Church cuts ties with US over gay bishop

SAPA-AFP via Independent Online (SA) ^ | November 22 2003

[Clive]

Kampala - Uganda's Anglican Church announced Saturday that it had severed relations with its counterpart in the United States after an openly gay bishop was consecrated earlier this month.

"The Province of the Church of Uganda (Anglican) cuts its fellowship and communion with the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUS) on their action of consecrating and enthroning an openly homosexual bishop, Gene Robinson, in their Anglican communion," the House of Bishops said in a resolution.

The resolution, sent to AFP on Saturday, said the church in Uganda was ready to do the same with any other province that follows suit.

"We deplore, abhor and condemn in the strongest possible terms the resolution of ECUS to consecrate Robinson and all other resolutions related to the ordination of homosexuals and blessing of same-sex unions," said the resolution, signed by Anglican Church primate, Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.

On November 2, Robinson became the first openly gay person to be consecrated bishop in the history of the Episcopal church.

In the run-up to his consecration, many bishops heading Anglican churches in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America said they would not recognise a gay bishop in their churches and broke ties with the US affiliate.

"We want to make it crystal clear that the whole membership of the Church of Uganda uphold in full respect and faith the teachings of the holy scripture and that of our Lord Jesus Christ himself on human sexuality between male and female," the bishops' resolution said.

"We maintain that any same sex union is a disorder of God's creation," the bishops said, adding that the step taken by the church in the US has a negative consequence on the whole church.

"We pray that ECUS may revisit their decision on this matter," it added.

The Ugandan church said immediately after Robinson's consecration that it would sever relations with the US diocese of New Hampshire, the gay bishop's diocese, but not break ties with the whole of the US Episcopal Church, as some of its dioceses were opposed to the consecration of Robinson, a divorced father of two. - Sapa-AFP

[Veritas_est]

"Mongrel" . . . as opposed to "neanderthal"? I'm neither Episcopal nor Mormon, but that's hitting below the belt.

[sweetliberty]

"The Bible obviously means nothing. It's all about your Church history. Certainly you remember when Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through apostolic lineage."

LOL! Well, actually, there is no real conflict between the history of the church and the denominations to which it has given birth. I spent 2 years in seminary and at one time studied church history extensively. I found it enlightening and edifying. Now, my intellectually "enlightened" professors and mentors, that was another matter altogether. Some of those people would have heretics elevated to sainthood amd Satan at the right hand of God.

[freedumb2003]

"Mongrel" . . . as opposed to "neanderthal"?

No, Neanderthal is evolutionary. The mongrel religions were formed by hucksters of one sort or another. This is historical fact, not opinion. I listed the two biggest, but there are others.

[Veritas_est]

I think I've met some of your professors . . . maybe here on FR.

[Twinkie]

Pot calling kettle black. Christ will determine just
who & what the bride of Christ is & I doubt it's a
bunch of spoiled priests raping & molesting little
altar boys & then (true to form) being reassigned to
molest more little boys. Whited sepulchers.

[1stFreedom]

The immaculate conception was a belief of the early church. What you refer to is when it was dogmaticly defined.

[1stFreedom]

History can't determine a person's faith -- but it can repudiate the beliefs of that faith.

And yes, it is their relationship with the Lord that matters: Most importantly, what kind of relationship? THe kind that the Lord instructed us to have via His Bride and his Body and Blood -- or the man made feel good "personal relationship" relationship as defined by fundamentalism.

[Cicero]

I hadn't noticed it, but just took a look. It's a bit rude, but not counterfactual. Protestantism does have a habit of splitting. Occasionally a group will split off the Catholic Church, too, but on the whole Catholicism has remained relatively intact.

I was an Episcopalian before I became Catholic. I hate to see the Episcopalians do this to themselves.

My point, however, is not that there aren't sinful ministers in any church, including the Apostles, one twelfth of whom turned out very badly. My point is that the leading bishop and a majority of bishops of the Episcopal Church in America ordained a bishop whom they knew was flagrantly living in sin after having dumped his family. They not only knew it, they celebrated it. That's the vital difference. There are still good people and good things in the Episcopal Church, but the leadership has gone around the bend into what can only be called deliberate heresy.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP - Anglican

[secret garden]

Good comeback.

[dangus]

>> You guys seem to be quiet on 1st Freedom's bigotry. Do you agree with him?

I had not read his post. I do not agree with him, but I do not label all those I disagree with, "bigots."

Apostasy is a mortal sin. Previous Popes have labelled apostates, "Protestants," and declared that "Protestants" are not saved through the church. Later Popes have clarified that those Protestants who reject the Catholic Church not out of apostasy, but because they are indoctrinated with Protestant dogma, if they do seek to receive Christ into their lives and take up his cross, they may be saved even though their practices and assent are "deficient."

Following this, the church does recognize as valid the baptisms of Protestants, and in the many cases of Anglicans, the sacraments of Eucharist, Confirmation, and even Holy Orders. Still more sacraments may be valid through the "sacrament of desire."

Some Catholics have argued that Vatican II is infallible, because it is not doctrine, and also believe the statements of the earlier popes and the later popes to be contradictory. However, the later popes' clarification of the sin of apostasy shows that they are not contradictory, and furthermore, Vatican II is infallible in this instance since it is proclaiming a doctrine. Furthermore, prior councils have made clear that it is the Pope who determines authoritatively which councils constitute an ecumenical council.

In short, no I do not agree with 1st Freedom; many protestants are indeed Christians, and a Protestant Church may be rightly described as a Christian Church.

[dangus]

Hey, you're the one blaspheming and slandering the mother Church. I won't stone you, but I will warn you that if you receive communion while holding the Church in contempt, you are desecrating the Eucharist.

[dangus]

Sorry, but I've put up with a lot of crap about work how we're not supposed to consider ourselves "American," but merely citizens of the United States. Here in DC, if you use the word, "American" to describe someone from the USA, you'll find yourself in hot water real fast. Even the Republican President of the United States of American won't use the word "America." (Notice, he's POTUS, not POTUSA.)

So, no, it's not on the same par as electing perverts to be bishops, but I am still very disturbed to find that even the Anglicans in Africa deny us the right to have our own nationality, if that's indeed what's going on here.

But if you're happy being denied the right to consider yourself an American, so be it. At least my Pope still calls us "America."

[stands2reason]

But if you're happy being denied the right to consider yourself an American, so be it. At least my Pope still calls us "America."

I haven't been denied the right to call myself "American", like the Dixie Chicks are not being denied their free speech.

[jocon307]

Ok, here goes. First of all I know all about how to receive communion, and I never have when not in the proper state of grace. I might warn you off in return.

Further, the holy mother church has been doing a lousy job in recent years. They have sheltered, aided, and abetted many many homosexuals who have abused minor children. In addition to that the Vatican seems to not get which is the right side in the war against the Islamofascists.

The issue that really did it for me was when the Palestinina terrorists took seige in the shrine of the Nativity, used it as a urinal and gun turret. Did the Vatican denounce them? NOOOOOOOO. They denounced the Israelis attempting to oust them.

It was all well and good for the Pope to forgive the Muslim terrorist who shot him, but kissing the Koran was going a bit too far.

I had it with the Church since VCII (when I was like 7). It has never been the same since they stopped the Latin Mass. The Church's lack of devotion seems to have led it astray, and to a point where homosexuals DOMINATE the clergy and where Rome quails in the face of the new & improved Islamic campaign to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

I didn't leave the church, the church left me. I'm just sort of waiting to see if it'll come back around. But if you are an example of today's faithful, I probably shouldn't wait much longer.

[jocon307]

"Certainly you remember when Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through apostolic lineage."

LOL, this is amusing too. I'll take a big chance and chuckle again on this thread.

In fact, I'll go further out on a limb, and say I wish my sainted father, (my father WAS a saint and a total 100% Roman Catholic, he went to Holy Cross, just like Clarence Thomas and Joe Califano, anti-drug democrat) were alive to tell this to. I'm pretty sure he'd find it amusing too.

He was a saint, but he had a sense of humor.

[sandmanbr]

"We maintain that any same sex union is a disorder of God's creation," the bishops said, adding that the step taken by the church in the US has a negative consequence on the whole church.

God to MR Robinson.

What did you do to serve my name.....besides leading 5 million poor souls to hell?