Leaders of the Anglican Communion gathered at the Global South Meeting in Egypt have issued a powerful condemnation of their more liberal counterparts as the rift between in the Church widened even further over the issues of homosexuality this week.
The Church leaders, representing approximately two-thirds of the worldwide Church, revealed their unity in their determination to force the expulsion of the USA and Canada branches of the Church if they continued to refuse to reverse their liberal policies on homosexuality.The latest twist in the Communion’s dilemma came after a five-day meeting in Egypt, where leaders made clear that they were commencing the formation of alternative structured in case a partial of full schism takes place.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spiritual leader to the worldwide Communion, who has also been highly criticised over the past year for his lenient stance on the matter, had flown to the gathering at the end of last week seeking calm.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has told Anglican Church leaders from the Global South that the only ground for unity in the Church “'is to be found in Christ”.
Dr Williams said as he addressed the gathering: “The Church is one because Jesus Christ is one; the church is holy because Jesus Christ is holy; the church is catholic because Jesus Christ is the saviour of all; the Church is apostolic because as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us. In other words, if we are to understand the nature of the church at all, we are to understand who Jesus Christ is and what he does.
