Canadian Anglican threatens action against churches joining South America

This weekend, divisions over homosexuality in the Canadian Anglican Church intensified as Conservative members met for a two day conference to discuss plans for the implementation of a parallel jurisdiction by the Anglican Church in South America.

In reaction to the Burlington conference, the liberal Primate of the Church, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, has written a letter which is to be read in all Anglican parishes in Canada.

In the letter, Archbishop Hiltz is believed to say that the Primate of the Southern Cone of America, Archbishop Gregory Venables, has committed a great wrong by attempting to extend his authority to another Church, reports Canada's The Globe and Mail.

The letter is also believed to state that any congregation voting to leave the jurisdiction of the Canadian Anglican Church will not be permitted to keep ownership of their church building, an issue which arose during the conference in Burlington.

The US Episcopal Church has also tried using such tactics to keep its congregations from leaving. It is currently involved in legal battles with 11 Virginian congregations which voted to leave the Episcopal Church and place themselves under the Anglican Church in Nigeria.

Last week a second retired archbishop, the Most Rev Malcom Harding, said that he would give up his Canadian minister's licence and join the South American Anglican Church. The week before, another retired bishop, Donald Harvey took similar action and has previously said he intends to ordain priests in Canada.

The Canadian Council of General Synod sent a statement to the Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, asking him to tell the Southern Cone to stop its actions to set up a parallel authority in Canada.

So far Archbishop Rowan Williams has not responded to that request.