wfn.org | Episcopalians: Openly gay priest in England withdrawing from appointment to epis

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

July 7, 2003

2003-157

Episcopalians: Openly gay priest in England withdrawing from 
appointment to epis

by James Solheim

(ENS) In a July 6 letter to Bishop Richard Harries of Oxford, 
Canon Jeffrey John withdrew his name for appointment as a 
suffragan bishop in Reading--an appointment that had stirred 
widespread controversy in England and many parts of the 
worldwide Anglican Communion.

"It has become clear to me that in view of the damage my 
consecration might cause to the unity of the Church, including 
the Anglican Communion, I must seek the consent of the Crown to 
withdraw acceptance of my appointment to the See of Reading," 
said John, canon theologian at Southwark Cathedral.

In response, Harries said that he was "very aware of the immense 
pressures that you have been under both from the media and those 
opposed to your appointment. I much respect your decision, made 
in the interest of wider Church unity. However, I would like you 
to know that not only did you have my unswerving support, but 
also that of a great many others in the diocese," he said. "I am 
very sad that we are not going to be blessed by your ministry as 
I know the Diocese of Southwark has been."

In an announcement from his headquarters at Lambeth Palace in 
London, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams expressed his 
disappointment over some of the reaction, warning that the 
withdrawal "should not be taken to mean that the church can now 
stop being concerned about how it discerns the will of God in 
this area of ethics." He also expressed his dismay with some of 
the letters opposing the appointment that "displayed a shocking 
level of ignorance and hatred towards homosexual people."

The controversy centered on the admission by John that he has 
been in a relationship with a man for 27 years, although he 
reported that he has been celibate for the last decade. "My own 
view is that there is a sound argument from scripture and 
tradition in favour of Christians accepting same-sex 
relationships, provided they are based on a personal covenant of 
lifelong faithfulness," he said recently in response to critics.

Spiritual apartheid? 

"Having scored this victory, anti-gay evangelists are looking to 
step up their campaign against gay people in the church," warned 
gay rights advocate Peter Tatchell. Dean Colin Slee of Southwark 
issued a similar warning when he made the surprise announcement 
at the end of a Sunday morning Eucharist. "The news will hurt 
thousands of Christian people who are not gay but believe 
strongly in God's love and redemption for all his children 
equally. It is irrelevant to God's love whether people are male 
or female, slave or free, black or white, gay or heterosexual. 
We are addressing spiritual apartheid."

Conservatives who had led the opposition to the appointment 
expressed relief. "We welcome the courageous decision which Dr. 
John has made for the sake of the unity of the church," said 
Anglican Mainstream, a new conservative coalition in England. In 
a statement it said that the withdrawal "will enable the Church 
of England to address the underlying issues in this 
controversy--those relating to human sexuality and the qualities 
desired" in church leaders "in a calmer and more considered 
atmosphere." Rod Thomas of Reform, representing evangelicals in 
the Church of England, said that the movement was "relieved" by 
John's withdrawal and that he had "acted honourably." 

International implications

Much of the opposition pointed to international ramifications of 
the consecration of an openly gay bishop for unity of the 
church. Led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, leaders of 
Anglican churches in East Africa denounced the appointment, 
charging 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 recognize the 
consecration, 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," he said 
in a July 2 announcement. 

Akinola, primate of the largest church in the Anglican Communion 
with over 17 million members, said he considered the appointment 
of John and election by the Diocese of New Hampshire of the Rev. 
Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest living in a relationship, 
counter to Anglican teaching. 

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," Archbishop 
Livingstone Nkoyoyo told a newspaper June 23. 

A coalition of bishops in Australia, led by the Archbishop of 
Sydney Peter Jensen, said that, while the current crisis has 
been averted, the broader issue of same sex blessings remains 
unresolved. Bishop Robert Forsythe said that church leadership 
must address similar cases in the United States and Canada. "I 
think time will tell but my suspicion is the broader issue has 
not been addressed by this," he said. "This has removed the 
immediate urgency but it has not solved the deep differences of 
outlook which have led to this crisis in the first place."

Bonds of trust strained

"The perspective of the Anglican Communion demands careful 
consideration here," said Williams in his statement. "The 
estrangement of churches in developing countries from their 
cherished ties with Britain is in no one's interests. It would 
impoverish us as a church in every way. It would also jeopardize 
links with other denominations, weaken cooperation in our shared 
service and mission worldwide, and increase the vulnerability of 
Christian minorities in some parts of the world where they are 
already at risk. Any such outcome would be a very heavy price to 
pay," said Williams.

"This has been a time of open and painful confrontation, in 
which some of our bonds of mutual trust have been severely 
strained. As I said earlier, we need now to give ourselves the 
proper opportunities honestly to think through what has happened 
and to find what God has been teaching us in these difficult 
days."

Williams said that later this year a "significant study guide to 
the debate in the Church of England on Issues in Human Sexuality 
will be published. I hope that this will be fully used to deepen 
our understanding. Whatever the difficulties, we cannot afford 
to ignore or foreclose the necessary work" of addressing the 
issues.

------

The Church of England's view on issues in human sexuality: 
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/view/sexuality.html

--James Solheim is director of the Episcopal News Service.