Anglican/Orthodox Report Sent to Lambeth Meeting
Episcopal News Service. August 3, 1978 [78216]
The Orthodox Churches have appealed to the Anglican Communion not to proceed further with the ordination of women to the priesthood, in a report of a special meeting of the Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission sent to the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, meeting now at Canterbury, England.
The special meeting was convened from July 13 to 18 at the Inter-Orthodox Center of the Church of Greece, in Athens, to discuss the ordination of women and the threat which that issues poses to the continuing dialogue between Anglican and Orthodox Churches, and the removal from the Creed of the Filioque. Both issues appear on the agenda of the Lambeth Conference, together with the general subject of Anglican-Orthodox relations.
The Filioque, the words "and from the Son" added in the Western Church from the sixth century onwards to the Nicene Creed's statement that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, has never been accepted in the East. Both the Orthodox and the Anglican delegates reaffirmed the recommendation made at the Moscow meeting in 1976 that the phrase should be removed from the Creed as soon as pastorally and constitutionally possible. They asked the Lambeth Conference to recommend that to all the member Churches of the Anglican Communion.
The impasse on the question of ordination of women to the priesthood has brought the dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Church "to a point of acute crisis," says the report. Separate sections of the report outline the Orthodox position and the main Anglican positions.
The Orthodox position is set forth in a six-point outline beginning with God's creation of "Mankind in his image as male and female, establishing a diversity of functions and gifts" which are complementary but "not all are interchangeable. " Applying this to the life of the Church and of the family, the Orthodox state: "God has assigned certain tasks and forms of ministry specifically to the man, and others -- different, yet no less important -- to the woman."
The Orthodox section then points to the honor given to the Virgin Mary and the veneration of women saints as an indication that "in no sense does the Orthodox Church consider women to be intrinsically inferior in God's eyes." On the other hand, they "recognize the duty of the Church to give women more opportunities to use their specific charismata (gifts) for the whole people of God," and they cite various ministries exercised by women in Orthodoxy.
Priesthood for women is firmly rejected as an "innovation" with no basis in tradition. Churches today are "bound to remain faithful to the example of our Lord, to the testimony of Scripture, and the constant and unvarying practice of the Church. In this constant and unvarying practice we see revealed the will of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit, and we know that the Holy Spirit does not contradict himself." They emphasize the need to distinguish between innovation and creative continuity and conclude that ordination of women to the priesthood is "a violation of the apostolic faith and order of the Church."
The Orthodox statement rejects the idea that this is an internal matter of Anglican discipline and warns that "if the Anglicans continue to ordain women to the Priesthood, this will have a decisively negative effect on the issue of the recognition of Anglican Orders. " They explain, "Those Orthodox Churches which have partially or provisionally recognized Anglican Orders did so on the ground that the Anglican Church has preserved the apostolic succession; and the apostolic succession is not merely continuity in the outward laying-on of hands, but signifies continuity in apostolic faith and spiritual life. By ordaining women, Anglicans would sever themselves from this continuity, and so any existing acts of recognition by the Orthodox would have to be reconsidered."
The report continues: "We Orthodox cannot regard the Anglican proposals to ordain women as a purely internal matter in which the Orthodox are not concerned. In the name of our common Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we entreat our Anglican brothers not to proceed further with this action which is already dividing the Anglican Communion, and which will constitute a disastrous reverse for all our hopes of unity between Anglicanism and Orthodoxy. It is obvious that, if the dialogue continues, its character would be drastically changed."
The Anglican delegates unanimously affirmed their desire to accept and maintain the tradition of the Gospel and "to be true to it in the life of the Church," but they were "divided over the ways in which that tradition should respond to the pressures of the world, over the extent to which tradition may develop and change, and over the criteria by which to determine what developments within it are legitimate and appropriate." They acknowledged that "in the case of the ordination of women differences have become particularly acute and divisive within our own communion, now that the convictions of those in favor of it have been translated into action in certain national Churches. "
Three positions among Anglicans are described. Those who believe that the ordination of women to the priesthood is in "no way consonant with a true understanding of the Church's catholicity and apostolicity, but rather constitutes a grave deformation of the Church's traditional faith and order" hope that "under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this practice will come to cease in our Churches. " Others believe that the "actions already taken constitute a proper extension and development of the Church's traditional ministry, and a necessary and prophetic response to the changing circumstances in which some Churches are placed," and hope that "in due time, under the guidance of the Spirit, these actions will be universally accepted."
Still others "regret the way in which the present action has been taken and believe that the time was not opportune nor the method appropriate for such action, though they see no absolute objection to it." Some holding this position hope that "through the present situation a way forward may be found which will allow for the distinct and complementary contributions of men and women to the Church's ordained ministry."
The Anglican delegates added: "The present crisis in our conversations with the Orthodox has forced all of us to reconsider the way in which, in our communion, decisions are made on matters of such fundamental importance. "How far in such questions should consensus precede action; how far may the experience of such actions itself lead to a new consensus? What methods of decision and debate are appropriate in such matters? Should the Synods of particular Church provinces have the freedom to make decisions in matters which affect not only the whole Anglican Communion, but also our relations with all other Churches? Is the traditional Anglican claim to have no specifically Anglican Scriptures, Creeds, Sacraments and Ministry but only those of the universal Church put in jeopardy by actions of this kind? What is the ecclesiological significance of the fact that we now have a ministry not universally recognized within our own Communion? Where does our authority in such matters lie? We do not prejudge the answers to these questions. But we believe that it is vital that they should be faced and answered. "
Finally, the Anglican delegates said that at this Conference they had found a willingness "to respect one another's viewpoints and to hear what those we disagree with are saying" which had "brought discussion on this subject to a welcome level of serious theological exchange."
This gave them new hope and they believed it to be "part of our responsibility to the Gospel, and of our obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ... to continue together in dialogue with one another, as well as with all our Christian brethren... " They had no doubt that "there are still large areas to be explored concerning the place of men and women in the ministry (diakonia) of the Christian Church and its mission to the world."
The concluding section, affirmed by both Orthodox and Anglicans, said: "We value our dialogue together and we are encouraged that our Churches and their leaders, as well as the members of our Commission, hope that it may continue under conditions acceptable to both sides. "
Such a short conference allowed no time for careful discussion between Anglican and Orthodox delegates of such fundamental questions as interpretation and development of tradition, Christology and priesthood, partnership of men and women in the life of the Church and the world, and authority in the Church and the churches. Consequently, the report says little about them, although discussion of these questions did begin. Similarly, in separate discussions among the Anglican delegates, positions were clarified and issues somewhat narrowed, and the detailed minutes of the conference reflect this development. Therefore, while the ordination of women is an affront to the Orthodox, and Anglicans are divided, this "blockbuster" of an issue will demand continuing serious attention from the Churches. There is still room "for us to listen to and learn from each other," as the report says in closing.