A senior Church of England bishop has criticised the US Episcopal Church for not repenting of its pro-gay stance that goes against traditional Anglican teachings.
The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, indicated to The Daily Telegraph on Monday that he leaned to the side of conservative African bishops who maintain that the US Episcopal Church has not fully dealt with the issue of same-sex blessings and the installation of the first openly gay bishop, V Gene Robinson.There is now speculation that the bishop may boycott the crunch Lambeth Conference in 2008.
Next year’s once-a-decade conference of Anglican bishops from around the world is being touted as a landmark event which could potentially determine the future of the Communion.
Bishop Nazir-Ali, one of the most-respected clergymen in Britain, told The Telegraph: “My difficulty at the moment is not with a particular person, such as Gene Robinson, but with those who felt it right to approve and to officiate at his ordination.
“Unless they are willing to say that what they did was contrary to the Gospel, and we all of us from time to time need to repent about what we have done wrong, I would find it very difficult to be with them in a council of bishops.”
Rev Tony Smith, who is a spokesperson for the Bishop of Rochester, has confirmed that this was the official stance of the bishop.
The statement follows the dissatisfaction expressed by a number of leading conservative Anglican leaders towards last month’s US House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans.
At that meeting, attended in-part by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, Episcopal bishops promised to "exercise restraint" in consecrating any more gay bishops, and not to authorise official blessings of same-sex couples.
The Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council subsequently said that those pledges had fulfilled the requests of Anglican leaders towards the Episcopal Church.
The panel added, however, that the US arm of the Church must do more to support theological conservatives.
In particular, African Anglican Primates met in Mauritius last week, where they declared dissatisfaction with the assurances given by US bishops.
In an official communiqué, the African Anglicans called for the Lambeth Conference in 2008 to be postponed. It stated: “The assurances made are without credibility and its preparation is severely compromised by numerous conflicts of interest.
"The report itself appears to be a determined effort to find a way for the full inclusion of the Episcopal Church with no attempt at discipline or change from their prior position.”
However, in a warning to the worldwide Communion, the second-most senior clergyman in the Church of England, Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has said that any bishop who choose to boycott the Lambeth Conference would, in effect, expel themselves from the Communion.
He explained that such an action would break their links with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the 77-million member worldwide Anglican Communion.
Bishop Nazir-Ali said: “It is nothing to do with loyalty to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“In fact it may be an expression of loyalty to him to say that the Lambeth Conference has integrity.”
