Mary Glasspool, 56, was ordained yesterday in front of 3,000 supporters \u201d\u201d and two protesters \u201d\u201d in the Long Beach Arena, south of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Calling herself a \u201creconciling person\u201d\u009d, she offered to \u201creach out and engage with people who believe or think differently than I do\u201d\u009d, but her appointment has already tested the Episcopal Church\u2019s ties to the Church of England almost to breaking point.<\/p>\n
Hoping to retain the allegiance of conservatives still furious over the ordination of Gene Robinson, the first gay Anglican bishop, in 2003, Dr Williams has said that Canon Glasspool\u2019s ordination \u201craises very serious questions not just for the Episcopalian Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole\u201d\u009d. He declined to comment on the ordination.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the Church of Ireland called the appointment \u201cboth wrong and disappointing\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n