Delegation of Bishops Issues Critical Report After Visit to the Episcopal Church
Episcopal News Service. January 13, 2000 [2000-002]
(ENS) An international delegation of church leaders, who have expressed deep concerns about developments in the Episcopal Church and accepted an invitation from Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold to visit, has issued a report outlining the leaders' observations.
The 10-day fall visit was the result of a public letter in February, 1999, by a group of primates and archbishops that expressed alarm at some developments in the Episcopal Church, including repudiation in some dioceses of resolutions at the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops that condemned homosexual activity as "sinful" and deplored attempts to mandate the acceptance of women in the priesthood.
The report, issued by Archbishop Harry Goodhew of Sydney just before Christmas, began with a set of general impressions. It pointed to "the wide diversity that exists both between and within" the church's dioceses and to the "strong sense of loyalty" to the church. Despite some significant tensions, they observed "a strong desire on the part of many to hold ECUSA together."
The report added that the team "carried away an impression of people committed to their church but deeply divided over issues of great significance," especially sexuality issues and women's ordination. Pointing to what it called contradictions and inconsistencies, the team members said that some were prepared to press for recognition of same-sex relationships while "mandating the acceptance of the ordination of women to the priesthood."
Team members felt that they were being asked "to contemplate a paradox -- those wishing to ignore the resolutions of Lambeth in respect of human sexuality were said to be strongest in wishing to enforce their interpretation of the Lambeth resolution on the crossing of diocesan boundaries" by bishops of another jurisdiction.
"We also became aware of a widespread appreciation of the conciliatory role of the current presiding bishop," the report said. "Some believe that now, in a way that was not previously the case, conservatives are given an opportunity for their case to be presented and their voice heard." Others said that Griswold's signature on the Koinonia Statement, presented to the House of Bishops in 1994 by Bishop John Spong of Newark, caused a problem. The statement argued that sexuality was "morally neutral" and that it was possible for gays and lesbians to lead holy lives that could be blessed by the church.
In a section offering advice to the presiding bishop, the team encouraged him "to consider some action that would re-position himself with regard to the Koinonia Statement," suggesting that "his status as a mediator would be greatly enhanced, especially in the eyes of the more conservative elements of the church, if he were not seen as giving public support to one side of the issue."
The report wandered into the raging debate over the sources of homosexual orientation and the possibilities of leaving that lifestyle, outlining arguments based on Scripture and scientific evidence. "We are bound to comment that our appreciation of the situation leads us to believe that the case for justifying a homosexual lifestyle on the available evidence is grossly overstated."
During its visit to different parts of the church, the team heard testimonies on both sides of the issue. From a non-Western perspective, the report said, the team saw "Western culture cutting itself adrift from its Judeo-Christian roots and suffering a consequent moral and intellectual confusion that makes space for values of a more pagan kind to take root and flourish."
The report also noted "a certain conflict fatigue," an eagerness by many to move on with the mission of the church. "We all had sympathy with that sentiment but recognized the truth that the point of conflict is the place where faithfulness is tested and loyalty demonstrated. While some said they found dialogue valuable, others told the team that it was also perceived as "a device to weaken conservative resolve while radicals continue to move ahead with unacceptable practices."
In a section that identified issues, the report began with sources of authority, asking "what are the instruments that give us the ability to determine on matters relating to sexual morality?" Anglicans depend on Scripture, reason/experience and tradition but "we encountered a tendency to submit Scripture to experience rather than the other way around."
The report also found reasons to believe that in parts of the church the "liberal agenda" supports homosexuality and "mandating the acceptance of the ordination of women is coercively applied." Because most in the Anglican Communion regard homosexuality as sinful, "we consider that universal responsibility must over-ride local preference. Anglicanism is indeed in favor of local contextualization but not in contradiction to universal norms," it concluded.
Dialogue is important where there are differences but "on this issue of sexuality we hold that the dialogue has been abused by the unauthorized introduction of changes that presuppose a particular outcome to that dialogue. This impaired process has in fact jeopardized Anglican continuity." The report urged the presiding bishop to "find ways to strengthen the framework that will make possible both obedience and dialogue."
The report also argued for alternative oversight where parishes are in conflict with their bishops, "much to be preferred to congregations either leaving ECUSA or seeking episcopal oversight from elsewhere in the Communion. Such an arrangement may go some way to meet the needs of those who might otherwise seek for the creation of a second, recognized Anglican province in the USA," it concluded.
The report was signed by Archbishop Maurice Sinclair, primate of the Church in the Southern Cone of America; Bishop Simon Makundi, representing Tanzania; Bishop Peter Njenga Karioki, representing Kenya; Bishop John Rucyahana-Kabango, representing Rwanda, and Goodhew.
Several members of the visitation team also participated in a mid-November meeting in Kampala, Uganda, discussing many of the same issues. At the end of the consultation, which included a number of conservative representatives from the Episcopal Church, an open letter signed by primates and archbishops from Africa, Southeast Asia and South America reassured them "We also hear and understand what you have told us about examples of abandonment of Anglican teaching, discipline and practices in the provinces from which you come. We share your distress on account of the damage and harmful results of these increasingly serious developments."
The letter suggested that some of the church leaders would be "ready to respond to specific and urgent situations which may arise in the months before the Primates' Meeting in Portugal," scheduled for March 23-28. "Parishes and clergy under threat because of their loyalty to the Gospel and to Anglican standards must be supported and we will play our part in such support." The letter also said that it would tell the rest of the primates about the "intolerable situation" faced by some traditionalists, offering to "carefully document and commend a proposal to this meeting which, we believe, will address the problems in our Communion caused by misuse of provincial autonomy and innovations exceeding the limits of our Anglican diversity."
The letter cited a resolution opening the possibility of "emergency" intervention in provinces of the Communion and one condemning homosexual activity and advising against blessing same-sex relationships.
The letter was signed by the primates of Rwanda (E.M. Kolini), Uganda (Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo), Congo (Patrice Byanka Njojo), Burundi (Samuel Ndayisenga), Southeast Asia (Moses Tay), Tanzania (Donald Mtetemala), Southern Cone of America (Maurice Sinclair) and Bishop M.B. Dawidi representing the Sudan, and Bishop Peter Njenga representing the primate of Kenya.
Some attending the meeting hoped for immediate redress of their grievances, according to some news reports, maybe even an endorsement for another province in the United States to protect traditionalists.
Bishop James Stanton of Dallas told the Church of England Newspaper, "Our position has been that while we believe there are great difficulties in ECUSA, particularly with some liberal bishops running roughshod over their people, we felt that whatever actions taken had to be in unison. What Lambeth called for was action by the primates as a whole." He said that the American bishops were supporting Griswold's attempts to carve out a time of Jubilee for the church. "Whether the presiding bishop will pull it off is going to be a real test," he said in the interview with CEN. "He has problems to contend with. There are some very impatient people who don't much care for conversation. For them the issue is decided, they are going to move forward."
The Rev. Bill Atwood of Ekklesia, an organization of conservatives in the Episcopal Church, told CEN, "It was not crazy hotheads throwing hand grenades but concerned people expressing responsible grief and trying to chart a course through to prevent explosions."
The primates told some participants that they were making plans, holding out the possibility of acting before the March meeting in Portugal, but declined to discuss specifics. "We were asked simply to trust them, and we affirmed that we would," said the Rev. Richard Kim of Michigan.
For a complete report on the delegation visit www.anglicanmediasydney.asn.au