Anglican Church suspends Episcopals over gay marriage support

As a effect, the Episcopal Church is required, for the next three years, to withdraw from ecumenical and interfaith talks where it represents the Communion; members cannot be elected to the Communion’s standing committee; and, although it can be represented on the “internal bodies of the Anglican Communion” – essentially the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and possibly at a future Primates’ Meeting – it “will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity”.

However, Welby said there’s little he can do if some of the 38 leaders quit the meeting in Canterbury.

The Most Rev Justin Welby called the leaders of the 37 other national Anglican churches around the world for a crisis meeting in Canterbury in an attempt to bridge the divide between liberal conservative branches over issues such as sexuality.

Episcopalians voted to change their canons in June of 2015 to allow same-sex marriage – a decision met by protest from the Anglican Communion.

Welby and Curry said there had been no discussion of the specifics of this process or what would have to happen over the next three years for the Episcopalians to be restored to full participation in the global fellowship.

“The implied message is: If you move in that direction, you too will be required to limit your involvement in the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion“, one church insider told CBC News.

Michael Curry is the newly-installed Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and is attending the conference.

The city’s cathedral has been playing host to 39 primates – chief archbishops or bishops of the Anglican church – from all over the world this week in a meeting organised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Over the past several years, the Anglican Communion has been experiencing intense internal debate between theologically conservative and theologically liberal factions.

The most vocal protests to the Episcopal embrace of gay rights came from Africa, home to some of the fastest-growing churches in the Anglican communion and the deepest opposition to gay relationships as a violation of Scripture.

In contrast, Canada’s third largest church believes that blessing of committed relationships/marriages of same-sex couples is “a matter of doctrine, but it is not core doctrine: there is room for disagreement”, says Elliott.

The Labour shadow cabinet minister Chris Bryant has declared he has given up on the Church of England, saying its stance on homosexuality would one day look as wrong as supporting slavery. It seemed that I was being manipulated into participating in a long meeting with the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada without the necessary discipline being upheld. “The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching”, it said. Of those, latest figures show the two provinces where in secular law gay marriage is legal gave the most.

The leaders added there was a “unanimous desire to walk together” and the divisions had caused “deep pain throughout our Communion”.

The global church held together – but at a cost to liberals.

Jayne Ozanne, a leading gay rights activist in the church, expressed outrage over the decision, arguing there was little “recognition at the pain this is causing”, particularly for those in African communities where homosexuality is harshly punished.