Presiding Bishop and Council of Advice Disassociate Themselves from Ordination of Gay Priest in Newark
Episcopal News Service. February 21, 1990 [90043]
The Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and his Council of Advice, comprised of bishops from the church's nine provinces, issued a statement February 20 "disassociating" themselves from the December ordination of an openly gay, non-celibate priest in the Diocese of Newark.
Bishop John Spong ordained Robert Williams in a very public and controversial ceremony in Hoboken to serve as director of The Oasis, a diocesan ministry with gays and lesbians. Five weeks later Williams resigned, in the wake of disparaging comments about celibacy and monogamy he made at a conference in Detroit. Spong has asked Williams to keep silent and not function as a priest while the diocese looks into the possibility that Williams misrepresented himself during the ordination process, which would be grounds for asking Williams to resign the priesthood.
"We regret the hurt and confusion caused for many members of the church by the ordination and by subsequent events," the statement said. "We believe that good order is not served when bishops, dioceses, or parishes act unilaterally."
The statement pointed out that the disassociation is from the ordination itself, not from "the many members of our church who are gay and lesbian," whose lives have been affirmed by the church and whose "presence" and "service within the church" are valued.
The statement calls attention to a resolution passed at the 1979 General Convention which affirms "the traditional teaching of the church on marriage, marital fidelity and sexual chastity as the standard of Christian sexual morality" and expects candidates for ordination to conform to this standard. "Therefore, we believe it is not appropriate for this church to ordain a practicing homosexual, or any other person who is engaged in heterosexual relations outside of marriage," the resolution said.
While the Episcopal Church, through its commission on health and human affairs, continues to study issues around sexuality, the action of the Bishop of Newark "has polarized our community of faith," making the dialogue on issues more difficult, the bishops contend.
The statement, coming after considerable consultation with church leaders, was issued "to clear up any confusion created by the ordination and in an effort to promote dialogue and stop the polarization," said Presiding Bishop Browning in an interview. "We are eager to support the commission on health and human affairs as it deals creatively with the issues around human sexuality," he added. "And we are deeply concerned that it will be more difficult now to deal with those issues sensitively when so much attention is focused on events in Newark," Browning added. "The statement is an attempt to deal with some of the anger and pain that resulted from the ordination -- and to bring the deeper issues back into focus."