Posted on 10/17/2003 9:12:54 PM PDT by UnklGene
Williams foresees 'huge crisis' on homosexual issue -
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent (Filed: 18/10/2003)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said yesterday that the worldwide Anglican Church still faced "a huge crisis" over homosexuality, despite the consensus reached at Lambeth Palace this week.
He forecast that conservative areas of the Church would split from the liberal American Episcopal Church when Anglicanism's first openly active homosexual bishop was consecrated in 16 days.
Although an immediate collapse of the worldwide Church was averted at the two-day primates' meeting, some of the more hard-line provinces could walk out over the next few weeks.
Three outspoken conservatives, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Archbishop Yong Ping Chung of south-east Asia and Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, issued a brief, non-committal statement yesterday.
They said they "were grateful to God for hearing the prayers and cries" of his people "to preserve the truth and unity" of the Church.
Dr Williams, in comments aimed at them, emphasised that he upheld the Church's traditional policy on homosexuality and believed that it should be altered only with widespread agreement.
He told Radio 4's Today programme that he personally opposed the consecration of Bishop-elect Gene Robinson, a divorcé who lives with his male lover, as the next Bishop of New Hampshire.
The Archbishop said the Bishop-elect could not have been a candidate in the Church of England and his ministry would not be recognised in this country.
Dr Williams said the Lambeth Palace meeting of the primates - the heads of the 38 autonomous provinces that make up the Anglican Communion - had encouraged them to try to stick together despite their differences.
"What we have achieved is at least to find some way of talking through the crisis without instantly jumping into what appear to be quick solutions," he said.
Asked whether he believed that Canon Robinson should become a bishop, he replied: "No I don't, because I believe that on a major issue of this kind the Church has to make a decision together."
Dr Williams said the issue left the Church "with a huge challenge about co-ordinating its discipline and its legal systems across the world, which we have never had to do before".
Bishop-elect Robinson was elected as the next Bishop of New Hampshire in June and his appointment was ratified by Episcopal bishops at their general convention in August by 62 votes to 43.
Conservative hopes that he would withdraw from the post, much as another openly homosexual cleric, Canon Jeffrey John, stepped down as Bishop of Reading this year, were not fulfilled.
The diocese of New Hampshire confirmed yesterday that the ceremony would go ahead, despite the warning by the primates that the development could "tear the fabric" of the Church.
"Robinson was elected based on his nearly three decades of ministry in the diocese, his considerable pastoral skills and his vision for ministry," the diocese said. "His sexuality was incidental to his call to serve as our bishop."
The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said it was "heartened" that the primates had called on the Church to listen to homosexual people.
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