A theological split in the Anglican Church over homosexuality is now a "full-blown schism," a Canadian bishop said Wednesday, ahead of the expected formation of a breakaway body.
Right Reverend Michael Ingham, whose Greater Vancouver diocese became the first Anglican jurisdiction to formally authorize the blessing of same-sex unions in 2002, accused the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of the Americas of tearing at the rip by poaching congregations in Canada.
He also blasted the South American faction for planning to ordain two deacons in his diocese in westernmost Canada next month, despite his objections.
"Over many, many centuries the rule has been that there is only one church in one geographical area, so we think it's improper" for anyone to try to set up a parallel Anglican church in Canada, his spokesman Neil Adams told AFP.
"Setting up two rival bodies is not healthy for the Anglican Church."
"Historically, the Anglican Church came from a split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1400s," Adams conceded. "But afterwards it became a big tent church ... open to a wide variety of theologies, and we think that's good and we'd like it to remain that way." Read more
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Thursday, 22 November 2007
Bp Ingham: Anglican gay row is 'full-blown schism'
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1 comment:
(Chelmsford)
Adams' history isn't very good. The split between Anglicans and the Church of Rome was not "in the 1400s" but originally in 1534. As for when "the Anglican Church ... became a big tent church ... open to a wide variety of theologies", I don't think the bishops of the Lambeth Conference have yet been informed of this, let alone consented to it.
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