HILTZ: I think the very fact that we all came was important. It took its course in such a way that the Communion was not broken...All the posturing and rhetoric and rumors that were so much a part of the lead-up to the meeting didn't come to pass--from that point of view, it was good. There was a lot of deep personal resolve to make it work.

First of all, the vast majority of American blacks who call themselves Christians eschew homosexuality, and that includes a vast swathe of American Baptists of one stripe or another. Three of the largest African-American churches in the United States, the African-Methodist Episcopal Church, AME-Zion, and the Church of God in Christ combine an emphasis on social activism with a traditional view on marriage.

It was a smack over the head for Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. "This is not the outcome we expected, and while we are disappointed, it's important to remember that the Anglican Communion is really not a matter of structure and organization."

BEACH: I think it is a very positive step forward. We did not go far enough. Considering the years and years of opposition we have faced in Canada and the United States, we finally made some progress.

VOL: Please define progress.

BEACH: It is very clear that the Episcopal Church is now sanctioned and it is not voluntary which is different from other gatherings.