THE UNITY of the Anglican Communion was in tatters this week after the Episcopal Church in America voted in favour of ordaining openly gay men and women as bishops.The General Convention which met in California this week defied the communion by overturning a moratorium on gay ordinations put in place three years ago at the request of the Anglican primates to prevent a schism in the communion.
The moratorium, accepted by the last General Convention, urged “restraint” in electing bishops whose “manner of life” would cause offence to the wider Communion.
Schism looked inevitable when another moratorium on same-sex blessings was eroded by the convention’s decision to “collect and develop theological resources and liturgies for same-gender holy unions” for “formal consideration”.
The bishops followed the House of Deputies (clergy and laity) in supporting a motion by a vote of 99 to 45, with two abstentions, to “affirm” that gays may be called “to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.”
Their decision is a snub to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who, as spiritual leader of the communion, flew out to Anaheim to preach to the convention and plead with them to avoid schism.
“Along with many in the communion, I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart,” said Dr Williams. As news of the votes reached his own General Synod in York, the archbishop made a cautious statement: “I regret the fact that there is not the will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America.”
Existing rifts in the 77-million-strong communion over church teaching on sexuality deepened in 2003 when the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, who lives with his gay partner, was elected Bishop of New Hampshire.
The polarisation of views led to conservative Episcopalians forming a new province last month, the Anglican Church in North America, which is now seeking recognition from Dr Williams and the General Synod of the Church of England.
But the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, urged the Church of England not to back the new province, saying “schism is not a Christian act”. The differing views were evident in the House of Deputies’ debate. Ralph Stanwise of the breakaway Quincy Diocese said he anticipated that overturning the moratorium would lead to a mass exodus.
“We will in effect be urging many remaining conservatives and moderates among us and in our home dioceses, especially our most fragile ones, to search for the exit signs.”
But the overwhelming view was that the moratorium was unjust and was undermining the Church’s mission. “We see a decrease in diversity of theological viewpoints, a decrease in seminary enrolment, an increase in seminary debt,” said Keith Brooks of Colorado Diocese. “I see the structure of our Church breaking down as we try to discern God’s will in this matter,“ he said.
Canon Chris Sugden of the conservative Anglican Mainstream lobby group said Dr Williams should push forward the Anglican Covenant aimed at healing the schism and work with those Episcopal dioceses who want to “remain faithful”.
“That would affirm what Anglicans stand for and invite others to join him. It would produce a split in the Episcopal Church. Forty-five bishops voted against the resolution. It’s important for those 45 to decamp to another conference hall out of fellowship with those who have taken this decision,” he said. He said that for Dr Williams and for lay Episcopalians, “now is the time to choose”.
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