AFP: Talk of schism over female and gay bishops worries US Anglicans

{Philip] Jenkins pointed out that of the Anglican Communion’s followers, around 20 million are in England and another 20 million are in Nigeria.

“So if the head of the Nigerian church is one of the leading supporters of GAFCon, which he is, then GAFCon becomes very important,” Jenkins explained.

GAFCon’s action fueled talk of a schism within the church, but officials and church members played that down.

“You’re jumping to conclusions. There is no schism,” said Neva Rae Fox, spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church, whose presiding bishop is Katharine Jefferts Schori — a woman.

Cook said a schism would be “disastrous” and officials would work to avoid it.

“Whichever side split from Canterbury would loose its Anglican identity… I think Anglicans from the archbishop down are willing to work their hardest to prevent a schism,” he said.

Jenkins was less optimistic that the Anglican Communion would come away intact from its many crises.

“On a global scale, it could lead to the creation of an alternative Anglican Communion, while in Britain, a lot of clergy belonging to the church will leave and go to, for example, the Roman Catholic church.

“So there would be two separate schisms,” he said.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, - Anglican: Latest News, GAFCON I 2008, Global South Churches & Primates, Lambeth 2008

One comment on “AFP: Talk of schism over female and gay bishops worries US Anglicans

  1. dwstroudmd+ says:

    Two, two,…two schisms in one!

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