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World Anglican leaders support U.S. Episcopal group that opposes gay clergy
By Richard Ostling
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) - Leaders of Anglican churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America joined Friday to endorse a new protest group that is trying to unite Episcopalians in the United States who oppose gay clergy.
The statement came from the top officials (called "primates") of 13 denominations, which together claim more than half of the 77 million Anglicans worldwide.
Their message spurns the leaders and policies of the Episcopal Church, which is the U.S. branch of the international Anglican Communion. The action gives the new U.S. conservative organization a claim to religious legitimacy as it seeks to gain supporters.
It also demonstrates the severe division in world Anglicanism caused by the Episcopal Church's consecration of openly gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson last November. An emergency commission on the global split holds its first meeting starting Monday in London.
Daniel England, spokesman for Episcopal Church headquarters, said "there's nothing new here" except that these primates "have jumped the gun" on the commission's work, "which is unfortunate." "It seems a bit premature," he said.
The protest is highly unlikely to change the Episcopal Church's acceptance of Robinson or its practice of letting each diocese decide whether to approve gay clergy or same-sex blessings. Each branch of the Anglican Communion operates independently.
The primates extended recognition to the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, a group established Jan. 20 by delegates from 12 of the 107 Episcopal dioceses and from several local congregations.
Each diocese must take further action to affiliate; to date, four have done so. The primates' statement said "we offer our support and the full weight of our ministries and offices" to the bishops, priests and parishioners who are forming the network.
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