Williams Rebukes Episcopalians Over Gay Bishop

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has rebuked the Episcopal Church (TEC) for the recent ordination of its second openly gay bishop, asking the U.S.-based Anglican arm to remove itself from the Communion's ecumenical and doctrinal councils.

The Episcopal Church ordained the Rev. Mary Glasspool as its second openly gay bishop earlier this month much to the chagrin of the rest of the Anglican Communion, who called the action "hurtful and damaging" and an explicit act of separatism.

Writing in a Pentecost letter to the Communion, Williams said that the church is in a "period of transition in the world" where even the "most faithful and traditional Christian communities [are] uncertain where to draw the boundaries in controversial matters," including sexuality.

Williams continued saying that Glasspool's ordination has made it clear that TEC has declined to "accept requests or advice from the consultative organs of the Communion" – a fact that makes it "very hard to see how members of that province can be placed in position where they are required to represent the Communion as a whole."

"[Glasspool's ordination] affects both our ecumenical dialogues...and our faith-and-order related groups," the archbishop said.

TEC's approval of Glasspool came in spite of requests from Communion leadership in December to exercise "gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion."

Glasspool's ordination also goes against a moratoria established by the Communion in 2004, which also bans the blessing of same-sex marriages and the authorizing of ministry across borders.

"Our Anglican fellowship continues to experience painful division, and the events of recent months have not brought us nearer to full reconciliation," Williams said. "There are still things being done that the representative bodies of the communion have repeatedly pleaded should not be done; and this leads to recrimination, confusion and bitterness all round."

Williams went on to propose that TEC members remove themselves from the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue, where two Episcopalians are serving, and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order, which includes one member of TEC.

The Archbishop noted that TEC "will be contacted about the outworking of this in the near future."

"To maintain outward unity at a formal level while we are convinced that the divisions are not only deep but damaging to our local mission is not a good thing," Williams said. "Neither is it a good thing to break away from each other so dramatically that we no longer see Christ in each other and risk trying to create a church of the 'perfect' -- people like us."

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