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'US church must bar gay bishops'
20/02/2007 11:30 - (SA)
Dar Es Salaam - Anglican leaders demanded that the US Episcopal church unequivocally bar official prayers for gay couples and the consecration of more gay bishops to undo the damage that North Americans have caused the Anglican family.
In a statement ending a tense six-day meeting on Monday, the leaders said that past pledges by Episcopalians for a moratorium on gay unions and consecrations have been so ambiguous that they have failed to fully mend "broken relationships" in the 77 million-member Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal church, the US wing of world Anglicanism, must clarify its position by September 30 or its relations with other Anglicans will remain "damaged at best".
"This has consequences for the full participation of the church in the life of the communion," the leaders said.
The meeting in Tanzania was the latest of several attempts to keep Anglicans unified despite deep rifts over how they should interpret the Bible. The long-simmering debate erupted in 2003 when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
Anglican traditionalists believe gay relationships violate scripture and they have demanded that the US church adhere to that teaching or face discipline.
Supporters of ordaining gays believe biblical teachings on justice and inclusion should take precedence. They have accused theological conservatives of demanding a conformity among Anglicans that never before existed. The communion was founded in the 16th century by King Henry VIII and spread worldwide by the British empire.
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