There is \u201cgeneral pessimism\u201d\u009d among bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada about the potential for \u201cany clear resolution\u201d\u009d of the divisive issue of sexuality at the church\u2019s upcoming General Synod in Halifax this June.<\/p>\n
This is one of the many observations recently made by two pastoral visitors from the U.K. who were deputized by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. They were invited to attend the four-day meeting of the House of Bishops last November in Niagara, Ont., at the request of Archbishop Williams. Archbishop Williams is seeking ways to heal divisions among member provinces of the Anglican Communion.<\/p>\n
No matter what decisions may be reached at the 2010 General Synod, however, the gathering is bound to be \u201ca watershed both for the (Anglican Church of Canada) and for its wider relations with the Anglican Communion,\u201d\u009d said Bishop Chad Gandiya of Harare, Zimbabwe, and Bishop Colin Bennetts, the retired bishop of Coventry, in their report. \u201cAt its worst it could lead to internal anarchy. At its best it could help us all to appreciate and practice a properly Christian style of inclusiveness.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Bishops Gandiya and Bennetts said that the last General Synod left the issue of same-sex blessings \u201cunclear,\u201d\u009d noting that while it did not approve same-sex blessings “nor did it rule against them.\u201d\u009d Such uncertainty has resulted in a situation that is \u201ccomplex, not to say confusing,\u201d\u009d they said, with some dioceses independently approving same-sex blessings.<\/p>\n