During the meetings of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) last month in Scotland [p. 10], a noteworthy gathering took place. The ACC, which includes members from throughout the 38 churches of the Anglican Communion, heard the witness and testimony of a group of gay and lesbian Christians. The four Anglicans and one Presbyterian, including a priest and the mother of a lesbian daughter, spoke candidly about their faith and were received with what observer called "thoughtful and reflective silence."

The testimony was a natural follow-up to the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which decided there should be a listening process in which members of the church who are homosexuals can be heard. The listening will continue next month when bishops from all parts of the Communion representing a variety of theological stances gather in New York for consultation.

While the meeting in Scotland and similar listening endeavors in the future probably won't change minds, they ought to provoke in many the desire to pray for one another, and at the very least help those on opposite sides of the sexuality issues to understand each other.