US Anglican Leader calls for Reconciliation in Homosexuality debate

The leader of the American Anglican Church, Bishop Frank Griswold, who has been outspokenly supporting of homosexual rights within the Church, used the pulpit of St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday 13th September to plea for reconciliation.

Griswold who currently is facing disciplinary measures for consecrating an actively homosexual bishop admitted that the worldwide family of Anglicans was being torn between those who had “a concern for boundaries” and those who followed the Holy Spirit wherever it followed them.

The bishop asked all sides for tolerance and tried to point to the fact that the Spirit had a habit of “stretching” the Church to make room for new realities. However, this has caused an outcry from other opposing bishops that this so-called stretching did not in any way extend to the issue at hand.

Last year, the split within the Anglican community developed when Griswold consecrated the Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, much to the dismay of many traditionalist Anglicans.

Bishop Griswold’s latest appeal, however, is likely to have very little impact at all on conservatives, who remain furious that he was invited to preach at one of the Church of England’s flagship Cathedrals at an extremely sensitive time in the Church’s history.

The large conservative group within the Anglican Church have condemned active homosexuality and gay unions as in direct conflict with the Bible, and have threatened to split away from the liberal group if sanctions are not imposed against bishops who have committed this grave breach of official Anglican policy.

The Lambeth Commission which was formed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev Rowan Williams to investigate ways in which to avoid a schism, are due to report and announce their findings and recommendations on 18th October. It has been rumoured recently that the commission would advise disciplinary measures against breaching bishops. However. Liberals gave the warning last week that a civil war would be sure to develop if any attempt was made to punish them.

Bishop Gene Robinson, who is divorced and lives now with his male partner, has made it completely clear that he and Bishop Griswold will not compromise at all on their stance in the issue.

In a radio interview yesterday, Griswold further showed that he will not be backing down on his extreme views of change within the Church, when he expressed his hope that the commission would recommend a “juridical” solution, so that the Church could remain “broad and inclusive”.