In a speech dominated by thoughts on the balance of rights within the Church of England and society, the Archbishop of Canterbury today said he was "profoundly sorry" for the "carelessness" that may have given the impression to homosexual Anglicans that they were ignored or undervalued.
Dr Rowan Williams said the decision by the Episcopal Church to ordain a partnered homosexual bishop had had a "devastating" impact on the freedom of Anglicans elsewhere to proclaim the Gospel, while the freedom of Anglicans in Uganda to support anti-gay legislation had had a "serious impact on the credibility of the Gospel" in other parts of the Anglican Communion.
In an appeal for unity, he said: "The challenges of our local and global Anglican crises have to do with how this shapes our councils and decision-making. It is not a simple plea for the sacrifice of the minority to the majority. But it does mean repeatedly asking how the liberty secured for me or for those like me will actively serve the sanctification of the rest."
He called for a "major change of heart all round" among Anglicans and urged them to "discover an ecclesial fellowship in which we trust each other to act for our good". Without these, he said the prospect of a two-tier Anglican Communion would be likely.
The Archbishop said Anglicans had to make difficult judgements about whether granting freedom to one group would be more likely to undermine the other's freedom and whether or not granting a particular freedom would "set free the possibility of contributing to each other's holiness".
"We may be able to show to the world a face rather different from the anxious, self-protective image that is so much in danger of entrenching itself in the popular mind as the typical Christian position," he said.
"I deeply believe that this Church and this Synod is still capable of showing that face and pray that God will reveal such a vision in us and for us."
The Archbishop said an anti-homosexuality Bill was "repugnant", as the head of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Archbishop Henry Orombi, issued a statement affirming the Ugandan Church’s support for the Bill.
The Archbishop was speaking in his presidential address to the Church of England General Synod today. His speech has been hailed as one of the best in years by Synod members.
Dr Williams also warned that legalising assisted suicide would be a “moral mistake” that would take Britain into “very dangerous territory”.
