Archbishop to fly to US to try and avert church split

by Dan Wooding
September 12, 2007

CANTERBURY, UK (ANS) -- The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will fly to the United States later this month, where the row over gay bishops is once again threatening to split the worldwide Anglican Church.

According to a story written by Robin Turner of the UK Western Mail, the global Anglican movement has moved towards the brink of schism when the Episcopal Church - its American arm - consecrated its first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire in 2003.

"Most of the church's members are based in the developing world, where homosexuality is often strongly discouraged and sometimes illegal," Turner wrote.

"And to fan the flames of the controversy, this week it emerged an openly lesbian Episcopalian priest could become the Bishop of Chicago. The Rev Tracy Lind is among the five nominees for bishop of the Chicago diocese.

"Also this week, protests from Africa about gay priests reached a head when two American bishops were appointed to serve conservative US Anglicans - but under the jurisdiction of Kenya."

He went on to say, "In a symbolic snub to the Anglican Church, the Right Rev William Murdoch and the Right Rev Bill Atwood were consecrated at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi by Kenya's Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi.

"The ordinations are valid under Anglican rules but are expected to be counted as 'irregular' by the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Palace staff, placing the two outside the officially-recognized Anglican hierarchy.

"Nonetheless, the Swansea-born Archbishop will come under pressure from conservatives to invite the two new bishops to next year's Lambeth Conference.

"And at his meeting in New Orleans this month, American Episcopal bishops will meet the Archbishop to discuss demands that they pledge to withhold consent for another openly gay bishop until the whole church reaches consensus on the issue.

"If the bishops don't comply by September 30, then international leaders have predicted relationships in the 77 million strong church will be 'damaged at best.'"

Turner said that Gay rights advocates have praised the nomination of the Rev Tracy Lind as possible Bishop of Chicago as a sign of progress and greater equality in leadership.

"The big news today is that discernment has trumped discrimination in the diocese of Chicago," said Susan Russell, president of Integrity, an advocacy group for gay Episcopalians.

But Bishop Peter Beckwith of the US Anglican Communion of Springfield said, "Chicago's action is flying in the face of the desire of the Anglican Communion. It's a slap in the face."

Rowan Williams said the American church was in danger of tearing itself apart over the issue of gay priests and was dividing itself from the rest of the world church.

"It could take decades to restore some sort of relationship."

Turner went on to say that Dr Rowan Williams has made few statements on the thorny issue since his appointment.

But on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2002, he was asked by presenter Sue Lawley if gay rights should be acknowledged by the Church of England.

He said, "It's certainly no part of my programme to change this or even to push it as a matter of discussion but there it is on the table, we have to think about it.

"My hope is simply that we think about it without too much rancor, too much prejudice or too much fear."

© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.