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Anglicans erupt in fury over US' first gay bishop

Anglicans in many parts of the world reacted angrily to US Episcopalians' confirmation of their first openly gay bishop, while the denomination's spiritual leader, the archbishop of Canterbury, tried to head off divisions.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said on Wednesday the Reverend V. Gene Robinson's approval as bishop of New Hampshire would inevitably have a "significant impact" on the worldwide Anglican Communion, but that it was too soon to say what it would be.

Robinson's confirmation on Tuesday threatens to open a painful rift among Anglicans, particularly between doctrinally conservative leaders of branches in Asia and Africa and more liberal clergy in wealthy, Western countries.

The Episcopal Church, with 2.3 million members, is the US branch of the 77 million-member global Anglican Communion.

Church leaders in Asia and Africa condemned the Americans' decision and threatened to leave the communion, saying homosexuality was against the Scripture and unacceptable.

The Episcopal church "is alienating itself from the Anglican Communion," said the Very Reverend Peter Karanja, provost of the All Saints Cathedral, in Nairobi, Kenya.

"We cannot be in fellowship with them when they violate the explicit scripture that the Anglican Church subscribes to," he said. "We'd counsel they reconsider the decision. It's outrageous and uncalled for."

In Uganda, Anglican spokesman the Reverend Jackson Turyagyenda said the church there was "very disappointed."

"Practicing homosexuality is culturally and legally not acceptable here," said Bishop Lim Cheng Ean, leader of the Anglican Church of West Malaysia.

He said bishops from the communion's nine-nation Southeast Asian province may discuss cutting ties with the US church at a meeting next week.

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) issued a statement saying Robinson's confirmation "has brought much sadness and disappointment to us." The church said it was astonished that the US Episcopalians were willing to "turn their back on the clear teaching of the Bible on the matter of human sexuality."

In the Bahamas, the Archbishop for the West Indies, Drexel Gomez, said his province would seek a motion to break communion with church provinces that accept an openly gay bishop. If the motion succeeds, the regional church would not participate in common meetings with such provinces.

"I would not have Bishop Robinson sharing in worship here in this diocese as long as I am the bishop," Gomez said.

American conservatives and like-minded bishops overseas who represent millions of parishioners had that they would consider breaking away from the church if Robinson were confirmed as bishop.

Williams, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, urged opponents not to move rashly.

"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.

"It will be vital to ensure that the concerns and needs of those across the communion who are gravely concerned at this development can be heard, understood and taken into account," he added.

Britain's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement hailed Robinson's appointment, saying New Hampshire was lucky to have him and urging Anglicans elsewhere to respect the decision.

The group praised the Episcopalians for making "an official and clear step towards creating a genuinely inclusive church."

Williams faced a similar debate in the Church of England recently.

The Reverend Jeffrey John, who is openly gay, was selected as bishop of Reading in May, but backed out after several Anglican bishops from around the world wrote to oppose his appointment. He said he did not want to damage church unity.

Archbishop of Perth Peter Carnley, the primate of Australia's Anglican Church, acknowledged Robinson's appointment would have a negative impact, but doubted it would tear the denomination apart.

"We have to have a debate about how to apply the biblical principles ... to this modern and contemporary issue," said Carnley, who is considered a liberal voice in Australia's Anglican community.

But conservative Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen said the new gay bishop would not be welcome in his diocese. He urged Robinson's opponents in the US to fight the appointment by withholding contributions to church coffers.

"For the first time, a branch of our Anglican church has knowingly appointed a person to this senior position who lives in breach of the Bible," he said.

He called the decision "catastrophic," and said it was the beginning of a "loosening of ties" within the Anglican communion.

"Somebody has to break the issue and similar things would have been said about women priests in America 27 years ago," said the Reverend Martyn Percy, a Church of England priest who is director of the Theological Institute at Manchester University in England. He supported the Episcopal Church move.

"I really don't think the argument can be won or lost by appeals to scripture and tradition. The issues are just too complex for that," Percy said. "The Bible is too silent and ambiguous on this."
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