wfn.org | CORRECTION: ACNS3513 Uniting Church Assembly in Australia votes

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

Some of the information contained in ACNS 3513 was incorrect. The
revised article is included here. Please accept our apologies.

ACNS 3513     |     AUSTRALIA	  |	17 JULY 2003 

Uniting Church Assembly in Australia votes to accept homosexual
ministers; Anglican Diocese of Sydney responds

by Matthew Davies

[ACNS source: Anglican Media Sydney] The National Assembly of the
Uniting Church in Australia (UCA), today voted to permit the Church's
presbyteries to accept and ordain practising homosexuals for ministry in
their congregations. The UCA was formed on 22 June 1977 as a union of
three churches: the Congregational Union of Australia; the Methodist
Church of Australasia; and the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

Bishop Peter Tasker, Bishop of Liverpool in the Diocese of Sydney,
issued a statement in the absence of Archbishop Peter Jensen, expressing
grave concern of the decision.

Part of Bishop Tasker's statement read, "It is painful to us now to have
to point out to the Uniting Church that today's decisions raises
important questions for biblically minded Anglicans, such as those in
our diocese, over the future recognition of the ministries of any
Uniting Church ministers who are partners in a homosexual relationship."

Archbishop Jensen, who is overseas until the end of the month, recently
affirmed, "There should be no doubt that leaders in our churches should
be above reproach and be those whose lives exemplify the very biblical
and Christian teaching that they are duty-bound to give."

___________________________________________________________________
ACNSlist, published by Anglican Communion News Service, London, is
distributed to more than 6,000 journalists and other readers around
the world.  For subscription information please go to:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/acnslist.html