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Anglican schism almost inevitable

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, second from right, is joined by Drexel Gomez, left, Archbishop of the West Indies, Frank Griswold, presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church's House of Bishops, second from left, and Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh, at a press conference at Church House, London, on Thursday. PHOTO: REUTERS

A split in the wider Anglican Communion appeared inevitable following a two-day London summit of Anglican leaders, after US Episcopalians rejected a demand from senior archbishops that they not consecrate a homosexual man as a bishop.

"There will be a split, because there is no option," said Archbishop Gregory Venables, leader of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America, representing the church in Latin America.

Unbowed, the diocese of New Hampshire declared on Thursday that it would go ahead with the consecration of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the US branch of Anglicanism.

"We look forward to the consecration of Bishop-elect Robinson on Nov. 2, believing that God has called him to this ministry," the diocese declared.

At the end of the two-day crisis meeting, the leaders of 37 Anglican branches warned that the New Hampshire move could shatter the communion.

"If his consecration proceeds, we recognize that we 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," the church leaders said.

The statement called on church leaders to begin thinking about new structures of "episcopal oversight" so that bishops on one side of the debate would not have to supervise congregations that rejected their views.

The leader of the US Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, joined in the statement. He said he intended to be in New Hampshire for Robinson's consecration -- but he said "anything could happen" before then.

Asked if he would urge Robinson to withdraw, Griswold said: "I might do many things."

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who is personally sympathetic to homosexuals but has pledged to uphold the church's teaching that homosexual acts are contrary to Scripture, called the statement "an honest statement of where we are, a statement of our willingness to work together, and our recognition of the obstacles to our working together."

The statement also criticized Canada's diocese of New Westminster, in British Columbia, for deciding to permit blessings of gay couples.

In Canada, Bishop Michael Ingham acknowledged the pain caused by the decision of his diocese.

"We would say as well for our part that the act of rejecting and discriminating against homosexual people around the world causes pain and distress around the world too," Ingham said. "Nobody has a monopoly on pain."

Liberals in the US church were relieved that the primates did not seek to directly intervene in New Hampshire.

Jim Naughton, communications director for the Washington, DC, diocese, who defends the church's decision to confirm Robinson, noted "there was no intervention in the United States, no formal rebuke of any kind."

Conservatives said they were pleased that the primates directed all the churches in the 77-million-member communion to meet the spiritual needs of members who disagree with ordaining gays. Evangelicals had warned they would walk away from the church if the primates did not go far enough in responding to the crisis.

Nonetheless, conservatives warned some kind of breakup could still occur. They said the true test of church unity would come over the next weeks and months, as Episcopalians who oppose Robinson decide whether they can stay in the denomination.
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