Traditionalist Anglican leaders have stepped up pressure on their deeply split Communion by urging it to postpone its consultative conference and pledging more support for rebels against liberal local churches.Nine leaders from the "Global South," known as primates, want to delay the Lambeth Conference, a 10-yearly assembly due in 2008, and hold an emergency summit of primates to resolve a crisis sparked by a gay bishop being appointed in the United States.
Also this week, two leading traditionalist archbishops -- Peter Akinola in Nigeria and Gregory Venables in Argentina -- vowed to continue to defend parishes and dioceses seeking to leave the Episcopal Church, the US branch of Anglicanism.
Archbishop Gregory Venables is to allow conservative dioceses that are defecting from the pro-gay American branch of Anglicanism to affiliate with his South American province thousands of miles away.
The unprecedented realignment will rock the 70 million-strong worldwide Church and escalate the bitter civil war over gay clergy that is tearing it apart.
Four Episcopal dioceses are considering switching allegiance to foreign primates in protest against their church's support for gay bishop Gene Robinson, despite threats of disciplinary action from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
"We reject the religion of accommodation and cultural conformity that offers neither transforming power nor eternal hope," said a statement signed by nine primates from Africa and Asia who also called for a delay in the Lambeth Conference.
The statement, dated October 30 but only posted on Wednesday on the traditionalist website Global South Anglican, added that primates from developing countries -- where traditionalist stands are strongest -- should hold their own summit next year.
The dispute has split both the Communion and some Western churches, where vocal minorities are seeking support from the Global South leaders. Letting dioceses choose which primate to follow undermines Anglicanism's regional structure.
It will also dismay the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who is struggling to avert a formal schism.
Dr Williams is certain come under huge pressure to denounce what liberals will regard as an illicit “parallel” province.
But if he does he will risk the wrath of the powerful coalition of conservative Global South primates from Africa and Asia who are backing the initiative.
He is already facing threats of a conservative boycott of next year's showcase Lambeth Conference in Canterbury if he fails to discipline the liberal Americans over their pro-gay policies.
Global South leaders last week stepped up pressure on Dr Williams to postpone the conference, the ten-yearly gathering of Anglican bishops from across the globe, until the row has been resolved.
The crisis could deepen even further if the Diocese of Chicago elects a lesbian cathedral dean to be its next bishop.
Archbishop Venables said that the Americans were to blame for triggering the crisis by consecrating Anglicanism's first openly gay bishop in 2003 in defiance of official Church policy.
The British-born Archbishop, who is the Primate of the Province of the Southern Cone, said: "This is a pivotal moment in the history of the Anglican Communion. The new realignment demonstrates the depths of the divisions that already exist. "
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce