Archbishop warns Anglican Covenant could lead to Exclusion

The Archbishop of Wales has warned that a proposed document to unite Anglicans could end up excluding those who do not conform to its beliefs.

The Most Rev Dr Barry Morgan made the assertion last week to the Church in Wales' Governing Body prior to his departure to New Orleans where he is accompanying the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at a key meeting of US Episcopal bishops.

He told the Governing Body that he supported an Anglican Covenant in principle but could not endorse the proposed version currently under consideration.

A draft Covenant is currently being circulated among the Provinces of the Anglican Communion, which have the opportunity to respond by the end of the year.

Archbishop Morgan raised concerns that the covenant would lay down a single viewpoint on controversial issues such as homosexuality that would leave individuals feeling obliged to sign or else leave the Church.

While the Church of England said it was willing to "engage positively" in the process of drawing up the covenant, Dr Morgan questioned whether the Church in Wales would be able to make a similar commitment.

"The original intention of a Covenant to affirm the bonds of affection, was good," he said. "The indications now are that many see it as a contract, a means of ensuring a uniform view on human sexuality enforceable by the threat of exclusion from the Communion if one does not conform. I certainly do not want to sign up to that kind of Covenant."

The Archbishop asked the Governing Body to go no further at this stage than to note that the process is under way to produce a Covenant, and to invite the Welsh bishops to finalise a response.

Dr Morgan went on to criticise the draft Covenant for appearing to reduce the qualification for being an Anglican to a particular view of sexuality.

"The Lambeth quadrilateral of Scripture, creeds, sacraments and historic episcopate are no longer sufficient credentials for being an Anglican. A particular view of human sexuality is also required," he said.

"That devalues Scripture by restricting its moral values simply to what it might be saying about sexual relationships and turns the Bible into a kind of rule book where texts can be wrestled out of context."

He also feared that the draft Covenant would "face censure" if the Church in Wales passed a doctrine that other primates felt breached the Covenant.

"There will be obvious constitutional implications for us as a Church because we may be asked to subject decisions to primates and this will alter the nature of the Church in Wales and its provincial autonomy," he said.

Dr Morgan also criticised Anglican primates threatening to boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference, a major meeting of primates held once every ten years.

"They are not willing to come to talk and deliberate with those who differ from them. That seems to me to deny the very nature of Anglicanism. The way some of the primates have behaved does not give me great hope of entrusting the interpretation and the implementation of the terms of the Covenant to them."

The Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Rev Peter Akinola, is among a group of primates yet to confirm their presence at the Lambeth Conference. In a statement last month, he criticised the "intransigence" by pro-gay US and Canadian churches and said that repentance held the key to overcoming the current rifts.

"Repentance and reversal by these provinces may yet save our communion. Failure to recognise the gravity of this moment will have devastating impact," said Archbishop Akinola.

Dr Morgan also appeared in his address to the Governing Body of the Church in Wales to assert that the Bible did not have absolute authority.

"There is a difference between taking scripture seriously and taking it literally or as being inerrant or infallible. The books of the Bible are the inspired response to revelation, but the responses are fallible, and responses are not identical with the revelation for the 'word of God comes to us through the words of men' to quote one theologian."

The chairman of conservative group Church Society, the Rev George Curry, responded by saying that if Dr Morgan did not accept the authority of the Bible he should "do the honourable thing and step down and resign", according to Welsh newspaper Western Mail.

He added, "We are right in the middle of a debate which is, are we going to be ruled by the Bible or not? For 2,000 years the church has made it clear that same sex relationships are wrong."

Dr Morgan has been in New Orleans for the meeting of the US Episcopal Church's House of Bishops since last Wednesday.

Following a number of closed door meetings last week, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion Dr Rowan Williams urged Anglicans to overcome their differences in order to avoid schism.

"The need we have for each other is very deep," he said.

All eyes are on September 30, the date set by primates at a meeting in Dar es Salaam for the US Episcopal Church to respond to their request to stop ordaining homosexual bishops and blessing same-sex marriages.

It remains to be seen what form of response will be made after Dr Williams stressed last Friday that the issue of the September 30 deadline was not an ultimatum.

An initial response is expected from the US Episcopal Church this week, before a full response is made by February.