The
Windsor Report was the document containing the finding of the Eames Commission. In 2003, Archbishop
Robin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames, OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
, was appointed as Chairman of the Lambeth Commission on Communion. This commission studied significant challenges to unity in the
Anglican CommunionThe Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy...
. Under examination were problems stemming from the reaction of conservatives to the
consecrationConsecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups.A synonym for consecration is to...
of
Gene RobinsonV. 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...
, the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained to the
historical episcopateThe episcopate is the collective body of all bishops of a church. In the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Old-Catholic, Moravian Church, and Independent Catholic churches as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East, it is held that only a...
, in the Episcopal Church USA and the blessing of same-sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster.
The
Windsor Report was the document containing the finding of the Eames Commission. In 2003, Archbishop
Robin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames, OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
, was appointed as Chairman of the Lambeth Commission on Communion. This commission studied significant challenges to unity in the
Anglican CommunionThe Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy...
. Under examination were problems stemming from the reaction of conservatives to the
consecrationConsecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups.A synonym for consecration is to...
of
Gene RobinsonV. 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...
, the first openly gay, noncelibate priest to be ordained to the
historical episcopateThe episcopate is the collective body of all bishops of a church. In the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Old-Catholic, Moravian Church, and Independent Catholic churches as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East, it is held that only a...
, in the Episcopal Church USA and the blessing of same-sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster. The Commission published its findings the
Windsor Report on 18 October 2004.
Reactions to Robinson's election in the Communion
Gene RobinsonV. 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 election as the
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the
Diocese of New HampshireThe 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...
prompted a group of 19 bishops, led by
Bishop Robert DuncanRobert William Duncan, Jr. is the current Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America and Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh . He is the former Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh...
of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, to make a statement warning the church of a possible schism between the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. The
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief 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, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
,
Rowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams is an Anglican bishop and theologian. He is the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003....
, stated that it "will inevitably have a significant impact on the Anglican Communion throughout the world and it is too early to say what the result of that will be." He added, "It is my hope that the church in America and the rest of the Anglican Communion will have the opportunity to consider this development before significant and irrevocable decisions are made in response." Retired
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
n Archbishop
Desmond TutuDesmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...
stated that he did not see what "all the fuss" was about, saying the election would not roil the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. Other senior bishops of the church, like
Peter AkinolaPeter Jasper Akinola is the current Anglican Primate of the Church of Nigeria. He is also Bishop of Abuja and Archbishop of Province III, which covers the northern and central parts of the country....
, Archbishop of the
Church 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 as current membership "over 18 million", out of a total Nigerian population of 140 million.Since 2002 the...
, have stated that their churches are in an "impaired communion" with the Episcopal Church.
New Westminster and same-sex unions
One Canadian diocese, New Westminster, authorized a rite for the blessing of same-sex unions at its 2002
Diocesan SynodIn the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the body by which this representation is achieved is...
. The use of the rite by individual parishes was incumbent upon a specific request of the parish made through its annual vestry meeting or resolution of its
parochial church councilThe Parochial Church Council or PCC, is the executive body of a Church of England parish. It is constituted as a body corporate by the Church Representation Rules set out in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969, and consists of the clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together...
. In May 2003, six of the diocese's 76 parishes received authorization to use the rite.
As a result of the controversy over the consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop and the blessing of same-sex unions, on 15 October 2003, Anglican leaders from around the world met in
Lambeth PalaceLambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 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
schismThe word schism , from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , means a split or a division, usually in an organization or a movement. A schismatic is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group...
on the issue. The day after, they released a lengthy statement:
Lambeth Commission on Communion
In 2003, Archbishop
Robin EamesRobin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames, OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
, the Anglican
Primate of All IrelandThe Church of Ireland is a Christian church, an autonomous province of the Episcopal/Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland, and the largest non-Roman Catholic religious body on the island...
, the self-styled 'divine optimist', was appointed by the
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief 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, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
as Chairman of the Lambeth Commission on Communion. This commission studied the state of unity in the
Anglican CommunionThe Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy...
in light of the reaction of conservatives to the developments in the United States and Canada. The Commission published its findings, the
Windsor Report, on 18 October 2004.
The 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 the Anglican Church of Canada.
The report also recommended solidifying the connection between the churches of the Communion by having each church ratify an "Anglican Covenant" that would, in part, commit them to consulting the wider Communion when making major decisions. It also urged those who had contributed to disunity to express their regret.
Aftermath
In February 2005, the Primates of the Anglican Communion held a
regular meetingThe 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 IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is 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, with the additition that The Episcopal Church USA and Anglican Church of Canada were asked to voluntarily withdraw from the
Anglican Consultative CouncilThe 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 council, which includes Anglican bishops, clergy and laity, meets every two or three years in different parts of the...
, the main formal international entity within the Anglican Communion until the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.
The Windsor Report was criticized by liberals (for example, in
The Windsor Report: A Liberal Response) for seeming to take for granted that the actions of New Hampshire and New Westminster—and
homosexualityHomosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
in general—were wrong. For example, while it calls for both conservatives and liberals to apologise for disunity, it acknowledges that the conservatives may have acted out of a sense of duty. However, it concedes no such acknowledgement to New Westminster and New Hampshire.
On February 12, 2008 the Archbishop of Canterbury announced the formation of the Windsor Continuation Group (WCG). The WCG was formed to address the remaining questions around the Windsor Report and the various formal responses to the Windsor Report from the provinces and instruments of the Anglican Communion. The WCG is chaired by Bishop
Clive HandfordGeorge Clive Handford, CMG, was the fourth Anglican Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf.-Life:Educated at Hatfield College and Queen's College, Edgbaston, he was ordained in 1963 and began his ecclesiastical carer with a curacy in Mansfield. He then began what was to be along association with the Middle...
.
See also
- Anglican views of homosexuality
Issues concerning homosexuality are controversial in the Anglican Communion. During the thirteenth Lambeth Conference in 1998, a resolution was passed stating that homosexual acts are "incompatible with Scripture" by a vote of 526-70; however, it also contained a statement declaring this policy...
- Religion
A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
, ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
, Anglican
- Homosexuality
Homosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
- Global Anglican Future Conference
The Global Anglican Future Conference was a seven day conference of conservative Anglican bishops and leaders which was held in Jerusalem in June 2008 and addressed the rise of secularism in the Church, HIV/AIDS and poverty...
- Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement
The 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...
- IntegrityUSA
IntegrityUSA 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 Toronto
Integrity/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....
- American Anglican Council
The American Anglican Council is an organization which exists to allow theologically conservative members of the Episcopal Church in the United States to network with one another...
External links
- The Windsor Report Complete text at the Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches. There is no single "Anglican Church" with universal juridical authority as each national or regional church has full autonomy...
official website.