wfn.org | Episcopalians: News Briefs

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

July 3, 2003

2003-154

Episcopalians: News Briefs

European church assembly closes with call for worldwide 
sharing

(ENI) A major gathering of European churches has ended with a 
call from the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, for a 
sharing of resources between peoples of the northern and 
southern hemispheres. 

"In the global economy, it is not enough for the prosperous 
world and its trading systems to say: 'We want to bring you into 
the market; we want to make life better for you,'" said Williams 
on July 2 in Trondheim, Norway, at the 12th assembly of the 
Conference of European Churches. 

"There has to be some way of saying, 'We are hungry and thirsty 
for your welfare; we are not ourselves, not fully human, without 
you,'" said Williams, leader of the worldwide Anglican 
Communion, in a sermon at the assembly's closing worship service 
in Trondheim, an ancient centre of Christianity in Norway. 

At the open-air service near the banks of the River Nidelven, 
which divides Trondheim in two, the archbishop noted that people 
now commonly said that wars of the next generation would be 
fought over water supplies: "It is already a major political 
issue in parts of the Middle East." 

Williams asked: "How does Israel find the freedom to say to the 
Palestinians, 'We need you for our life and health?' And, How do 
the other states of the region find the freedom to say, 'We need 
Israel'? 

"When these things are said and known, who knows what can 
change?" referring to potential for reconciliation between 
Israelis and Palestinians. 

The eight-day church gathering in Trondheim attended by about 
800 participants took place as the European Union was planning 
to expand its membership in 2004 from 15 to 25 European nations. 

The assembly in a statement on July 1 described EU enlargement 
as a "source of hope for many people" and said that "in reducing 
barriers between countries and people, the EU has made a 
contribution to the peace of the continent." 

But the gathering also warned that this contribution should not 
be "negated by the creation of new barriers between member and 
non-member states." 

"As well as the economic disparities between countries, 
expectations of cultural assimilation across the continent cause 
resentment and the danger of new division," the statement said. 

The assembly also welcomed a draft EU constitution drawn up 
after 15 months of discussion and intended to help the EU 
accommodate the influx of new member states. 

"The draft text recognizes the special identity and 
contributions of churches and expresses the [European] Union's 
commitment to maintain a structured and transparent dialogue 
with them," the assembly said. 

However, the assembly did not endorse the demand from some 
church leaders, including Pope John Paul II, for an explicit 
reference in the EU constitution to Europe's Christian heritage.

Archbishop of Canterbury affirms support for Anglican women 
bishops

(ENI) The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has 
reaffirmed his personal support for the consecration of women as 
bishops in the Church of England, but said the final decision 
rested with the church as a whole.

"I cannot find any theological objection myself to women 
becoming bishops if we accept women becoming priests, said 
Williams, the leader of the Anglican Communion, on July 1 at a 
European church gathering in Trondheim, Norway. 

"The question is in what way and at what pace is that 
appropriate," he said. "Theologically, yes; but in practical 
terms I wait to see what is possible and listen to those on all 
sides." 

The Church of England started ordaining women as priests in 1994 
but does not accept women as bishops. 

Anglican churches in the United States, Canada and New Zealand 
already have women bishops. The Scottish Episcopal Church voted 
in June to accept women as bishops. 

The issue is being considered in the Church of England by an 
investigating body known as the Rochester Commission, which is 
due to report in 2004 or 2005. 

Williams, enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury in February, was 
speaking at an informal gathering during the12th assembly of the 
Conference of European Churches, in Trondheim.

East African Anglican church leaders join in opposition to gay 
bishop

(ENI)Leaders of Anglican churches in East Africa have joined 
their Nigerian counterpart in denouncing the appointment of an 
openly homosexual priest as a bishop in the Church of England, 
asserting that it violated church law and went against Christian 
ethics.

Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, head of the Anglican Church of 
Kenya, maintained that his province would not recognise the plan 
to consecrate Canon Jeffrey John as the assistant bishop of the 
Reading diocese in England, even if it meant losing the support 
of the worldwide Anglican Communion leadership in Canterbury.

"Our stand is very clear on the issue of homosexuality, and we 
are totally opposed to any consecration now and in future," 
Nzimbi told ENI in Nairobi on July 2.

His pronouncement came soon after a similar one by Archbishop 
Peter J. Akinola of Nigeria--the world's biggest Anglican 
province, with about 17 million members. Akinola said he 
considered the appointment of a gay man as bishop in Reading and 
election of another in New Hampshire in the United States 
counter to Anglican teaching and considered ungodly the move by 
a bishop in the Canadian province of British Colombia to issue a 
liturgy for the blessing of same-sex marriages.

Said Nzimbi: "We had talked to our leader, and he had assured us 
that he will abide to the church laws. We feel that those who 
accept to carry on will only kick themselves out of the Anglican 
Communion." But Nzimbi said he would not banish homosexuals and 
lesbians from Kenya's churches.

The leader of the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda has 
also opposed the consecration of John.

"We have always made our stand clear. We definitely don't agree 
with it," Ugandan Archbishop Livingstone Nkoyoyo told the 
Monitor, an independent daily newspaper, on  June 23. "We 
totally don't agree and we have tried our best to oppose it. But 
it's still too early. Let's wait and see. We shall [make] the 
next move when the right time comes." 

Supreme Court decision in Texas case praised by Presiding 
Bishop

(ENS) Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold issued a statement July 2 
praising the US Supreme Court for its 6-3 decision in Lawrence 
v. Texas, which overturned the state's sodomy law and reversed 
the high court's 1986 decision in Bowers v. Hardwick.

"I add my voice to those who are heartened by the Supreme Court 
ruling on the Lawrence vs. Texas case," the statement said. "The 
ruling invalidated a Texas law that criminalized sexual conduct 
between adults of the same sex. Earlier this year I signed an 
amicus brief in support of ending this law. This action reminds 
us that all people have the right to privacy and should not be 
subjected to laws that deny that right.

"The Episcopal Church has been on record in support of the civil 
rights of gay and lesbian persons since 1976 and this decision 
by the Supreme Court is consistent with our Church's established 
policy," Griswold said. 

The Episcopal Church was joined in filing an amicus brief in 
support of the plaintiffs by the United Church of Christ, the 
American Friends Service Committee, the Methodist Federation for 
Social Action, the Commission on Social Action of Reform 
Judaism, Hadassah/Women's Zionist Organization of America, and 
the Unitarian Universalist Association. Also filing amicus 
briefs were lesbian and gay affinity groups for the American 
Baptists, Church of the Brethren/Mennonites, Disciples of 
Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Greek Orthodox, 
Latter-day Saints, Presbyterian Church USA, the Roman Catholic 
Church, Pentecostal denominations, Seventh-day Adventists, 
United Methodists, and groups representing lesbian and gay Jews 
and Muslims.

No major US Christian denomination supported Texas in its appeal 
of the decision.

Integrity, the lesbian and gay affinity group for Episcopalians, 
also joined in the amicus brief supporting the appeal by John 
Lawrence and Tyron Garner. "The days of Christian-supported 
legal discrimination against gay and lesbian people in the 
United States seem to be waning, and for this we give thanks to 
God," said a statement released by the Rev. Michael Hopkins, 
president of Integrity. "We also give thanks that no longer can 
opponents of the public celebration of same-sex unions in our 
Church use the argument that such unions are illegal in many 
states. The Supreme Court today put an end to that reality.

Sodomy laws were frequently invoked to deny employment or 
housing to gay men or lesbians and by courts in refusing custody 
or visitation for gay or lesbian parents. Last year an Episcopal 
priest in Northern Virginia, the Rev. Linda Kaufman, was 
initially denied the right to adopt a foster child from the 
District of Columbia because of Virginia's prohibition against 
sodomy among homosexual and heterosexual partners. Kaufman sued 
and won the right to adopt, but the state has repeatedly 
dismissed appeals of the sodomy law.

Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission meets to articulate a common 
vision'

(ACNS) Members of the International Anglican Roman Catholic 
Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) gathered in Northern 
Ireland June 10-14, for their third meeting, continuing the work 
arising from the conference of Anglican and Roman Catholic 
bishops held at Mississauga in 2000. The commission is 
responsible to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian 
Unity and the Anglican Communion for finding practical ways to 
express the fruits of the dialogue between Anglicans and Roman 
Catholics over the last thirty-five years.

The chief business of the commission was to work on the text of 
a Common Declaration to be submitted to the authorities of the 
Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, intended to 
identify a sufficient degree of agreement in faith to enable a 
new level of common life and mission together. The commission is 
also promoting video and web resources to communicate the extent 
of what has already been achieved in the dialogue between the 
Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, particularly 
the work of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission 
(ARCIC), and to nurture new ways of working together. 

Participants welcomed news of the work of the Anglican Roman 
Catholic Canon Lawyers Colloquium, established by academics from 
the Angelicum and Gregorian Universities in Rome and from the 
Centre of Law and Religion of Cardiff University in Wales. This 
colloquium, which meets annually, will explore the canon law of 
the two churches in relation to sacramental sharing at their 
next meeting in 2004.

Members traveled to Belfast in order to pray together at the 
Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals in that city, and to 
reflect on the progress of the peace process in Northern 
Ireland. They welcomed the Anglican and Roman Catholic 
Archbishops of Armagh and local diocesan bishops at their 
meeting, and joined with them in praying for reconciliation and 
the work of Christian witness in Northern Ireland.

The commission will meet next in Seattle in February 2004.

Episcopal Church resumes dialogue with Polish National 
Catholics

(ENS) After a hiatus of over four years, the Episcopal Church 
and the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States 
resumed a formal dialogue June 25-26, 2003 at the Trinity 
Conference Center in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Formerly the 
two churches shared a full communion relationship inaugurated in 
1940 with the Episcopal Church approving such a relationship 
with the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, which 
includes the PNCC. The PNCC accepted what was then called 
"intercommunion" in 1946. However, the 1978 Synod of the PNCC 
voted to "terminate intercommunion with the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States of America and the Anglican Church 
of Canada" over the ordination of women. 

However, according to the Most Rev. John F. Swantek (until 
recently the Prime Bishop of the PNCC), this was never intended 
to break off all dialogue or ongoing relations between the two 
churches. The Episcopal Church has never taken official action 
in response to the 1978 decision and therefore, from the 
Episcopal side, the situation is as it was between 1940 and the 
PNCC acceptance of intercommunion in 1946. The invitation to 
resume a full communion relationship is still open. "Our 
resumption of this dialogue is long overdue," commented Bishop 
Christopher Epting, the Presiding Bishop's deputy for ecumenical 
and interfaith relations. "The Polish National Catholic Church 
is the only official Old Catholic presence in the United States. 
If we are in communion with the Union of Utrecht we must find a 
way to move closer to the PNCC here at home."

After brief updates on the various ecumenical dialogues engaged 
in by the two churches, members of this resumed conversation 
rehearsed the history of the relationship and began planning for 
the future.

A draft mission statement was adopted for the ECUSA-PNCC 
Dialogue, which reads: "In response to the Great Commission, we 
seek to foster deeper understanding, cooperation, and mutual 
affection between our two churches in order to move toward the 
unity for which Christ prayed."

Specific steps toward that goal include the scheduling of the 
next two meetings for January 12-14, 2004 in Scranton, 
Pennsylvania, and June 15-17, 2004 back at the Trinity 
Conference Center. Initial plans were made for a joint clergy 
conference on "Catholic Evangelism" slated for the fall of 2004 
near Cleveland. In addition to a keynote speaker, it was 
suggested that it include a panel of persons from both PNCC and 
Episcopal parishes who have successful evangelization programs. 
Bishop Thomas Gnat, the Rev. Leslie Hague, and Bishop David 
Joslin agreed to serve on a committee for the conference.

Participants in the meeting included, from the PNCC, Bishop 
Gnat, the Rev. Jacek Soroka, and the Most Rev. John F. Swantek. 
>From the Episcopal Church, participants included Bishops Epting 
and Joslin and the Revs. Robert W. Anthony, Leslie Hague, 
Richard Hamlin, and Warren Platt. 

European church bodies plan to join forces for migrants' rights 

(ENI) Two European church organizations are planning to join 
forces to mobilize churches in Europe against racism and 
xenophobia and in support of the rights of migrants and 
refugees. 

The 12th assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), 
meeting in Trondheim, Norway, voted on July 1 to strengthen 
cooperation with the Brussels-based Churches' Commission for 
Migrants in Europe (CCME). Under the plan, the current work of 
the migrants commission would come under the CEC umbrella. 

"As migration and, more particularly, the concern for refugees 
and ethnic minorities is on the agenda of many of our member 
churches, we wish to encourage increased ecumenical cooperation 
in these fields," noted the Rev. Keith Clements, CEC's general 
secretary. 

"Migration and all related issues are becoming a major theme for 
all European countries, and the need for churches to be the 
church of the stranger, of the weak, of those whose rights are 
at risk is evident," said Clements. 

CEC, which has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg, was 
founded in 1959 and has more than 120 member churches throughout 
Europe. CCME was founded in 1964 and has members from 16 
countries. 

"All member churches of CEC will join step-by-step into the 
coordinated work of the commission on combating racism and on 
minorities," said the CCME's moderator, Annemarie Dupre, from 
Italy, welcoming the decision by the CEC assembly at a press 
conference. 

In recent years, CCME has focused on issues such as asylum, 
trafficking of human beings, racism and xenophobia. Together 
with other Christian organizations, CCME monitors the 
development of European Union legislation on migration and 
asylum. 

The CEC assembly on Tuesday also called on all European 
governments to ratify a United Nations treaty on the rights of 
migrant workers and their families, which came into force on 
July 1 and is legally binding for the 22 states that have 
ratified it. However, no major industrialized country has signed 
the convention, Human Rights Watch reported. 

"Migration has shaped European society and continues to 
contribute to its cultural richness as well as its economic 
prosperity," the assembly said in a statement. "Yet migration 
has been treated primarily as a security problem, and responses 
to it have been demeaning of the rights and the dignity of those 
who come to us as strangers and as neighbors." 

The United Nations Population Division estimates that 175 
million people are international immigrants.

Locally grown organic meal featured at General Convention

(ENS) Think globally -- but eat locally.

That's what the Episcopal Ecological Network (EEN) is hoping 
participants in the 74th General Convention in Minneapolis will 
do this summer, as they partake of a locally grown organic meal 
being offered at General Convention.

The meal is set for Monday, August 4th at 5:30, at Gethsemane 
Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis. Because only 200 
people can be served, the family-style meal will be "first come, 
first served." Keynote speaker for the event will be Bishop Mark 
MacDonald of Alaska.

The cost for the meal is $25. Advance reservations can be made 
by completing a form on the EEN website (www.EENonline.org) or 
calling (763) 441-5482. Payment must be by cash or check--no 
credit cards. There will be a 'menu' identifying the food 
producers at each table. Latecomers can make reservations at the 
EEN booth in the exhibit hall during the convention. 

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