Eric Johnston, PlanetOut Network Thursday, February 17, 2005 / 06:13 PM The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, warned the issue of gay clergy is "not going to get better in a hurry" during the Church of England's general synod in London Thursday. He was referring to a rift between conservative Anglican churches in the Third World and more-liberal counterparts in North America. In 2003, the Episcopal Church in the United States chose a priest in a committed same-sex relationship, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, as one of its bishops, while an Anglican diocese in western Canada authorized services for same-sex marriages. The worldwide Anglican Communion is composed of 38 national Anglican churches around the globe that trace their roots to the Church of England but operate autonomously. When some church leaders, called "primates," threatened schism over gay issues, a group of Anglican bishops issued last October the Windsor Report, which recommended ways the Anglican Communion could stay together despite the theological divisions within it. The report urged U.S. Episcopal Church leaders to apologize for causing "deep offense" among the Anglican community, and it called on anti-gay bishops to stop meddling in the affairs of other churches. "Not having a common language, a common frame of reference, has been one of the casualties of recent events," Williams said Thursday. He called on the 38 Anglican primates to seek reconciliation when they meet next week in Northern Ireland to discuss the Windsor Report. "As far as the American church is concerned, we remain committed to the dialogue," said the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA, a group committed to inclusion of LGBT people in the Episcopal Church. Russell told the PlanetOut Network she agrees with Williams' assessment of the lack of a common language among quarreling Anglicans, saying it's like counseling a married couple that "hasn't talked in 30 years." Some Anglicans complained the Windsor Report is flawed because its authors did not seek any input from the LGBT community. However, Russell noted the Anglican Communion office has invited LGBT Anglicans to comment after the fact. She was among approximately a dozen LGBT people who traveled to London recently to give feedback on the document. "It's a step forward and so we're going to take it," she said. The Church of England synod this week also ruled that partners of gay clergy must be given the same pension rights as other spouses. However, those who register could risk losing their jobs because the Church of England, in theory, bars sexually active gays and lesbians from joining the priesthood. The synod also discussed the issue of ordaining women as bishops. Currently, the Church of England allows women to become priests, but not bishops.
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