Anglican head urges split church to keep talking

By Edmund Blair

AIN SUKHNA, Egypt (Reuters) – The spiritual leader of the
Anglican church on Friday called for traditionalist and liberal
camps to keep talking despite deep divisions over gay rights
that have threatened to split the 450-year-old church.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams also told Reuters
he had urged traditionalist church leaders from developing
states meeting in Egypt not to create new church structures
even though existing arrangements might have left many feeling
ignored.

“I am concerned that we keep lines of communication open,
that we don’t hurry to new structures, but that of course we
have to ask the question, ‘Do we have the structures to serve
us properly’, and that will take time work out,” Williams said
after addressing the meeting on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

The 77 million-strong Anglican church has been divided
since 2003 when the U.S. Episcopal Church ordained a gay bishop
and Canadian Anglicans began blessing same-sex marriages.

The move outraged traditionalists who dominate the Anglican
church in Africa, Asia and Latin American, a grouping known as
the Global South. They say the Bible condemns homosexuality.

As the increasingly acrimonious debate has rumbled on, the
Nigerian church, home to a quarter of the world’s Anglicans and
a vociferous conservative voice, said in September it had
deleted references to Canterbury in its constitution.

“The divisions are quite deep, if I am honest, and there is
now quite a reservoir of ill-feeling on both sides,” he said.

“Whatever happens in the long run — and I wouldn’t want to
predict — I think there are things we can do at least to
address that sense of not being listened to,” Williams added.

Williams has sought to mediate, but analysts say the
Anglican church structure, unlike the Catholic church with its
powerful Vatican, gives the See of Canterbury few tools to
impose a solution beyond the powers of persuasion and pressure.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

“We don’t have any kind of central executive in the
Anglican communion, and in many ways that’s a good thing. I
don’t think people are asking for that,” Williams said, adding
that he did not want more powers for Canterbury.

But he said the Global South wanted “a more obvious
convergence in our canons, our rules of engagement.” He said
such a demand might be met through implementing a proposal to
set up a “covenant” between member churches.

An Anglican official said the “covenant” proposal, made in
the Windsor Report that was drawn up to mediate in the dispute,
would involve member churches agreeing not to act independently
of other churches in certain mutually agreed areas.

The Windsor Report also called for steps to be taken by the
U.S. and Canadian churches, including expressing regret for
their actions.

Archbishop Robin Eames, who headed the Windsor task force,
has said he believes the demands were broadly met.

But Global South leaders dispute that assessment. They say,
for example, the U.S. and Canadian expressions of regret only
show sorrow for the causing hurt to other churches and not an
acknowledgement that they were wrong to act as they did.

Officials say a final position will only emerge when the
U.S. and Canadian churches hold conventions in 2006 and 2007.

“As I said to them this morning, the process that the
Windsor report requested is still incomplete and I think it is
premature to offer an assessment,” Williams said.