From the Winnipeg Sun:<\/p>\n
But the delegates meeting in Winnipeg this weekend would do well to close their ears to those outside voices of dissent. Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, the primate of the ACC, said as much in his opening address earlier this week, when he urged delegates to obey their consciences on the divisive issue.<\/p>\n
“The first principle of moral theology is obedience to conscience, and I ask each one of you to embrace that principle, and with it the ethic of respect for the conscience of those who disagree with your own,” Hutchison said.<\/p>\n
If the delegates, listening to their consciences, vote to sanction same-sex unions tomorrow, they might not encounter that same “ethic of respect” among their fellow Anglicans in Uganda, Nigeria or other parts of the globe. But they must not let that deter them.<\/p>\n
Canadian Anglicans have been at the forefront of social change within the worldwide church, taking the lead in ordaining women priests and bishops over the past 30 years. If they vote to create a group of second-class citizens within their church, they’ll be turning their back on that tradition.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the choice isn’t that tough, after all.<\/p>\n