In a wide ranging talk give late last month, Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion discussed the present state of the Communion and gave his thoughts on the controversies confronting it.
The Washington Window, has an article by Lucy Chumbley that reports on the meeting which took place at Virginia Theological Seminary.
According to Kearon:
“‘The Lambeth Conference was born out of controversy, therefore throughout its history it has not been a stranger to controversy,’ Kearon told a group of about 30 Episcopalians who had braved an ice storm to come and hear him speak.
Bishop Gene Robinson, who in 2003 became the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop, has not been invited, Kearon said, as he was consecrated against the advice of the Anglican Communion.
‘He is a duly elected and consecrated bishop in the Episcopal Church, no one is doubting that, but his ministry is not accepted in the Anglican Communion so he could not be invited based on that,’ Kearon said.
Likewise the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) bishops, who were consecrated in Nigeria as ‘missionary bishops’ to the United States, have not received invitations.
‘CANA is not a recognized body of the Anglican Communion,’ Kearon said. ‘There are resolutions dating back to 1888 that expressly forbid the setting up of bodies within existing dioceses.’
It is possible, however, that Robinson will be invited to bear witness as part of the listening process set up by the 1998 Lambeth Conference, he added.
Kearon stressed the importance of regularly consecrated bishops to the Anglican Communion, explaining that they are seen as guardians of the faith and symbols of unity.”
Speaking to the specific issue of the question of same-sex unions, Kearon says:
The Anglican Church’s formal position on gays and lesbians is expressed in 1998’s Lambeth Resolution 110, he said. This resolution “upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage.” It also states that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.
“Statements from Primates Meetings and the Anglican Consultative Council have always affirmed the place of gays and lesbians in the life of the church,” Kearon said. “The issue is, what can the church bless – and that’s where we are now.
In order for the Anglican Communion to change its position on these issues, they must be worked through the system properly, Kearon said.
The process should begin at local synods and be taken up at conventions, he said, “then you begin to work it up through the church. Set up a commission, work it through…. If someone has a new idea for the way things should go, we should test it as a community of faith… We as a church should be very wary if people cannot express and test new issues in the life of the community.”
Kearon responded to criticism about the way the Anglican Communion has handled these issues by pointing out that the Communion is one of the few bodies that is openly addressing them. He also noted that the Communion came under similar fire when it changed its position on contraception in the 1950s (after voting against it in the 1920s and 30s) and on the ordination of women in the 1970s.
You may read the full article here.