Episcopal Press and News

Anglican Primates Struggle for Unity in the Face of Sharp Differences on Sexuality

Episcopal News Service. April 13, 2000 [2000-069]

(ENS) The top leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion gathered under storm clouds for a crucial five-day meeting at a Roman Catholic retreat center in Portugal and emerged with a determination to work for unity, despite continuing differences on sexuality issues.

In a communique endorsed unanimously issued at the end of their March 23-28 meeting in Oporto, the primates -- leaders of the 38 provinces of the communion -- addressed some explosive disagreements that many think threaten the unity of the Communion, including "the deep problems arising from conflicting teaching and practice in relation to sexual ethics in different Provinces of the Communion."

While the meeting began with some expressions of what Archbishop Robin Eames of Ireland called "dignified anger" but also "dignified listening" on the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions in the Episcopal Church in the USA, observers said that the meeting moved on to "points of particular convergence."

The primates underscored the importance of "holistic evangelism," for example, that would seek to transform the whole person. And there was "an equally unanimous witness to the unique role of Holy Scripture in realizing such a transformation, and a shared acknowledgement of the Scripture's decisive authority in the life of our Communion," the communique said.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold said in an interview that the meeting was "one of healing, following the brokenness and pain of the 1998 Lambeth Conference" and its hard-line stance on sexuality. He said that there was "great respectfulness and recognition that we all bear each other's burdens and need mutual support." Despite the early tensions, he said that by the end of the meeting the primates had developed "a deep sense of bondedness" and a determination to work towards more understanding and cooperation.

In a letter to the primates, Griswold said that he reported to the House of Bishops meeting in California immediately after the Portugal meeting how important it is to be "deeply aware that whatever happens in one province is felt elsewhere and that we must be mindful that any actions we take formally and officially as a church have serious consequences throughout the Communion."

In sketching the differences, the communique said that some regard homosexuality as "part of the brokenness of human life which needs to be healed by the power of the Gospel. So, the differing views expressed or implied in the practice of other Provinces are experienced as actively hurtful and undermining of mission."

On the other hand, some believe that the integrity of the church does not rise or fall on sexuality issues and they should not impede the church's mission. In dialogue "challenge and disagreement are not only made possible but can be life-giving because of our commitment to one another in the family of the Communion. As in any family, the assurance of love allows boldness of speech."

In that spirit, the communique expressed deep concern with dioceses that repudiate the 1998 Lambeth Conference that declared homosexual activity was "contrary to Scripture" and advised against blessing same-sex relationships or ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians. Such responses "have come to threaten the unity of the communion in a profound way. We strongly urge such dioceses to weigh the effects of their actions, and to listen to the expressions of pain, anger and perplexity from other parts of the Communion." And the primates urged bishops to see that their actions "strain the reality of mutual accountability in a global Communion where what may seem obvious and appropriate in one context may be harmful and unacceptable in another."

The primates also reminded the church that the Lambeth Conference resolution "calls on us all to listen to the experience of homosexuals in the church." In seeking a "careful, patient and pastoral process" in dealing with the issue, it is important to avoid "demonising of opponents" by "overheated, politicised and polarised language."

While the actions of a province "may result in severely impaired communion with some other provinces or dioceses," the primates stressed that "the unity of the Communion as a whole still rests on the Lambeth Quadrilateral" and its emphasis on Scripture, the historic creeds of the church, the two sacraments ordained by Christ and the historic episcopate. "Only a formal and public repudiation of this would place a diocese or a province outside the Anglican Communion," the communique said.

The recent consecration in Singapore of two American priests as "missionary bishops" to alienated Episcopalians in the U.S. "poses serious questions," the communique said. It endorsed Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey's "clear and decisive" response in not recognizing the consecrations and urging the bishops of the three provinces involved (the USA, Rwanda and South East Asia) to resolve the issue. "It is our firm hope that in future no steps, damaging to our mutual trust, will be taken," the primates warned.

Reaction to the communique was prompt and covered the spectrum.

Australian bishops, led by Archbishop Harry Goodhew of Sydney, quickly issued a statement saying they were "greatly disappointed" with the meeting. "While there is a welcome emphasis on the authority of the Scriptures in the life of our Communion, there is a regrettable ambiguity when it comes to the application of Scripture to the challenging issue of sexual relations between members of the same sex."

On the other hand, some thought the communique went too far. Integrity, a ministry with gay and lesbian Episcopalians, issued a statement contending that, as the church struggles with a whole range of difficult and controversial issues, "Lesbian and gay persons are becoming scapegoats for this broad range of division. This state of affairs is simply sinful," the organization said in a statement in response to the communique.

While supporting dialogue, Integrity said that it might be difficult since it is obvious that the primates are not ready to concede that "a positive, affirming stance towards homosexual persons and their loving relationships is also one of the responses made to the Gospel by faithful people."

Some argued that the communique was "a polite way of saying to ECUSA that we are not happy about what you are doing," said the Rev. Sam Edwards, director of Forward in Faith, a conservative organization that is seeking alternative oversight for traditionalists in the church. He is convinced that the statement makes a direct connection between what is happening in the Episcopal Church and the resistance movement among conservatives. "This time they put the blame right where it belongs," he said.

Others said that the primates gave an implied ultimatum to the American dioceses that dismiss the Lambeth resolution on sexuality. Diane Knippers, an Episcopalian who is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said that the primates have "given the American church one more chance to address its unfaithfulness to Scripture and its divisions."

She sees in the decision for yearly meetings of primates "the potential of stronger disciplinary action should the Episcopal Church refuse to heed these warnings." The American Anglican Council (AAC) saw the communique as a "stern rebuke" to dioceses in the American church whose actions threaten the unity of the church.

Conservatives also expressed frustration that the primates did not take concrete action to provide alternate oversight or to regularize the bishops consecrated in Singapore.

"The conservatives didn't get what they wanted," said the Rev. Patrick Mauney, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Anglican and Global Affairs, who attended the meeting as a member of the presiding bishop's staff. "In fact it ended up being a roaring defeat for them," he added, pointing out that the communique did not chastise the Episcopal Church, or the dioceses that are defying the Lambeth resolution, nor did it open the possibility for alternative oversight or a parallel province in the U.S.

"There was a lot of plain talking, on all sides," Mauney observed, "but I didn't detect any anger, maybe some frustration and misunderstanding." He pointed out that 19 of the 38 primates were attending their first full meeting and he thinks that is a major factor in the decision to meet every year. "Despite the tension there was a clear move towards a more collegial relationship."

The demeanor of Griswold, even during some difficult discussions, was "very positive and open," Mauney said. "He was not defensive but very open -- and he listened carefully. But he also spoke frankly about himself and about our church, describing its dynamics and how the dioceses relate to each other. He was a target at the beginning but he made a lot of friends."

Mauney also praised the role of Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, especially his successful attempts to shape a more moderate communique, avoiding both direct condemnation of the Episcopal Church and the Singapore consecrations.

Archbishop Khotso Makhulu of Central Africa said after the meeting, "There has been a nudge forward from the mood at Lambeth to where we are now on the question of sexuality. It is my hope that we have halted or slowed down conservative ascendancy." Yet others argued that bishops from the developing world, where churches are experiencing tremendous growth, found their voice at Lambeth and would be even more assertive in the future on the issues that concern them.

In an interview with David Harris of the Anglican Journal, Archbishop Maurice Sinclair, an outspoken conservative who is primate of the church of the Southern Cone of South America, questioned whether dioceses are competent to make some decisions. While he eschews a "kind of curia" like the Roman Catholic Church, he still clings to the hope that the primates would be able "to exercise an enhanced responsibility in offering guidance on doctrinal, moral and pastoral matters."

In an article in the Tablet, a Roman Catholic magazine in Britain, Archbishop Rowan Williams, the new primate of Wales, wrote that those who were expecting something dramatic at the meeting were disappointed with what some "will undoubtedly see as a typical bit of Anglican evasiveness. The truth is that many primates, especially the Africans, while they are uncompromisingly traditional about sexual ethics, can see the risks of the Communion either becoming completely mired in this question for years or breaking up over it. It was very clear that they wanted neither."

Williams concluded that the meeting "showed no signs of wanting to become a ruling synod." Yet it is increasingly clear, he argued that "the next few years will undoubtedly be increasingly painful and difficult for many Anglicans" but that the Anglican way "is not dead yet."

In the meantime, Williams said that many of the primates will continue to express frustration over the attention to sexuality issues, declaring much of the discussion a waste of time when many of them are facing civil wars, the drastic effects of AIDS, and a debt crisis.