wfn.org | Episcopalians: Group prepared to respond' if General Convention affirms Robinso

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

July 24, 2003

2003-167

Episcopalians: Group prepared to respond' if General Convention 
affirms Robinso

by Jan Nunley

(ENS) A group of 62 Anglicans and Episcopalians, including some 
primates and bishops of the Anglican Communion, held a press 
conference July 23 to announce that they are "prepared to 
respond" if the Episcopal Church's General Convention either 
confirms the election of the Rev. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New 
Hampshire or directs the Standing Commission on Liturgy and 
Music to prepare blessing rites for couples living in committed 
relationships outside marriage. The convention begins July 30 in 
Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The group gathered in secret at Truro Episcopal Church in 
Fairfax, Virginia, for two days to craft their statement. "The 
proposed actions by General Conventionwould shatter the 
church," the statement said. "The American bishops at this 
meeting have prayed, planned and are prepared to respond as 
faithful members of the Anglican Communion. Should these events 
occur, the majority of the Primates anticipate convening an 
extraordinary meeting at which they too will respond to the 
actions of General Convention."

Element of surprise

But under questioning by reporters, the group refused to divulge 
any specific plans. "Action will happen," said Archbishop Peter 
Akinola of the Church of Nigeria. Another spokesman for the 
group, the Rev. Kendall Harmon, canon theologian for the Diocese 
of South Carolina, explained, "We are trying to preserve an 
element of surprise. That is part of the strategy here." 

Asked if it will make a difference if, say, Robinson were 
confirmed but the liturgy resolution failed, Akinola said, "No.  
Either one will cause a split.	They are inextricably linked."

Plea for mutual accountability

On the same day the statement was released, Archbishop of 
Canterbury Rowan Williams sent a letter to Anglican primates 
asking them to maintain "mutual accountability," not just on 
matters of sexuality but on issues such as lay presidency at the 
Eucharist and "alternative episcopal oversight" for dissenting 
parishes.

"We do not have a central executive authority in our Communion; 
this means we are quite vulnerable in times of deep 
disagreement, and need more than ever to pay attention to one 
another," Williams wrote. " This is not to recommend a refusal 
to face circumstances or to avoid conflict at all costs. It is 
to acknowledge that who we are as Christians is connected to the 
worldwide fellowship to which we belong. Within a living 
Communion, we should never find ourselves in the position of 
saying, or seeming to say, to each other, [I have no need of 
you' (I Cor. 12.21)."

Claiming a majority

The statement claimed that the signers represent "a majority of 
the world's 75 million Anglicans." Exact numbers are hard to 
come by, but according to the Anglican Communion Secretariat's 
figures, the seven primates listed represent a little more than 
20 million members out of 76,650,449 worldwide -- 26 percent of 
the total.

When asked how many primates agreed with the group, Akinola 
responded, "Most primates are here in spirit. We know the mind 
of a good number of primates." He would only confirm being in 
contact with "6 or 7" of the primates.

Most of the names on the list are familiar as conservative 
activists in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. 
Many have signed previous statements declaring their discontent 
with moves towards the full inclusion of homosexuals in the 
Episcopal Church, and are members or officers of advocacy groups 
such as the American Anglican Council, Forward in Faith/North 
America, and the Institute for Religion and Democracy. 

Ten of the 15 American bishops are "bishops with jurisdiction," 
eligible to vote on Robinson's consecration. Their dioceses 
represent 185,766 communicants, some 9% of the American church. 
The clergy listed represent congregations with a combined 
average attendance of approximately 10,500 members.

A stream of statements

The Truro statement follows an "Open Letter to the Concerned 
Primates of the Anglican Communion," issued July 15 by 24 
Episcopal Church bishops, who declared themselves to be in a 
state of "impaired communion," or broken relationship, with the 
Canadian Diocese of New Westminster, which has authorized 
liturgies for blessing same-sex partnerships. They also 
committed to commit to "common responses" to what they described 
as "the deteriorating situation within the Episcopal Church" 
over homosexuality.

In early June, fourteen of the 38 Anglican primates charged that 
"by deliberately and intentionally abandoning the established 
Anglican consensus, [the bishop of New Westminster] placed 
himself and his diocese in an automatic state of impaired 
communion with the majority within the Anglican Communion."

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold wrote to the primates July 22, 
asking for their understanding of the difference in context 
between their provinces and the American church over the 
understanding of human sexuality. "Over these last five years I 
have continually reminded our church that we are part of a 
larger reality called the Anglican Communion, and that what we 
do locally has ramifications both positive and negative in other 
parts of the world," Griswold said. "At the same time I am 
mindful that each of us has to interpret the gospel in our own 
context and within the particular reality of our own Province; 
there is no such thing as a neutral reading of Scripture. While 
we all accept the authority of Scripture, we interpret various 
passages in different ways."

At least one African primate has already come out publicly 
against the Truro statement. "I believe that it is wrong and 
contrary to our Anglican Tradition and understanding of Canon 
Law to presume to interfere in the affairs of another Province," 
said Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of South Africa. "Such 
actions are a major threat to the fabric of our Communion. Let 
us respect the integrity of each Province.

"It would be profoundly inappropriate for any Province or any 
group of Provinces to presume to take on a role which properly 
belongs to the See of Canterbury, and with the whole Communion 
acting with the See of Canterbury."

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--The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of Episcopal News 
Service. Additional material for this story was provided by 
Stratton Edwards of the Office of Government Relations.