Friday morning posts, as of 09:00 a.m. EST
A round up of other Friday a.m. news stories from Tanzania
February 16th, 2007 posted by admin at 8:43 amBelow we posted links to the most recent articles from the Guardian and the New York Times. There are a bunch of other stories out there that we elves haven’t even had time to read (and Kendall is busy fielding phone calls and talking to reporters, etc.)
Here’s a roundup of links gathered by Simon Sarmiento of Thinking Anglicans. It’s possible that as we get a chance to skim some of these other articles we’ll add some excerpts to this post.
primates meeting: Friday morning
Guardian Stephen Bates Anglican leaders avoid church split over homosexuals. (posted below)
Daily Telegraph Jonathan Petre Primates consider ‘parallel’ Church.
New York Times Sharon LaFraniere and Laurie Goodstein A Move to Heal Anglican Rift, but Short of Conservatives’ Goal. (posted below)
Los Angeles Times Morris Mwavizo and Rebecca Trounson ‘No talk of schism’ at Anglican conference and this editorial: Anglican angst.
Associated Press Elizabeth A Kennedy Anglican Leaders Discuss Stance on Gays
Reuters Katie Nguyen Anglican summit scrutinises US stance on gay clergy (updated version, adds quotes, details)
The Church Times (press deadline Wednesday afternoon) has this report from Pat Ashworth Tale of two hotels: archbishops assemble along with lobbyists near Dar es Salaam.
The Times paper edition has only a nib here.
Changing Attitude Day 4 report from Colin Coward.
———–
We’ll update this post with some more substance and any additional links as we are able.
New York Times: A Move to Heal Anglican Rift, but Short of Conservatives’ Goal
February 16th, 2007 posted by admin at 8:31 amBy SHARON LaFRANIERE and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Feb. 15 — The Episcopal Church in the United States has taken steps to heal a rift over homosexuality that threatens to fracture the worldwide Anglican Church, but it has not compromised as much as conservative Anglican leaders have demanded, according to a report issued at a crucial meeting of the Anglican leadership here on Thursday.
The report said leaders of the Episcopal Church — the American branch of the Anglican Communion — have effectively stopped consecrating openly gay bishops. They have also apologized to Anglicans who were offended by their liberal stance on homosexuality.
But the leaders have failed to explicitly forbid the blessing of same-sex unions, as representatives of the global church requested two years ago, according to the report. It called for urgent action by Episcopal leaders, saying bishops who defy the Anglican Church on the issue can not “be fully incorporated” into it.
The report surprised many Anglicans, who had anticipated a stronger rebuke of the Episcopal Church, given that its stance on homosexuality has made it a lightning rod within the Anglican Communion, the world’s third largest Christian denomination with 77 million members. The report came from a small committee that included the archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, who serves as the leader of the Anglican Communion’s 38 provinces worldwide.
The Episcopal Church’s position on homosexuality is the main topic of a five-day meeting of Anglican leaders. Conflict over the issue has been steadily growing — among Episcopalians themselves and within the wider Communion — since V. Gene Robinson, a gay man living with his partner, was consecrated as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
The most conservative Anglican leaders are demanding that the American branch, with 2.3 million members, be reduced to second-tier status, otherwise restructured or even expelled for failing to abide by the global church’s resolutions. Liberals argue that the church should be able to accept varying views on homosexuality.
Some church leaders hope a resolution can be simply put off until after the development of a covenant that spells out core Anglican beliefs, a process that is under way but could take years.
Read it all, including quotes from Jan Nunley and Kendall Harmon.
Some commentary from Terry Wong of the Global South Anglican blog
February 16th, 2007 posted by admin at 8:27 amEvaluation of the latest hapenings at Tanzania (16 February) and some editorial comments
The Communion Sub-Group has released their findings. The Primates who will have to make a decision, bearing in mind that the Windsor Process was set up to ‘heal the tear in the fabric’ of the Communion. We can have every trust in the Primates to make a right one. I wont name them here, but those who have been privileged to know some of them up close will know that they are godly, wise and astute in their judgment and leadership. Their commitment to orthodoxy and what is best for the Church is unquestioned. Up till now, we should notice that none has made their opinions known in public, safe for this outcry from ++Hutchinson (Canada). If I can say it respectfully, to throw the issue of poverty (or any other ills for the matter) into the discussion is strange indeed. The Primates are still deliberating and the best kind of work are often done quietly. Let’s keep on praying. I believe it is not about which side is losing or winning. It is about coming out of this mess a stronger, biblical and more orthodox Anglican Communion, a hope which many of us share. - TW
From the Guardian: Anglican leaders avoid church split over homosexuals
February 16th, 2007 posted by admin at 8:25 am· US Episcopalians take steps to avoid rift
· Archbishop’s report seen as rebuff to conservatives
Stephen Bates in Dar es Salaam
Friday February 16, 2007
The primates of the worldwide Anglican communion appeared last night to have stepped back from moves to exclude the US Episcopal church over its liberal position towards gay people.
A report by a group headed by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, given to the churches’ archbishops and presiding bishops at their biannual meeting in Tanzania yesterday said the Americans had largely done everything required of them in reining back on consecrating gay bishops and expressing their regret for straining relations with other Anglicans.
Article continues
The Rev Colin Coward, a gay English Anglican who was lobbying the meeting on behalf of the pressure group Changing Attitude, said: “We are very pleased and delighted … The archbishops have come up with a surprisingly realistic assessment of the reality of life in the communion for gay and lesbian people.”
The seven-page report, written by a group chaired by Dr Williams, was a rebuff to conservative Anglicans, including a number of English bishops, who have been asserting that the Americans have been insufficiently compliant with Anglican restrictions on gay people. The bishops of Winchester and Rochester, Michael Scott-Joynt and Michael Nazir-Ali, have said recently that the Americans are effectively no longer Christians.
But the report criticised conservative provinces within the communion - mainly Nigeria - for trespassing on American territory to recruit conservative members unhappy with the US church.
Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh, the leader of a breakaway faction which had wanted the communion to recognise his supporters as the genuine representatives of the US church, left for the airport without speaking to journalists.
The report left US conservatives fuming. Dr Kendall Harmon, canon theologian of South Carolina, said: “It’s a really poor report. It is shocking that a report like this could have been written at this stage. It’s way too soft.” Dr Phillip Aspinall, the Archbishop of Australia, deputed to speak for his fellow primates, said: “There was very intensive listening, characterised by graciousness, patience and care.”
Episcopalians wrestling in Colorado
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 7:26 amHolding together this bouquet of Colorado diversity is Bishop Rob O’Neill. While a supporter of gay rights, he took office in 2004 pledging to go slow out of respect for conservative sensibilities. He’s had varying degrees of success.
Of the 114 Colorado congregations, about one-third are regarded as “conservative” and troubled to varying degrees over the direction of the denomination. Hundreds of lay conservatives, including a half-dozen parishes and a number of clergy, fled in 2000- 2001. In the past 18 months, four parishes shut their doors - one of them Pearsall’s St. Francis.
Still, O’Neill has managed to remain friendly with many priests who question his direction.
“He knows I believe the Episcopal Church is squirrely, and has left orthodoxy - but we always hope for a turnaround,” said Pearsall, who received a six- month financial package and hopes at some point to pastor an Episcopal parish again.
It was precisely O’Neill’s leadership that drew MacColl from his post in Oregon.
“Rob is a very gifted teacher, a great listener, and you don’t get the sense he comes in with an agenda,” MacColl said. “At the same time he makes his views clear . . . he’s genuinely committed to bringing about reconciliation with people of very diverse views.”
So what does it mean to be an Episcopalian?
One expert who’s giving a cautiously hopeful answer is Yale- educated author and theologian the Rev. Ephraim Radner, rector of Ascension Episcopal Church in Pueblo.
Radner, a conservative, casts a long shadow from his small-city parish - he’s part of an 11-member international committee that has prepared a “covenant design” for the Tanzania gathering - in other words, a blueprint for possibly reaching a compromise agreement so the Episcopal factions can live together.
“Those who agreed to the covenant would be agreeing to something about what it means to be an Anglican Christian - it would be a central expression of Christianity,” Radner said in a recent interview. “It would not be an explicit list of moral requirements.”
Mark Harris: Dan Martins & Kendall Harmon give us reason to be vigilant
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 7:20 amMatt Kennedy: A Response to and Refutation of the Wholly Inadequate Communion Sub-Group Report
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 7:19 amPlease read it carefully if you have not yet.
Note: this was posted here on the blog yesterday, but it has scrolled off the main page, so some readers may have missed it.
Anglican TV: Tanzania Press Conference Wed. Feb. 15th
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 7:03 amDevelopments at General Convention in June 2006
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 7:02 amDavid Phillips: Did the Episcopal Church comply with Windsor?
February 16th, 2007 posted by kendall at 6:58 amAnglican TV: Tanzania Press Conference Wed. Feb. 14th
February 16th, 2007 posted by admin at 5:03 amThis was the evening 18:45 Tanzania time (10:45 a.m. Eastern) press briefing in Tanzania following the first day of the Primates meeting on Wednesday.
You can watch it all here.
(it runs about 30 minutes)
posted by t19elves at 8:59 AM
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