From the Globe and Mail: Bless same-sex unions, retired archbishops urge

As Canada’s Anglican Church prepares for its historic ”“ and possibly schismatic ”“ decision on blessing homosexual unions, six of its most senior clerics Thursday called for a yes vote that would show “justice, compassion and hope for all God’s people.”

The declaration from the half-dozen retired archbishops from across the country reveals a sharp division in the church’s hierarchy.

While the archbishops said that blessing the unions of same-sex couples does not touch on the church’s “core doctrine,” last month the national House of Bishops issued a pastoral statement saying that the “doctrine and discipline of our church does not clearly permit [same-sex blessings].”

The vote will be taken at the church’s general synod, or parliament, meeting next week in Winnipeg.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Provinces, Canadian General Synod 2007, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion)

5 comments on “From the Globe and Mail: Bless same-sex unions, retired archbishops urge

  1. Laocoon says:

    O Canada!

    I sort of understand the “justice” bit, since the popular claim is that gays are an oppressed minority, but how is this showing “compassion”? And how is it showing “hope”?

    Historically, the church has frowned on adultery. If I’m inclined to adultery and act on that inclincation, I don’t want such “justice, compassion, and hope” shown to me. I’d rather have a friend, brother, pastor, whatever, who’d have the courage and love to tell me I’m in sin.

    It seems to me that only if the church has dropped sin from its “core doctrine” can this appear as anything other than a departure from that core doctrine. Or am I just a hopeless traditionalist?

  2. Rolling Eyes says:

    “how is this showing “compassion”? And how is it showing “hope”? ”

    Don’t worry about that part. Just…feel warm and fuzzy!

    “It seems to me that only if the church has dropped sin from its “core doctrine” can this appear as anything other than a departure from that core doctrine. Or am I just a hopeless traditionalist?”

    No, Laocoon, you’re right. Those that support these innovations are rejecting the tried and true teachings of the Catholic Church.

  3. deaconjohn25 says:

    It strikes me that these senior clerics are not only promoting immorality but are a victim of group insanity. In the mid 1800’s many of the spiritual elite-and even scientific elite of the day- adopted Spiritualism and seances etc. Then came phrenology as the next societal wave one had to ride. And then came the Master Race theories–started in the U.S., not Nazi Germany–and promoted by Margaret Sanger and the Planned Parenthood Organization of the day. Now we have the insanity that says a male can marry a male or a female a female. These clerics and those of the pro-gay “marriage” phalanx are just as “insane” as those who embraced spiritualism, phrenology, and the master race hysterias. It is too bad clerics can’t seem to grasp the sanity of their own holy book-the Bible or the stability in these areas Catholic Tradition provides.

  4. deaconjohn25 says:

    Further headlining these clerics insanity is their apparent belief that blessing same-sex unions is not the moral equivalent of endorsing gay “marriage.”

  5. Barry says:

    Let me see if I get this right. Three percent gay population of TEC in US is .03 X 2.2M = 66,000 GLBTs. That means justice for GLBTs at the political, social, financial and spiritual expense of 2,134,000 traditional episcopalians. Gee, sounds fair to me.

    Oh! that’s right, there is no justice for the orthodox.
    Defintition. Liberal: A person who is so open minded his/her brains have fallen out.

    Come Lord Jesus, come.
    Barry