Statement from the Anglican Province of West Indies

Anglican Mainstream ^ | ?14 November 2003 | House of Bishops andStanding Committee, Anglican Province of West Indies

[ahadams2]

Statement from the House of Bishops and the Standing Committee (Church of the [Anglican] Province of West Indies)

We, the Bishops and Members of the Standing Committee for the Church in the Province of the West Indies, meeting at St John’s Antigua from November 11-13 extend greetings to you, the faithful, in the Name of the Triune God.

We meet at a time of great anxiety throughout our Province and the Anglican Communion. This anxiety has arisen from developments in the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada, which has authorized a Public Rite of blessing for persons in committed same sex relationships and the decision of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church (USA) to confirm the election of the Rev Canon Gene Robinson, a self-confessed practicing homosexual and by his consecration as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire.

As a result of these actions the Primates of the Anglican Communion at their specially convened meeting in October 2003 unanimously affirmed that the official teaching of the Church in these matters is as stated in the Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998). We in the Province of the West Indies are in complete agreement with the position taken by the Primates.

While we recognize the juridical autonomy of each Province in the Communion, we also adhere to the principle of mutual interdependence. This means that no Province has the authority to unilaterally alter a teaching of the entire Anglican Communion. Apart from violating the clear and constant teaching of the Bible, the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson directly challenges the common teaching, common practice and common witness of the entire Anglican Communion.

As a consequence a state of impaired communion now exists both within the Episcopal Church (USA) itself and between the Episcopal Church (USA) and the overwhelming majority of the Provinces within the Communion, including the Province of the West Indies.

In light of the above, we reaffirm our support for the Lambeth Resolution 1.10 (1998) which states Resolution I.10 - Human Sexuality

This Conference:

(a) commends to the Church the subsection report on human sexuality;

(b) in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;

(c) recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. 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;

(d) while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, 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;

(e) cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;

(f) requests the Primates and the ACC to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us;

(g) notes the significance of the Kuala Lumpur Statement on Human Sexuality and the concerns expressed in resolutions IV.26, V.1, V.10, V.23 and V.35 on the authority of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality and asks the Primates and the ACC to include them in their monitoring process.

Recognising the Anglican Communion’s teaching in these matters, we pledge our support of the ministry of bishops, clergy and laity in the Episcopal Church (USA) who have as a matter of principle, and in fidelity to that historic teaching of the church, opposed the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson. We will continue to recognize and support their membership within the worldwide communion and promise them our solidarity.

In addition, we commit ourselves, as a Province, to continue the dialogue with and pastoral care of homosexual persons.

We are pleased that the Archbishop of Canterbury has established a Commission to, among other things, examine the legal and theological implications flowing from the decisions of the Episcopal Church (USA) to appoint a priest in a committed same relationship as one of its bishops, and of the Diocese of New Westminster to authorize services for use in connection with same sex unions, and the Canonical understandings of communion. We are also pleased that persons from our Province have been appointed to serve on the Commission. This Commission is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the Archbishop of Canterbury by September 30, 2004. Until that time and dependent upon the findings and recommendations of the Commission we, as a Province, will maintain a formal relationship with the Episcopal Church (USA), as part of the Anglican Communion, while keeping the matter under critical review. However, we cannot accept the ministry of Canon Gene Robinson as a Bishop.

As the Commission engages in its work we invite all Anglicans to continue to pray for the Anglican Communion, the Commission, the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Diocese of New Westminster that we may all seek to do God’s will.

[ahadams2]

Ping.

[Maeve]

very interesting - bump

[Eala]

Rather more gentle than The Russian Orthodox Church.