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Posted on 01/07/2004 11:07:03 PM PST by ahadams2
Anglican primate ends turbulent reign with early retirement
January 8, 2004
The head of the Anglican Church in Australia, Dr Peter Carnley, has announced that he will step down next year, ending a controversial reign marked by internal church disputes over homosexuality and the role of women in the church.
Archbishop Carnley said yesterday that he would retire as primate and as Anglican Archbishop of Perth in May next year, marking the 24th anniversary of his consecration and installation as archbishop.
Dr Carnley was anointed as Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia in 2000. Earlier he had ordained Australia's first women priests. He will be 67 when he retires, two years before the compulsory retirement age for clergy in the diocese. Dr Carnley said he was announcing his retirement early to provide an opportunity for a successor to be appointed and to take up the position with minimal interruption.
His final official engagements would be in February next year.
He said that over his years in Perth, "there have been some ups and downs but,generally speaking, the downs have been few and overshadowed by far by the positively life-giving and good things that we have experienced".
Dr Carnley's liberal stance on many issues has attracted fierce criticism from church conservatives.
He has also been critical of the Howard Government's policies on asylum seekers and the war in Iraq.
It's rather interesting to speculate about the fallout if Griswold were to quit. I think the "establishment" candidates would be chosen precisely because they pissed off the rest of the Communion. For example, it would not in the least surprise me to see a strong move to replace him with a woman, and it would not surprise me if she was a lesbian.
What I cannot imagine is that Griswold's replacement would be a "peace-maker" candidate.
OTOH, I think Carnley's in a less comfortable position than Frank Griswold. Carnley's got Peter Jenson dogging him every step of the way, unlike Griswold, who can sit fat, dumb, and happy even as his church crumbles beneath him. Plus which, I think Frank truly believes he's the best man for the job right now. So I really don't think he'll ever retire.
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