The Anglican Church of Canada has been far behind the governments and courts of this country in recognizing the rights and privileges of same-sex partnerships. Although the church has passed statements of welcome and support, same-sex couples have not been able to have their commitment to one another blessed within their parish church.<\/p>\n
This month the national decision-making body of the Anglican Church of Canada will meet in Winnipeg and one of the agenda items could open up an option for supportive dioceses to bless same-sex partnerships. If, however, this option is denied again there will be a call for more study and more discussion even though the Anglican Church in Canada has studied and debated this issue for over 30 years.<\/p>\n
Caution has held sway over the decades because it is a divisive issue for Christian traditionalists and because the Anglican Church has to work within a vast international communion that struggles with cross-cultural tensions.
\nTo many in the secular world this rift within Anglicanism may seem unimportant: a sign of yet another moribund institution unable to \u201d\u02dckeep up with the times\u2019. Not so; this struggle is much more broadly instructive because it is about the risks \u201d\u201cand promises \u201d\u201c of communal decision-making. It is about the openness that societal organizations must allow for successful local autonomy, while at the same time fostering a broader sense of identity and kinship with those from whom they differ.<\/p>\n
Read it all (subscription required)<\/a> or read it there<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Anglican Church of Canada has been far behind the governments and courts of this country in recognizing the rights and privileges of same-sex partnerships. Although the church has passed statements of welcome and support, same-sex couples have not been…<\/span><\/p>\n