The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Right Reverend Anthony Poggo, said today:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have read today\u2019s statement by primates of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans with sadness, but am also grateful for its frankness and candour. The statement raises important questions for our collective consideration. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Primates who signed the statement have been consistently clear in upholding the traditional Christian doctrine that the proper place for sexual intimacy is within marriage, and that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. These doctrines are held by the vast majority of Anglicans around the world. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is necessary to correct two parts of the GSFA statement. The leadership of the Church of England has assured us that they have not changed their doctrine of marriage, nor have they introduced liturgy to bless same-sex relationships. To do so would require a different synodical process than that followed so far. Rather, the Church of England\u2019s General Synod, meeting earlier this month, has endorsed the proposal that prayers can be used to invoke God\u2019s blessings on people. The Synod also passed an amendment to the bishop\u2019s proposals, stipulating that such prayers, when they are published prior to the next Synod meeting in July \u2018should not be contrary to or indicative of a departure from the doctrine of the Church of England.\u2019 Of course, this does not resolve other questions that have been raised about the clarity and wisdom of the proposals, upon which I will not comment. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe other correction that I feel should be made is to the sixth resolution in the GSFA statement. The commitment of Anglicans to walking together was not, and is not, \u2018prescribed by the Anglican Communion Office\u2019. The Anglican Communion Office is the secretariat of the Instruments of Communion and has no power to prescribe anything. <\/p>\n