wfn.org | Canadian Anglican Bishop apologizes to gays for church's inaction

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Bishop apologizes to gays for church's inaction
July 8, 2001
Leanne Larmondin
Website Manager

Waterloo, Ont.
Bishop Michael Ingham of New Westminster has apologized to gay and lesbian
Anglicans for how slowly the church is moving on deciding how to minister
to them.

The apology came during a General Synod presentation on sexuality,
particularly how to give pastoral care to gays and lesbians.

"At the request of the diocese of New Westminster, and on my own behalf, I
would like to apologize to gay and lesbian members of our church for the
slowness of the process of your full inclusion in the Body of Christ," said
Bishop Ingham.

"We apologize to you for your treatment, and sometimes mistreatment, in the
life of the church, for our slowness in recognizing you as sexual beings,
created in the image of God, desiring a deeper communion with God and the
freedom and responsibility of life-long permanent and committed unions in
body, mind and spirit with those you love."

Bishop Ingham, whose British Columbia diocese has struggled with its
ministry to its large gay and lesbian population, gave a short history of
New Westminster's dialogue on sexuality.

His diocese has twice in recent years voted by a narrow margin to ask the
bishop to bless same sex unions but Bishop Ingham has declined, stating he
would require a greater majority.

After last June's vote, after which Bishop Ingham withheld consent despite
a diocesan synod voted favouring same-sex blessing by 56.5, synod asked him
to apologize to gays and lesbians for how slowly the church is moving on
fully welcoming homosexuals.

Bishop Ingham, who has publicly stated his wish to one day perform same sex
blessings, said during the General Synod presentation that he withheld his
consent "out of concern for the impact it would have on my church and the
wider communion."

But, he said, he continues to question what is the place of gays and
lesbians in the church.

"How do we express pastoral care to them and to those who are gay and
lesbian who are asking for (blessings)? I believe pastoral care happens
when people are listened to, when they are respected and accepted for who
they are.

"I believe pastoral care happens when people know themselves not to be a
problem to be fixed and changed, but as human beings to love and cherish.
For gay and lesbian people, it means affirming their dignity as human
beings, their committed relationships, their lives as sexual beings,
persons created in the image of God and desirous of a deeper relationship
with God."

The panel also heard from Rev. Sarah Tweedale, a B.C. priest, and Chris
Ambidge, a Toronto member of Integrity, a gay and lesbian support group
across the Anglican Communion.

Mr. Ambidge, a self-described cradle Anglican, who spoke of a "huge, albeit
silent leakage" to other churches "not just of (lesbians, bisexuals and
gays), but also our families and our friends, leaving because of the way
the church treats (lesbians, bisexuals and gays) and that is a pastoral
problem."

He added, "We must not outsource our pastoral care of (homosexuals)."

Keewatin Bishop Gordon Beardy spoke of a very different experience than
that of Bishop Ingham's.

"Michael Ingham and I come from two different worlds," said Bishop Beardy.
"He comes from a diocese with many lesbians and gays, where he can see them
as they struggle. I come from a diocese which is the opposite of his world."

In his diocese, which is composed largely of native communities in
northwestern Ontario and northeastern Manitoba, ministry to gays and
lesbians is simply not an issue he said. But, he said, he was glad to be
part of the sexuality discussion particularly when the family of a lesbian
approached him for pastoral care.

Then and now, he said, he prayed about how to help the family discuss the
situation openly. He continues to pray, he said, as the church struggles
with the question "where is the spirit in this?"
- 30 -

Links:
Archived footage of sexuality panel
(you will need RealPlayer to open this file; this is streaming video,
approximately 42 minutes long, and does not need to be downloaded; if you
don't have RealPlayer, you can download it free
<ahref="http://scopes.real.com/real/player/player.html?src=downloadr,010613rpc
hoice_c1&dc=767574" target="_blank">here</a>
<http://www.anglican.ca/gs2001/news/webcast/sexuality.rm>

No same sex blessings in diocese for now;
New West synod votes yes, bishop withholds consent
(Anglican Journal story)

http://www.anglican.ca/news/online/news.html?newsItem=2001-06-05_sd.news

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Leanne Larmondin
Web Manager
Anglican Church of Canada
600 Jarvis St.
Toronto ON  L5E 2G1
(416) 924 9199 ext. 307
ll@anglican.ca
http://www.anglican.ca
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