01/12/2008

It's just a matter of time

or, perhaps, Providence.
The Archbishop of Wales with the Bishop of New Hampshire
In a TV documentary to be broadcast on BBC One Wales on Wednesday, the Archbishop of Wales reveals, amongst other things, that

Describing the circumstances in which he would consecrate a bishop in a gay relationship, he said: “Personally, I have absolutely no problem at all with the full acceptance of gay and lesbian people into the church of God because they are made in God’s image. It’s not a matter of choice and therefore if the church of God
cannot welcome these people then I don’t think it’s being a ‘church’ at
all and it’s not being true to the gospel and the values of Jesus.”

He continued: “If the electoral college went ahead and if then the bench of bishops
endorsed the nomination – so there are a couple of big ifs there – then I as
Archbishop would have to decide to do one of two things: Go ahead and risk the
ire of the Communion or refuse to consecrate and then possibly be taken to the
provincial court of the Church in Wales for refusing to carry out what I’m
canonically sort of mandated to do.”

If such a moment was reached, he said: “I feel that I would have no choice at that
juncture but to consecrate.”

Not tomorrow, nor the next day. But one day.
Dr Williams did not invite the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson
to the Lambeth Conference this summer. However, Dr Morgan chaired a pre-Lambeth gathering of liberal Anglicans at which the bishop was present.


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