Anglicans told to stop homosexual consecrations, blessings
by Maria Mackay
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 8:39 (BST)
A group of senior Anglican clergy presented a document at the Lambeth Conference on Monday demanding a halt to the consecration of partnered homosexual bishops, blessings for same-sex unions and cross-border interventions.
The document warned that if the three moratoria were not observed, the Anglican Communion was "likely to fracture".
"The patters of action currently embraced with the continued blessings of same-sex unions and of interventions could lead to irreparable damage," it added.
The Most Rev Clive Handford, chair of the Windsor Continuation Group which drew up the document, told reporters on Monday that the moratorium would be "retrospective" but later clarified that this did not imply the resignation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson.
"We're not asking that he be defrocked. We're just saying that there should not be any more [consecrations]. We're aware that he was elected according to the policies of the Episcopal Church, whatever we may think about that."
The document further recommended the "swift" formation of a 'Pastoral Forum' to oversee breakaway parishes and dioceses, in a bid to stop conservative congregations from seeking alternative oversight from foreign primates.
The Pastoral Forum would, the document said, act as as a "holding bay" for such parishes and "a key mechanism to achieve reconciliation".
The document's authors also stated that the forum should have the powers to respond quickly to conflict.
"We believe that the Pastoral Forum should be empowered to act in the Anglican Communion in a rapid manner to emerging threats to its life," they noted.
The document was handed out to hundreds of bishops at the Conference, due to conclude this Sunday in Canterbury.
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Added: Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 15:43 (BST)
This three point is doomed to fail. There is one reason why, and that is The Epispical Church (TEC) in the United States. TEC Bishops attending Lambeth have already made it abuntdantly clear that they will continue with their agenda of revision and will not even consider what the rest of the Global Anglican Communion thinks or believes. Therefore the TEC will continue to consecrate unrepentant sinning homosexuals, and it will also continue to conduct cerimonies of sinful homosexual unions. The TEC will do this with complete disregard for the Holy Word of God, as given to us by God in the form of His Holy Bible. Same thing for the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) as its Primate, Mr. Hiltz, has publically stated that the ACoC will also continue in his committment to these sins.
Consequently, we may conclude that the Global Anglican Communion is effectively split. Now it is time for God to sort us out, seperating the wheat from the chaf. Pary the He will have mercy on those who have destroyed TEC and ACoC.
AMP, Ontario, Canada
Added: Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 12:07 (BST)
Surely the C of E is going to have to be disestablished if a significant part of it is overseen from overseas by people who could not comply with UK Equality legislation.
Jethro, Dunblane, Scotland
