Gay bishop drives flock away

2004-10-06 11:17

Virginia - In a direct challenge to the leadership of the United States Episcopal Church, an influential Anglican archbishop from Africa is exploring ways to allow American congregations upset over the election of a gay bishop to realign themselves under his jurisdiction.

Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, has been critical of the US Episcopal Church's decision last year to consecrate Bishop V Gene Robinson in New Hampshire, said "he feels obliged to provide a spiritual home to Nigerians in America who are leaving the church over the issue".

While Akinola said that, is his primary goal, he also said he wanted to offer a home to any Episcopal parish in America that no longer feels it can abide by a US church hierarchy that conservatives see as abandoning a fundamental Christian teaching condemning homosexuality.

The US Episcopal Church "is creating a new religion in which God almighty has declared a sin is no longer a sin," Akinola said at a news conference at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, a parish that has withdrawn financial support from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in protest over Robinson's election. "We cannot go along with that kind of religion."

Geographical boundaries

Each Anglican province is autonomous and crossing geographical boundaries as Akinola plans to do is considered inappropriate by many Anglican Communion leaders. However, other bishops before Akinola have accepted oversight of some conservative congregations in America.

Akinola's visit to the United States comes less than two weeks before the release of a long-awaited report by a group known as the Lambeth Commission that will recommend what course the Anglican Communion should take in response to the Episcopal Church's actions.

Robert Williams, a spokesperson for the Episcopal Church, said Akinola's plan "does not come as a surprise," but church leaders would wait to comment until the Lambeth Commission releases its report on October 18.

Possible realignment

Akinola said his US trip to explore a possible realignment was endorsed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. Canon James Rosenthal, a London spokesperson for the communion, said he had no information on discussions on the issue between the two leaders.

"Our people are deserting the Anglican Church as a result" of Robinson's election, the archbishop, said. "We want to recover our people."

But he added that his efforts were not limited to Nigerian Anglicans. "Whoever wishes to join would be welcome," he said.

Nine of the 107 Episcopal dioceses in the United States, plus about 240 individual congregations outside of those dioceses, have joined the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes.

- AP