wfn.org | ACNS3638 Press statements from Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold

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

ACNS 3638     |     PRIMATES MEETING	  |	17 OCTOBER 2003 

Press statements from Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Archbishop
Drexel Gomez

At the final press conference at the end of the Primates' Meeting
yesterday, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, gave the
following statement:

"I'd certainly like to underscore the Archbishop's point about it being
a difficult but truthful meeting. I think one thing that became very
clear early on is that we seek to embody and proclaim the Gospel in very
different contexts and what may, in fact, be good news to a majority in
one province may, in fact, be bad news somewhere else in the world. And
here I think particularly of my own province, the United States in which
a majority, though not the whole province, has wrestled with the whole
question of homosexuality for at least the last 30 years and come to a
sense that men and women whose affections are ordered to members of the
same sex are faithful members of the church; are people with whom we
share ministry; are people we in many instances ordain, which of course
has led to the confirmation of the election of the Bishop Elect of New
Hampshire, which has caused such a division and certainly been one of
the major focuses of our meeting here. But I do think what binds us
together is deeper than some of the things that divide us and certainly
the whole question of human sexuality; more particularly homosexuality;
is far from settled and as we continue to struggle together I think it's
also important, as the Archbishop said, that we keep our focus on the
mission we share because there is so much in the world that cries out
for our attention beyond issues of human sexuality. 

"So it's been a difficult but fruitful two days and I think it's
important for us to be aware that communion is not something static,
communion is always developing and evolving and the tensions that one
has to face in living the mystery of communion often deepens that sense
of relationship, even though more immediately there may be obstacles and
problems that one has to confront."

Archbishop Drexel Gomez from the West Indies offered the following
statement:

"As it has been previously stated, we have had approximately two days of
a very honest, difficult encounter but we have dealt with it in what we
have come to call an 'Anglican' style but all of our meetings are
characterised by reflection in the context of common prayer undergirded
by our bible study and the module that I like to use is the one found in
Acts chapter 15 where a problem developed in the early Christian
community and the leaders of the church assembled in Jerusalem - they
prayed, reflected on scripture, and then they came to some
determinations, and sent a circular letter to the churches which was
binding on the churches. 

In our process we have studied, reflected, prayed and worked together
and we have done so in almost brutal honesty; because we came to this
meeting knowing that we had some very diverse views on the main item
before us but I think that part of the success of our meeting is due to
the abundance of God's grace that accompanied us but also by the
inspired leadership given to us by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and
that did not play a small part in the outcome of the meeting."

The Archbishop of Canterbury's statement can be found at:
www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/36/25/acns3634.html. 

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