BRITAIN: Thirty-seven Primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion meeting in London have warned that if the consecration of the openly gay Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in the US goes ahead, they will "have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of the Anglican Communion and we have had to conclude that the future of the Communion itself will be put in jeopardy".
In a statement following a two-day summit at Lambeth Palace in London, they said: "In this case, the ministry of this one bishop will not be recognised by most of the Anglican world, and many provinces are likely to consider themselves to be out of Communion with the Episcopal Church (USA)."
It would " tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level, and may lead to further division on this and further issues as provinces have to decide in consequence whether they can remain in communion with provinces that choose not to break communion with the Episcopal Church (USA)."
Similar considerations applied to the situation pertaining in the Diocese of New Westminster, where same sex unions have been blessed, they said.
Speaking to The Irish Times last night, the Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, said it was " a very, very serious situation". He added that if the consecration of Canon Robinson went ahead, Churches in the Communion "will face re-alignment."
In their unanimously agreed statement last night, the Primates said that "in most of our provinces, the election of Canon Gene Robinson [as Bishop of New Hampshire in the United States\] would not have been possible since his chosen lifestyle would give rise to a canonical impediment to his consecration as a bishop."
They re-affirmed the resolutions passed by the Anglican Communion at the Lambeth Conference in 1998 on issues of human sexuality "as having moral force and commanding the respect of the Communion as its present position on these issues". The resolutions described "homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture".
They recommended the report of that Conference in its entirety to all members of the Anglican Communion, valuing especially its emphasis on the need "to listen to the experience of homosexual persons, and . . . to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ".
The Primates also "noted that the Lambeth Conference 1998 requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to establish a commission to consider his own role in maintaining communion within and between provinces when grave difficulties arise.
"We ask him now to establish such a commission, but that its remit be extended to include urgent and deep theological and legal reflection on the way in which the dangers we have identified at this meeting will have to be addressed."
