Urging Ecumenism, Carey Defends Women's Ordination
Episcopal News Service. June 26, 1992 [92150C]
Making his first visit as archbishop of Canterbury to the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Dr. George Carey underscored the Church of England's commitment to the world ecumenical body. Carey acknowledged that his church has reservations about certain directions taken by the WCC but said he was visiting the Geneva offices "to explore [and] to learn" how the Anglican Communion could contribute to the WCC's work. Speaking at chapel, Carey pointed to the "theology of baptism" as an unfulfilled force for Christian unity. "If we believe that baptism in the name of the Trinity unites us with God himself and makes us members of his family, what does this mean for the churches separated eucharistically?" Carey asked. He emphasized that church unity could only be achieved by "confronting the things that divide us." When questioned about women's ordination in that context, Carey said, "If I believe that the ordination of women is biblically, historically, humanly right, then that is non-negotiable."