Anglican panel says Episcopal bishops met directive

A high-ranking Anglican panel acknowledged Wednesday the effort of Episcopal bishops to keep the worldwide Anglican family together and said they have complied with a directive by Anglican leaders on gay bishops and same-sex unions.

|PIC1|"We believe that The Episcopal Church has clarified all outstanding questions," stated the advisory report from the lay-clergy Joint Standing Committee. The report was written for the Anglican Communion's spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, who has so far succeeded in preventing a schism in the 77-million-member global church body.

Divisions in the Anglican Communion emerged when the US Episcopal Church - the US branch of Anglicanism - consecrated the openly gay bishop V Gene Robinson of New Hampshire in 2003.

Anglican leaders set a September 30 deadline for Episcopal bishops to make an unequivocal pledge not to consecrate another openly gay bishop or authorise the blessing of same-sex unions.

With only a few days left before the deadline, the Episcopal House of Bishops released its response last week during a meeting in New Orleans, saying bishops would "exercise restraint" in approving partnered gays as bishops and authorising public rites of the blessing of same-sex unions.

Conservatives condemned the response, saying the Episcopal bishops again dodged the requests made by Anglican leaders and had chosen not to change course but rather go their own way based on their liberal-leaning interpretation of Scripture and acceptance of homosexuality.

However, the Joint Standing Committee said the Episcopal Church has "given the necessary assurances sought of them", according to their report.

"The Joint Standing Committee report has recognized the hard work of the House of Bishops," commented Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in a statement, "and that our responses reflect our repeatedly expressed desire to remain in full communion with the rest of the Anglican Communion."

Jefferts Schori confirmed last Sunday the Episcopal Church would not retreat from their position on the "full inclusion" of gays and lesbians and their 2003 controversial action, but are willing to "pause" on their pro-gay agenda. The worldwide communion holds that homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture although it still calls its people to minister pastorally to all, including homosexuals.

Despite the praise, the Joint Standing Committee said the US body must do more to support theological conservatives, who are a minority within the church.

Conservative congregations in the United States are breaking with the Episcopal Church and joining orthodox Anglican provinces from overseas.

"Unless some measure of reassurance and security is given to those congregations, parishes, bishops and dioceses who are feeling an increasing sense of alienation from the Episcopal Church, there will be no reconciliation either within the Episcopal Church or within the wider Anglican Communion," the committee wrote.

At the same time, the committee criticised overseas Anglican conservatives who have set up offshoots in the United States to house breakaway parishes.

"We believe that the time is right for a determined effort to bring interventions to an end," stated the panel.

US conservatives, however, have made it clear that after years of dispute and no movement, the intervention of Anglican leaders from the Global South was an act that simply reflected the failure of the current approach, as noted by the Rt Rev Martyn Minns, who leads the breakaway group CANA (Convocation of Anglicans in North America) - the offshoot of the Church of Nigeria. Moreover, the overseas conservatives were responding to cries for help from US Anglicans, Minns has stated.

Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, meanwhile, has said that he would stop the intervention if the Episcopal Church returns to the Bible and gets back in line with the rest of the communion.

So far, one committee member dissented Wednesday's report - the Most Rev Mouneer Hanna Anis, primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

He stated that the response of Episcopal bishops is inadequate and represents "a superficial shift from their previous position" and that their position since 2003 has not changed.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has sent the report to all the primates, the communion's regional leaders, and members of the Anglican Consultative Council, a representative body of bishops, priests and lay people. They are expected to respond by the end of the month.