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LONDON: Archbishop meets US figure at heart of row
By Ruth Gledhill
THE LONDON TIMES
11/4/2005
THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, yesterday met Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay American bishop whose consecration has brought the Anglican Church to the brink of schism.
The meeting between Dr Williams and the Bishop of New Hampshire was described as "friendly but candid". The two discussed problems arising from the Bishop's consecration in November 2003. A Lambeth Palace spokesman said: "The encounter came as part of the Archbishop's commitment to listening to the voices of all concerned in the current challenges facing the Anglican Communion."
The meeting, which ended with prayer, took place at an undisclosed location, but not Lambeth Palace. Bishop Robinson was due to speak at the Oxford Union last night and will attend events in London and Stockport marking the tenth anniversary of Changing Attitude, the gay Christian pressure group.
The Rev Colin Coward, its director, said he was sure Bishop Robinson was concerned about tension over his appointment. But he said: "He believes, as do the majority of the Episcopal Church in the US, that after a 30-year period of exploring the place of lesbian and gay people in the Church, that the Church made a corporate decision and believes it to be absolutely right."
His visit prompted condemnation from conservative groups. The Rev Rod Thomas, of Reform, said: "I could describe it as outrageous, but it seems devoid of meaning."
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