbishops or bishops of each ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion. There are currently 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion. The Primates come together from the geographic...
at Dromantine in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
at which the issue of homosexuality was heavily discussed. Of the 38 Primates, 35 attended. The Primates issued a communiqué that reiterated most of the Windsor Report's statements, but added a new twist. The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada were asked to voluntarily withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council
Anglican Consultative Council
The Anglican Consultative Council or ACC is one of the four "Instruments of Communion" of the Anglican Communion. It was created by a resolution of the 1968 Lambeth Conference...
, the main formal international entity within the Anglican Communion until the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.
Consecration of Mary Douglas Glasspool
In December 2009 an open lesbian, Mary Douglas GlasspoolMary Douglas Glasspool
Mary Douglas Glasspool is a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. She is the first open lesbian to be consecrated a bishop in the Anglican Communion....
, was elected as a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Her consecration took place on 15 May 2010. Leaders from 20 Anglican provinces, meeting in Singapore in April 2010 declared the election and intended consecration of Canon Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian in the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC), “demonstrated, yet again, a total disregard for the mind of the Communion”.
Church of England
The issue erupted when Jeffrey JohnJeffrey John
Jeffrey Philip Hywel John SCP is a Church of England priest and the current Dean of St Albans. He made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a same-sex relationship to be nominated as a Church of England bishop...
, a gay priest, was elected Bishop of Reading
Bishop of Reading
The Bishop of Reading is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, which is within the Province of Canterbury, England. The current Bishop is the Rt Revd Andrew Proud....
in May 2003. Before he could take up his post there was strong opposition from a minority of bishops and he was persuaded to not proceed with the appointment. However, many senior bishops have voiced disappointment at his decision to resign. Later in 2004 he was then installed as Dean of St Albans. Further controversy erupted when churches in the Diocese of St Albans decided that they would withhold contributions until further notice to protest this appointment. St Peter and Paul's Church in Cranfield, near Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, and Holy Trinity Church, in New Barnet
New Barnet
New Barnet is an area within the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb, close to the M25, A1 and M1.-History:...
, north London pledged to withhold money from diocesan funds in protest. St Andrews Church in the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
town of Chorleywood
Chorleywood
Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It had a population of 6,814 people at the 2001 census. The parish of Chorleywood as a whole has a population of 10,775. The town lies in the far south west of Hertfordshire, on the...
has also announced that it would withhold funds until further notice.
Church of Ireland
Within the Church of Ireland there is a wide spectrum of opinion. Conservatives expressed great concern about an alleged blessing of the relationship of a lesbian couple in St Nicolas' Collegiate Church, GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
in September 2002. The rector of the parish, the Reverend Patrick Towers, told the press, "I refuse to do weddings of same gender couples as they simply don't exist. But I am always very happy to look favourably on anyone seeking a blessing, be it for divorced couples, animals or friendships. It was a standard blessing, one I wrote myself, based on the Claddagh ring
Claddagh Ring
The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring given as a token of friendship, love and/or as a wedding ring. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the city of Galway...
theme."
There was also widespread concern within the Church of Ireland at the Bishop of Limerick's attendance at Gene Robinson's consecration.
Views at parish level reflect this with many evangelical parishes as well as those in the more populous (in terms of Church of Ireland membership) north being generally opposed to homosexual practice, while middle and high church parishes, especially in the south, have openly gay parishioners as a matter of routine. For example, at General Synod 2005, Dean Michael Burrows (now a bishop) stated that he regularly gives Holy Communion to parishioners in long-standing homosexual relationships.
The bishops have announced a process of listening and reflection within the church. A preliminary response to the Windsor Report was produced by the church's standing committee in January 2005.
Most of the northern dioceses have passed motions favouring Lambeth Resolution I.10, although a similar motion failed to receive overall endorsement in the Diocese of Connor, covering most of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
and the diocese with the most members in the Church of Ireland.
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) does not have a policy against ordaining non-celibate gay clergy, thus such ordinations are theoretically allowed. They announced this on March 23, 2005:
(We) had never regarded the fact that someone was in a close relationship with a member of the same sex as in itself constituting a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry...We do not have a synodical decision like the Church of England has, which it made a number of years ago, and therefore if someone who was of a homosexual orientation felt a sense of call to the ordained ministry then we would begin the process of testing that vocation. We wouldn't bar him or her simply because they were homosexual.
Sensational headlines in North America announced that the SEC had agreed to ordain gay people and lesbians in committed partnerships. The church thus released a statement pointing out that the policy was not "news". Regarding the media release that the above quote came from, it noted that "Press interest has focused on one small part of the overall statement". It continued to say that:
In referring to the fact that there is no current bar to ordination for someone who might be in a close relationship with a member of the same sex, the Bishops were simply stating the present position as it applies in Scotland where, unlike some other provinces, no motion discouraging such ordinations has ever been passed by our General Synod. Consequently, the statement earlier this month does not represent any change in policy on the part of the Bishops.
Church in Wales
(WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
)
Gay clergy is in Church in Wales allowed. In 2011, Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
gives pensions for gay partners of anglican clergy. The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
General Synod approved the change in 2010.
Church of the Province of South East Asia
(CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Malaysia, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
)
The Province of South East Asia criticized the confirmation of Gene Robinson as a bishop by the Episcopal Church (USA), stating:
The said confirmation therefore seriously raises the question of ECUSA's genuine commitment to our corporate responsibility as members of the church catholic to uphold and promote only the Apostolic Faith and Order inherited. A natural, holistic and consistent reading of the Scriptures clearly show that it is against the practice of homosexuality. In the context of orthodox and classical Christianity, the canonical authority of the Scriptures is taken to be recognized and received by the community of faith and not subject to majority, culturally relevant or even theological voting.
On 24 November 2003, the province declared that it had entered into a state of impaired communion with the Episcopal Church (USA) by releasing the following statement:
The Synod of the Province of the Anglican Church of South East Asia ("the Province") unanimously rejects the purported consecration of Dr Gene Robinson ("Robinson") on 2 November 2003 by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America ("ECUSA"), in New Hampshire, as a bishop in the Anglican Church. The Province views the purported consecration as a flagrant disregard of the fundamental teachings of the Bible and the long-established doctrines of the Church.
As the Rev. Gene Robinson is a practising homosexual who had divorced his wife and has, for the last 13 years, been living with a male partner, the Province cannot and does not recognize his consecration and ministry in the Anglican church.
In view of the ECUSA's action in proceeding with the consecration despite the warnings and pleas of a large majority of Anglican churches worldwide, the Province regrets that communion with the ECUSA as well as those who voted for the consecration and those who participated in the consecration service is now broken.
This means that the Province no longer treats those in ECUSA who carried out and supported the act of consecration as brothers and sisters in Christ unless and until they repent of their action and return to embrace Biblical truths. At the same time, the Province remains in fellowship with the faithful believers within ECUSA who rightly oppose and reject the erroneous actions of their house.
This decision was made unanimously at an extraordinary meeting of the Synod held in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia, on 20 November 2003.
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Hong Kong Anglican Church)
The fourth General Synod of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung HuiGeneral Synod of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
The General Synod of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui exercises the metropolitical authority of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. It is a tricameral synod which governs the Province and has the final authority in all matters affecting life, order and canonical discipline of the Church...
, at its meeting on 15 October 2007, resolved that the Anglican Church in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
supports the recommendations contained in the Windsor Report
Windsor Report
In 2003, the Lambeth Commission on Communion was appointed by the Anglican Communion to study problems stemming from the consecration of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained as an Anglican bishop, in the Episcopal Church in the United States and the blessing of...
so as to safeguard the unity of the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
.
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
There is no officially stated policy, although there is majority agreement with the Windsor Report and Lambeth Conference. The Māori and PasifikaPacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
tikanga are committed to this, and see homosexuality as a sin. There is no official support for the ordination of actively gay or lesbian clergy, although there can be local support. Some Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
parishes are more open to gay and lesbian issues, including ordination and blessing of unions. The Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
dioceses are notable for other such examples, including the ordination of a non-celibate gay priest and the blessings of same-sex relationships performed by priests in an official capacity.
New Zealand writer Liz Lightfoot has documented the experiences of individuals coming out in the Anglican Church as a contribution to the 'listening process' in the Anglican Church.
Anglican Church of Australia
At its 2004 General Synod held in Perth, the Anglican Church of Australia passed four resolutions on human sexuality. The key resolutions stated that, "Recognising that this is a matter of ongoing debate and conversation in this church and that we all have an obligation to listen to each other with respect, this General Synod does not condone the liturgical blessing of same sex relationships" and "this General Synod does not condone the ordination of people in open committed same sex relationships."The current Primate, Phillip Aspinall
Phillip Aspinall
Phillip Aspinall has been the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia since February 2002 and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia since July 2005. He succeeded Peter Hollingworth as Archbishop of Brisbane....
, has stated the topic is not worth splitting the church over. Peter Jensen, the archbishop of the strongly Evangelical Diocese of Sydney
Anglican Diocese of Sydney
The Diocese of Sydney is a diocese within the Anglican Church of Australia. The majority of the diocese is Evangelical and low church in tradition and committed to Reformed and Calvinist theology....
, has vigorously opposed homosexuality, stating that accepting it would be "calling holy what God called sin." The former Australian primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley
Peter Carnley
Peter Frederick Carnley AC is a retired Australian Anglican bishop. Carnley was the Archbishop of Perth from 1981 to 2005 and was Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia from 2000 until July 2005...
, who retired in 2005, criticized "Sydney Anglicans" for "empty moralizing" and questioned if the Bible condemns homosexuality in a statement:
The exact meaning to be read from these texts and whether they can rightly be made to provide a neat pre-packaged answer to our contemporary questions is what is at issue. Anybody brave enough to claim to know the inner mind of God on the basis of a personal claim to be privy to the only conceivable interpretation of some biblical texts is guilty of self-delusion.
St Andrew's Church in Subiaco
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia was the first Anglican church in Australia to publicly welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Its Sunday evening services are specifically for GLBT people but heterosexual people are also welcome.
Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of America
Archbishop Gregory VenablesGregory James Venables
Gregory James Venables is a British-born Anglican bishop and served as the Primate of the Southern Cone in South America from 2001 until 2010...
has also been strongly critical of homosexuality. Bishops in his province criticized the Windsor Report for failing to call liberal churches to repentance. The province has declared itself in "impaired communion" with ECUSA, but continues to maintain full communion with opponents of the Robinson consecration. Venables has authorized dioceses within his province to provide episcopal oversight to United States churches that have left ECUSA.
In December 2007, the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America , located in central California with its headquarters in Modesto.-Secession from Episcopal Church:...
, an ECUSA diocese in central California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, voted to leave ECUSA and joined the Province of the Southern Cone as the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin
Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin
This article is about the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin in the Anglican Church in North America . For the diocese of the Episcopal Church, see Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin....
. A minority of the Episcopal Diocese remained in ECUSA. In October 2008, a majority of the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted to leave ECUSA and affiliate with the Southern Cone, resulting in one body affiliated with the Southern Cone and a second body remaining within ECUSA. The following month, the conventions of two more US dioceses—the Diocese of Quincy in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and the Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
—voted to leave ECUSA and affiliate with the Southern Cone.
Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil
The Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil is characterized by its progressive theological views on homosexuality. After the 1998 LambethLambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
Conference, the Anglican Church in Brazil has decided to promote two national forums on Human Sexuality, both held in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Its decisions guide the actual policy on this subject. According to the final document, the consensus of the Brazilian Church is that human sexuality is a gift from God, and it should be experienced in peace, freedom, love and respect. It is understood that the Church should respect the privacy of its members and clergy. So, any kind of public exposure of someone's sexual orientation (as a pre-requisite to be a member or take part of any ministry) violates this privacy. Because of that progressive position, the Bishop of the Diocese of Recife (the only one that is still strongly Evangelical), Robinson Cavalcanti, declared Recife to be independent of the Church of Brazil, an action that resulted in his being deposed as a bishop by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Among his main reasons, he pointed that the Brazilian Church was sympathetic to the ordination of Gene Robinson
Gene Robinson
Vicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
's and dangerously coping with the allowing of homosexuals being part of its clergy. This split separated the Diocese of Recife in two parts: one of them, loyal to Bishop Orlando Santos de Oliveira, primate of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, and currently coordinated by Bishop Sebastião Gameleira, and the other, under Cavalcanti's leadership, tied to the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.
Anglican Church of Canada
Homosexuality and the Anglican Church of Canada exist within a Canadian context. In the secular context, Canadian law has undergone a profound change in regards to homosexuality. The last homosexual to be 'sent to prison indefinitely as a "dangerous sex offender" was in 1967. In 1969, the Canadian parliament passed amendments into the Criminal Code decriminalizing homosexuality in Canada. On 20 July 1971, the last homosexual criminally convicted on his sexual orientation was released from prison. A series of judicial rulings beginning in 2003 legalized same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
in the majority of Canada's provinces, and on 20 July 2005, the Canadian government extended the new definition nationwide by statute.
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
In 2003, ECUSA became the first Anglican province to ordain an openly gay bishop; however, the church's stance on gay issues has been debated for decades. In 1976, ECUSA's General ConventionGeneral Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church. General Convention...
passed a resolution stating: "It is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church."
Various interpretations were held within ECUSA on this resolution, ranging from the majority of dioceses that ordain noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy to the minority group who founded the Anglican Communion Network
Anglican Communion Network
The Anglican Communion Network is a theologically conservative network of dioceses and parishes working toward Anglican realignment.-Goals and structure:...
which opposes such ordinations. On June 23, 2005 the ECUSA defined its meaning in a one hundred and thirty page document entitled "To Set Our Hope on Christ":
We believe that God has been opening our eyes to acts of God that we had not known how to see before ... the eligibility for ordination of those in covenanted same-sex unions ... a person living in a same-gendered union may be eligible to lead the flock of Christ ... members of the Episcopal Church have discerned holiness in same-sex relationships and have come to support the blessing of such unions and the ordination or consecration of persons in those unions ... Their holiness stands in stark contrast with many sinful patterns of sexuality in the world ... The idea that there is only one correct way to read or interpret scripture is a rather modern idea.
In July 2009, the General Convention voted to allow bishops to bless same-sex unions
Blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches
The blessing of same-sex unions is currently an issue about which some Christian churches are at present in disagreement with other Christian churches...
, and also called for bishops to "collect and develop theological and liturgical resources" for possibly creating an official rite for such ceremonies at the 2012 General Convention.
In January 2010, Anglican Reverend Mally Lloyd and the Anglican Reverend Katherine Ragsdale, two high-level Episcopal priests, married in a ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts.
Church in the Province of the West Indies
Archbishop Gomez has said Robinson's confirmation is incompatible with scripture.Church of the Province of Central Africa
Archbishop Malango was quoted as stating Gene Robinson's election "brought darkness, disappointment, sadness and grief" to his Church.Anglican Church of Kenya
Archbishop Nzimbi has strongly spoken against admitting homosexuals into the Church.Church of Nigeria
The church remains sharply opposed to homosexuality, calling it "a perversion of human dignity." In March 2009, the church declared itself in full communion with the Anglican Church in North America, a denomination formed by American and Canadian Anglicans who opposed their national churches' actions with regard to homosexuality.Anglican Church of Southern Africa
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has criticised other African Churches against homosexuality and said that the church's attention should be focussed on other concerns such as AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and poverty. Their previous Archbishop, Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
, stated:
The Jesus I worship is not likely to collaborate with those who vilify and persecute an already oppressed minority [...]. I could not myself keep quiet whilst people were being penalized for something about which they could do nothing, their sexuality. For it is so improbable that any sane, normal person would deliberately choose a lifestyle exposing him or her to so much vilification, opprobrium and physical abuse, even death. To discriminate against our sisters and brothers who are lesbian or gay on grounds of their sexual orientation for me is as totally unacceptable and unjust as Apartheid ever was.
Episcopal Church of the Sudan
The Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, on July 22 at a public press conference during the 2008 Lambeth Conference called for Robinson to resign, and for all those who had participated in his consecration to confess their sin to the conference.Anglican Church of Tanzania
In November 2003, responding to the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson, Archbishop Donald Mtetemela said homosexuality is against biblical teaching: "The Anglican Church of Tanzania believes that homosexuality is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God. It is a sin." Mtetemela declared that the church of Tanzania was no longer in communion with ECUSA bishops who participated in the consecration of Gene Robinson, and those who permit the blessing of same-sex unions.Church of the Province of Uganda
The Ugandan church has cut ties with its North American counterparts over homosexuality. It has declared itself in full communion with the Anglican Church in North America.See also
- AnglicanismAnglicanismAnglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
- Anglican realignmentAnglican realignmentThe term Anglican realignment refers to a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada...
- Cambridge AccordCambridge AccordThe Cambridge Accord was an attempt to reach agreement on at least the human rights of homosexual people, notwithstanding controversy within the Anglican Communion about Anglican views of homosexuality....
- Continuing Anglican movementContinuing Anglican MovementThe term Continuing Anglican movement refers to a number of churches in various countries that have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion. These churches generally believe that "traditional" forms of Anglican faith and worship have been unacceptably revised or abandoned within some...
- Federation of Anglican Churches in the AmericasFederation of Anglican Churches in the AmericasThe Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas is an association of six Anglican jurisdictions with nearly 600 parishes in the New World. The Federation, which was founded in 2006 to enable a closer association of these and other jurisdictions, does not include any provinces of the Anglican...
- Fellowship of Confessing AnglicansFellowship of Confessing AnglicansThe Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans is a global network of traditionalist Anglican Churches which formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion...
- GAFCON
- Gay bishopsGay bishopsThe existence of homosexual bishops in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions is a matter of historical record, though never, until recently, considered licit by any of the main Christian denominations. Homosexual activity was engaged in secretly. When it was made public, official...
- Global South (Anglican)Global South (Anglican)The Anglican Global South is a grouping of twenty of the thirty-eight provinces of the Anglican Communion. The provinces identified with the Global South grouping represent most, but not all, of the Third World countries within the Communion and are mostly conservative on matters of sexual ethics,...
- HomosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
- Homosexuality and ChristianityHomosexuality and ChristianityChristian denominations hold a variety of views on the issues of sexual orientation and homosexuality, ranging from outright condemnation to complete acceptance. In accordance with the traditional values of Abrahamic religions, most Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex,...
- Horace GriffinHorace GriffinReverend Horace L. Griffin is an Episcopal minister and gay man. Griffin is the author of Their Own Receive Them Not: African American Lesbian and Gays in Black Churches, which was released in October 2006.-See also:...
- IntegrityUSAIntegrityUSAIntegrityUSA is a U.S. not-for-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and straight friends. Integrity was founded by Dr...
- Integrity TorontoIntegrity TorontoIntegrity/Toronto is the oldest Canadian chapter of Integrity, a network of support and advocacy groups for gay and lesbian members of the Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church USA, Anglican Church of Australia, and Church of Uganda....
- John AthertonJohn AthertonJohn Atherton was the Anglican Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in the Church of Ireland. He and John Childe were both tried and executed for buggery in 1640.-Life and death:...
- Lesbian and Gay Christian MovementLesbian and Gay Christian MovementThe Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement describes itself as "a UK-based international Charity who are praying for an inclusive church".The Gay Christian Movement was founded in 1976 with the Revd Richard Kirker as its first General Secretary...
- Religion and homosexuality
External links
- Integrity A witness of GBLT persons in the Episcopal Church and to the world.
- American Anglican Council (a leading conservative group in the Episcopal Church)
- Top bishop's vision – a world without gays
- Gay cleric installed at St Albans
- UnEnglish and unmanly: Anglo-Catholicism and homosexuality, by David Hilliard
- Episcopal Dissidents, African Allies: The Anglican Communion and the Globalization of Dissent (on Homosexuality), by Miranda K. Hassett.
- The Meanings of Communion: Anglican Identities, the Sexuality Debates, and Christian Relationality, Extensive consideration of homosexuality and Anglicanism, using data from empirical research with gay and lesbian Anglicans from around the world, by Robert Vanderbeck et al.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance