Anglican church gay rift deepens

[Freedom_from_Chains]

Thursday, February 24, 2005 Posted: 7:08 PM EST (0008 GMT)



Gene Robinson.



LONDON, England (AP) -- The U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada have withdrawn from a key body of the global Anglican Communion under pressure from conservative church leaders horrified by the election of a gay bishop in the United States and the blessing of same-sex unions in the two countries.

Though the suspension of the two churches was said to be temporary, it marked the first formal split in the communion over the explosive issues of sexuality and biblical authority.

A statement from the 35 Anglican primates, which also summoned the two churches to explain their thinking on gay issues at another Anglican meeting in June, was issued a day earlier than planned, following a week of meetings in Northern Ireland by leaders of the national churches.

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Frank T. Griswold, said the debate would continue and that his fellow church leaders had made room "for a wide variety of perspectives."

The U.S. church precipitated the most serious rift in the communion's history when it affirmed the election of V. Gene Robinson, who openly lives with a male partner, as bishop of New Hampshire. Both churches have been criticized by conservatives for sanctioning blessings of gay unions.

(con't) http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/02/24/anglican.canada.ap/index.html

The statement said the two churches were withdrawing from the Anglican Consultative Council, a key body for contact among the national churches, at least until 2008.

[Cannikin]

1. Yeah, again, sorry for being gay and spiritual.

didnt mean to stir the pot.

[ldf]

2. good

maybe after the split more churches will slowly start to switch sides.

the bigots in frocks shouldn't have the power to dictate thought.

the same goes for the catholic church.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

3. I never have seen them that way.

the bigots in frocks shouldn't have the power to dictate thought.

I've always thought that was the nature of the business they were in. And now with Bush organizing the churches as a dissemination of information tool, they will now be able to tell them the Godly way to vote.