The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams this week has the task to save the 78-million worldwide Anglican Communion. In South Armagh, Northern Ireland today, the Primates of the third largest denomination in Christianity will come together endangered with the task to overcome the issue of homosexuality in the Church which has driven the Communion to the brink of a schism.
The Anglican denomination, which has a presence in 164 countries worldwide, will try to bridge the huge rift in opinion that has developed between conservatives and liberals after the US Episcopal Church’s decision in 2003 to appoint openly homosexual bishop Gene Robinson as head of the New Hampshire diocese.
Many have warned that the Communion has already broken down over the issue, and that authority within the Anglican Communion no longer exists. It has been evident both sides of the debate that the decision to elect Gene Robinson was an independent decision, made in calculated defiance of the established procedures for the governing of the Anglican Church.
Last week, at the Church of England’s General Synod in London, the Church gave its full backing to the Windsor Report’s recommendations that the American Episcopal Church express its regret for allowing the consecration of Gene Robinson, and provide a theological explanation.
However, in another act of non-compliance the US Episcopal Church have merely said that it regrets the effect its actions have had elsewhere but it has refused as of yet to promise a moratorium on future elections of gays or blessings of same-sex partners.
If disobedience is again seen against the head of the Anglican Communion, Rowan Williams, then there would be little to stop other areas of the Anglican Church turning to their own different interpretations of Scripture.
Church leaders are warning that this current crisis is the most serious to the Communion since the Reformation in the 16th Century when the Anglican denomination was established.
The issue surrounds what conservative evangelicals promote as the authority of Biblical truth and tradition, compared to the liberal view that suggests the church has failed to minister sensitively and with tolerance the small gay minority.
It is feared now that the opposite sides of the argument are so far entrenched in their opinions that a compromise is next to impossible.
To add to the pressure in Archbishop Williams, a number of conservative Archbishops have met privately over the past week to discuss tactics to use in the meeting, and rumours suggest that a number voted to walk out, but the number for this motion was not enough to gain a majority.
On Sunday, Rev Frank Griswold, the ECUSA’s presiding bishop, preached in Belfast amid a number of mild protests. Rev Eric Culbertson, from Dungannon commented, "It is impossible to view Dr Griswold as other than a false teacher, leading his church away from Biblical truth."
It is thought that a suspension of the North American Church should not be necessary, but many commentators are now suggesting that it may be the only way to avert a full-scale schism. Others have suggested a "cooling-off" period before any final decision is made to suspend, and even the American Episcopalians are split on what to do in the case.
It is hoped that if the issue is forced then the majority would fall into line with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision.
Unless the meeting can calm the debate and reconcile the breaking Communion, a new history without the true international Anglican Communion may result
