The Revd Paul Eddy is a vicar in Oxfordshire, Convenor of Anglican Orthodox, and the pubic relations adviser to the influential Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) which publicly challenged the archbishop liberalising leadership at last year’s Lambeth Conference. The GSFA’s provinces represent around 75 percent of global Anglicans.
Mr Eddy said: “Sadly, as we found at the Lambeth Conference, the archbishop tells church leaders something which, in their culture, means something different to ours, knowing they don’t have independent advisers on hand to explain. The truth is ‘parliament’ does not mean the UK ‘government’, which is what Anglican Communion delegates, from 40-plus nations, just arrived in Ghana, will think.
“I’ve discussed these issues with MPs from both sides. There was an Urgent Debate in the Commons on the issue at which (from the BBC Parliament Channel), I counted 11 MP’s present. I think almost all of them gay, and several in gay civil partnerships. There were less than 30 MPs at any time in the chamber. With over 400 MPs, that’s hardly a ‘strong challenge from parliament.”
Archbishop of Canterbury challenged over claims of being 'threatened with Parliamentary action' to bring in same-sex marriage in the Church of Englandhttps://t.co/NkKmd3BoiZ pic.twitter.com/Wdo15EndKd
— Anglican Ink (@anglicanink) February 12, 2023