…[Rowan Williams’] action, taken after years of patiently asking both conservatives and liberals to abide by agreed rules, will affect both sides in the dispute over whether the Bible permits openly homosexual clergy.
It has been triggered by the progressive Episcopal Church of the USA, which ordained its first lesbian bishop, the Rt Rev Mary Glasspool, earlier this month. The Episcopal Church also elected the first openly homosexual bishop in the Communion, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, in 2003.
But the move will also hit orthodox provinces in the developing world ”“ known as the Global South ”“ that reacted to the liberal innovations in America and Canada by taking conservative American clergy and congregations out of their national churches and giving them roles in Africa and South America. This has triggered bitter legal battles over the fate of church buildings.
The Anglican provinces found to have broken the “moratoria” – on ordaining homosexual clergy; blessing same-sex unions in church; and making “cross-border interventions” – will soon be sent letters telling them about the proposed punishment for straying from the Communion’s agreed positions.
The article includes this interesting news:
[blockquote]The Anglican provinces found to have broken the “moratoria†– on ordaining homosexual clergy; blessing same-sex unions in church; and making “cross-border interventions†– will soon be sent letters telling them about the proposed punishment for straying from the Communion’s agreed positions. This will involve them being asked to step down from formal ecumenical dialogues such as those with Orthodox Churches or the Roman Catholic Church, and being denied decision-making powers in the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order that handles questions of church doctrine and authority.[/blockquote]
Besides, of course, that the border-crossing is essentially a trumped up charge as it was permitted pending adequate alternative oversight which the Archbishop himself refused to facilitate, I would observe that should the Archbishop issue letters to global south primates disinviting them from participation in Anglican activities whilst pointedly allowing TEC to remain on high bodies in the “communion” such as the JSC and ACC, such letters are as good as requests to the global south to depart the communion entirely. Whether the Archbiship understands this, or cares, who knows? But for the fact that, under his leadership, the communion no longer exists in the sense that one large, primarily non-Western part will not take communion with a smaller, primarily Western part, this might be of more importance.
Oh, and I would not want to wager on any view that separating themselves from Canterbury-based Anglican interfaith relations with the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church would not strengthen their relationship of those churches. What did Cardinal Ratzinger say in his letter to Plano?
Speaking as an Orthodox layman (and therefor with no real authority or responsibility Deo Gratias), I see no point whatever in serious doctrinal discussions with anyone except the non-Chalcedonian churches and [i]maybe[/i] the Roman Catholics. I mean really. We are so far apart, there is zero chance of any kind of communion.
I’m all for occasional conversations to reinforce tolerance and mutual cooperation in those non-sacramental areas where such is possible (they are becoming increasingly few). But that’s about as far as I feel comfortable going.
In ICXC
John