Anglicans elect first gay bishop

The Episcopal Church voted to approve the election of its first openly gay bishop, a decision that risks splitting the denomination and shattering ties with its sister churches worldwide.

The Episcopal General Convention on Tuesday took the final vote needed to confirm the Reverend V. Gene Robinson as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. The vote had been scheduled Monday, but was delayed after last-minute misconduct allegations emerged. Robinson was cleared just before Tuesday's vote.

With his daughter, Ella, and his partner of 13 years, Mark Andrew, standing nearby, Robinson expressed his love for the church.

"God has once again brought an Easter out of Good Friday," he said.

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold said the bishops voted 62-45 to confirm Robinson's election. Two bishops abstained from voting, but their ballots under church rules were counted as "no" votes.

Immediately after the results were announced, more than a dozen conservative bishops walked to the podium of the House of Bishops, surrounding Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan as he read a statement saying he and the others were "filled with sorrow."

"This body willfully confirming the election of a person sexually active outside of holy matrimony has departed from the historic faith and order of the Church of Jesus Christ," Duncan said. "This body has divided itself from millions of Anglican Christians around the world."

Duncan called on the bishops of the Anglican Communion and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, head of the communion, "to intervene in the pastoral emergency that has overtaken us."

"May God have mercy on his church," Duncan said. Eighteen other bishops signed his statement.

The Episcopal Church, with 2.3 million members, is the US branch of the 77 million-member global Anglican Communion. American conservatives and like-minded overseas bishops who represent millions of parishioners have said confirming Robinson would force them to consider breaking away from the denomination.

The American Anglican Council, which represents conservative Episcopalians, planned a meeting in October to decide their next move. The council said it would find a way to "stay in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury."

The leader of the Anglican Church of West Malaysia, Bishop Lim Cheng Ean, issued a statement affirming its opposition to homosexuality despite Robinson's confirmation. But the head of Australia's Anglican Church, Primate Peter Carnley, considered a liberal, said he didn't think it would be "a communion-breaking issue."

Robinson acknowledged that many in the church would be upset by the decision, saying, "That is the only thing that makes this not a completely joyous day for me."

Williams issued a statement saying it was too soon to gauge the impact of the vote on the church.

"It is my hope that the church in America and the rest of the Anglican Communion will have the opportunity to consider this development before significant and irrevocable decisions are made in response," he said.

The church has been debating the role of gays for decades. A win by Robinson was expected to build momentum for other policy changes favorable to homosexuals.

Griswold said he voted for Robinson out of respect for the decision made by the Diocese of New Hampshire, not as an endorsement of homosexuality. It is rare for the General Convention to reject a diocese's choice of bishop.

The denomination has no official rules -- either for or against -- ordaining gays.

Some Episcopal parishes already allow homosexual clergy to serve and gays who did not reveal their sexual orientation have served as bishops. But Robinson is the first clergyman in the Anglican Communion to live openly as a gay man before he was elected.

In 1998, Anglican leaders approved a resolution calling gay sex "incompatible with Scripture." Bishops who hold that view believe that allowing Robinson to serve would be a tacit endorsement of ordaining homosexuals.

Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has been living with Andrew for 13 years and serving as an assistant to the current New Hampshire bishop, who is retiring. Parishioners there said they chose Robinson simply because he was the best candidate.