The Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, has broken his silence on the appointment of the world's first openly gay bishop.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Archbishop Rowan Williams said the election of Canon Gene Robinson as the next Bishop of New Hampshire would have a "significant impact" on the Church worldwide. And he warned of "difficult days" ahead.
The archbishop, who is considered to be a liberal on such issues, tacitly acknowledged that Anglicans in other parts of the world would be shaken by the New Hampshire appointment. He said: "We need as a Church to be very careful about making decisions for our own part of the world which constrain the Church elsewhere."
GAY...AND...A LIBERAL