“It’s important that we recognize the equal stature of all Christians in the church so that we model that type of inclusivity in civil society,” said Bishop Marc Andrus of the San Francisco-based Diocese of California.
Even as liberalized policies on gays and lesbians appeared to gain momentum at the convention, traditionalists warned that the shift would further threaten internal unity and widen a rift with the global Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the communion, which has 77 million members, many of them in conservative regions of Africa and South America.
“If we are not extremely careful at this convention, we could find ourselves outside the Anglican Communion, and that would be a tragedy for all of us,” said Bishop William Love of Albany, N.Y., who predicted the loss of additional Episcopal parishes if policies are liberalized. “My fear is that the Episcopal Church destroys itself.”