In his farewell, Williams pleaded with Lambeth ’08 participants to have “a season of gracious restraint” over the months that it will take to prepare, negotiate and circulate the Anglican Covenant. He beseeched liberals not to ordain gays and lesbians to the priesthood, elect them as bishops or allow priests to officiate at same-sex, partnership ceremonies. He asked conservatives threatening to walk out not to leave.
In University City, [the Rev. Brooke] Myers expects that most priests will follow what their bishops ask about holding same-sex consecration ceremonies during the moratorium season. Most would ask permission and not follow the more audacious “do it, then ask forgiveness” mode, he said — although the hiatus already has been breeched in Massachusetts and California.
Late Monday, a weary Bishop Wayne Smith returned to St. Louis, with high praise for his fellow bishops and “the near absence of poisonous statements, the tendency away from grandstanding, the fact that no one stormed out in protest.”
Still, Smith, the bishop of the Missouri Diocese and its 14,000 Episcopalians from central Missouri to the Mississippi River, does not see a clear solution to heal the fissure. “The shape of any Anglican Covenant, from what I can see, remains an open question.”
[blockquote]He and many former parishioners now worship at Maryville Center in Chesterfield as the Anglican Church of the Resurrection. Walter and a staff member did not return the Beacon’s calls.[/blockquote]
For the record, we at CoR have been worshipping at our facility within Westminster Christian Academy for the past three years or so, and it’s likely Father Walter didn’t respond because he’s been on vacation.
[i] He beseeched liberals not to ordain gays and lesbians to the priesthood, elect them as bishops or allow priests to officiate at same-sex, partnership ceremonies. He asked conservatives threatening to walk out not to leave.[/i]
Given that the Canadians have already indicated they will be ignoring any moratoria “request,” and given that +Shaw of Massachusetts has declared his intention to continue to do that which he has been asked not to do, I cannot see any good reason why a conservative parish or diocese shouldn’t walk out the door tomorrow. Exactly what would be the point of sticking around?
Was there really *any* reason to have this Lambeth conference? Any at all?