Griswold Responds to International Church Leaders on Sexuality Issue
Episcopal News Service. March 10, 1999 [99-019]
(ENS) Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold responded March 10 to an open letter from six active primates, a retired primate and an archbishop which challenged what they perceived as a trend by some bishops in the Episcopal Church to ignore resolutions on sexuality passed at last summer's Lambeth Conference.
The church leaders said in their February 26 letter that they were obliged to point out that "the continuance of action at variance with the Lambeth resolutions, within your own or any other province, would be a grievous wrong and a matter over which we could not be indifferent." It asked the presiding bishop to "examine the directions apparently proposed by some in your province and take whatever steps may be necessary to uphold the moral teaching and Christian faith the Anglican Communion has received."
The church leaders said that "each province is accountable to the whole Communion. True Christian freedom lies within the compass of truth and love and not in the satisfaction of mere autonomous desire."
The letter was signed by David Gitari of Kenya, Richard Goodhew of Sydney, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Ghais Malik of Jerusalem and the Middle East, Donald Mtetemela of Tanzania, Maurice Sinclair of the Southern Cone of America, Moses Tay of Southeast Asia, joined by Colin Bazley, retired primate of the Southern Cone. Griswold, joined by nine bishops who form his Council of Advice, wrote to the primates, "The bonds of communion which we enjoy with other provinces are precious to us, and the mutual sharing of the gifts between us is both a privilege and a blessing."
The letter emphasized the "divergent opinions on the question of homosexuality" in many provinces of the Anglican Communion. It quoted from the four understandings that emerged from the Lambeth Conference report on human sexuality, ranging from those who believe homosexual orientation is "a disorder" that might be changed to "those who believe that the church should accept and support or bless monogamous covenant relationships between homosexual people and that they may be ordained."
Griswold said that the Episcopal Church is in a process of discernment, "testing the spirits," and he quoted from a letter of Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey to another primate. In the letter Carey pointed out that the issue was discussed at Lambeth for "the very first time" and the resolution stating that homosexual activity is contrary to Scripture "indicates where bishops stand now on the issue; it does not indicate that we shall ever rest there."
Carey said in the letter that the debate at Lambeth "showed me more powerfully than I had ever seen before that argument and controversy solves nothing." He called for a new kind of conversation," one that begins with respect for the integrity of another and a willingness to study the scriptures together, to reflect on our experience -- including the experience of homosexuals -- and to share in a process" of moral discourse.
Griswold ended the letter by inviting the church leaders "to visit those parts of our church which cause you concern so that you may inquire and learn directly what has animated certain responses" to the Lambeth resolutions. "Such visits will afford you the opportunity not only to query some of our bishops and representatives of their dioceses but also to listen to the experience of homosexual persons, which is mandated by the Lambeth resolution on human sexuality."
Bishops from the Council of Advice who signed the letter are: J. Clark Grew II of Ohio; Robert H. Johnson of Western North Carolina; James Krotz of Nebraska; Julio Holuguin of the Dominican Republic; Jack McKelvey of Newark; Robert Rowley, Jr. of Northwestern Pennsylvania; Richard Shimpfky of El Camino Real; William Smalley of Kansas; and Douglas Theuner of New Hampshire.