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Editorial
A STEP FORWARD IN NEW ORLEANS
Last week’s New Orleans meeting of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) had been at the centre of attention because of the request by the Primates’ Meeting that there should be a response from the Americans by 30th September to certain points raised by the Primates in relation to the current inter- Anglican controversy over same-sex relationships.
In the end, the statement issued from New Orleans indicated a real and earnest desire on the part of TEC to remain within the Anglican fold, and certain commitments were made to that end, including the commitment to exercise "restraint" by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life would present a challenge to the wider Church and would lead to further strains on communion.
However, the US bishops’ indication that they would not authorize public rites for same-sex blessings "until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action" leaves the door open for that commitment to be reversed at the next General Convention, in 2009; moreover, the TEC bishops have put pressure on the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite the bishop at the centre of the current inter-Anglican controversy - Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire - to attend next year’s Lambeth Conference as a full participant. These remain points of difficulty for the Archbishop of Canterbury as he negotiates the best way forward for the Anglican Communion as a whole, although the fact that the TEC bishops have recognized the authority of the General Convention to decide on a different course in relation to samesex blessings both recognises the reality of TEC’s polity and the sensitivity of the issue.
The Archbishop of Canterbury clearly wants next year’s Lambeth Conference to be as well attended as possible and has worked hard to achieve the best outcome. The fact that some on the theological right have been extremely swift to dismiss the work done at New Orleans does not compare favourably with his determined commitment to the unity of the Communion.