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LONDON: US church leader edges away from gay bishops confrontation
Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
The Guardian
April 21, 2006
The leader of the US Episcopal church, which is in danger of being expelled from the worldwide Anglican communion for its election of an openly homosexual bishop, has warned parishioners of the diocese of California that they would widen the confrontation it they chose another gay bishop.
In a fortnight's time the diocese, centred on San Francisco, will choose its next bishop from six candidates, three of whom are gay.
Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Frank Griswold, presiding bishop of the US church, said: "The diocese needs to respect the sensibilities of the larger communion. It will note what is going on in the life of the church and make a careful and wise decision. It will then be up to the house of bishops to give or withhold their consent. Given what has happened over the last three years, I think there will be increased sensitivity."
Bishop Griswold revealed that he had a private meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss the crisis. He met Dr Rowan Williams, who nominally heads the communion, in Canterbury to discuss the measures the church proposes to defuse the situation at its triennial general convention in Ohio in June. A recent report by a special commission of the Episcopal church recently recommended that its members exercise "very considerable caution" before promoting other gay clergy to bishoprics and that it should rule out future public blessings services for gay couples.
Bishop Griswold said: "It would sadden me greatly if there was a real break in the Anglican communion, because we are members one of another and share a common baptism. All of us would be diminished if any part of the communion was expelled.
"I am very aware that issues of poverty, disease and civil war are life and death issues of the sort we should be concentrating on, not our preoccupation with a particular manifestation of sexuality. I think it is possibly the work of the Evil One, making us fixate on sexuality rather than the more urgent things of the world."
More than 20 of the church's 38 autonomous provinces, particularly those from the developing world, have broken or threatened to break links with the US church because of its endorsement of the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Fourteen presiding bishops and archbishops refused to share communion with Bishop Griswold, or attend a service led by Archbishop Williams, at their last joint meeting, in Northern Ireland last year.
Dr Williams is meeting conservative evangelical factions and bishops within the Church of England to decide strategy.
Aware that the crisis has been fuelled - and worsened - by some internet bloggers and the speed of communications, Bishop Griswold said face-to-face talks with Dr Williams were important: "We both live under stresses and strains, and it is important not to have second-hand communication, to meet face to face. It enables me to hear his concerns and he can hear some from me. He knows Ecusa [the Episcopal church] very well and we have known each other for years but what he is probably most aware of are some of the more angular expressions of concern from various factions in our church."
Asked whether he still supported Bishop Robinson's election, Bishop Griswold said: "I am keenly aware of the difficulties [it] caused. I can understand the churches that opposed, but at the same time I have to respect the people of New Hampshire in their choice.
"To have abstained would have been meaningless and, assent to his election having been given, it would have been very odd for me not to attend his consecration."
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