U.S., Canada Anglican Churches asked to Leave
The World's top Anglicans urged thier American and Canadian counterparts to withdraw their membership from the communion’s council – at least temporarily, until they explain their liberal, divisive view on homosexuality
Heeding to the advice of biblically-based Christians around the world, the top leaders of the global Anglican Communion urged the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Anglican Church of Canada to withdraw their membership from the communion’s council – at least temporarily, until they explain their liberal theologies regarding homosexuality that has brought the 77-million member communion to a breaking point.
The statement, which was drafted during the highly anticipated Anglican Primates meeting in Northern Ireland, was presented a day earlier than the expected Friday release.
The ECUSA thrust the Anglican world into chaos 15 months ago when its bishops elected an open and active homosexual man as bishop of New Hampshire. The unilateral decision not only stirred a firestorm of criticism – it prompted a flurry of divisive statements from conservative Anglican church bodies around the world. More than two thirds of the world’s Anglican denominations broke fellowship ties with the ECUSA, and threatened to eject the American church from the worldwide church body.
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The conservative Anglican churches were also angered by their Canadian counterpart for “legalizing” the blessing of gay unions in the church walls. Canada’s move squarely opposed the 77-million-member communion’s longtime recommendation to refrain from blessing homosexual “marriages.”
The Anglican Primates were to debate the future unity of the Communion in light of such controversies at their weeklong North Ireland meeting.
The primates’ statement ejects both the U.S. and Canadian churches from fellowship until they explain their actions at a meeting in Nottingham, England in June.
"In the meantime, we ask our fellow primates to use their best influence to persuade their brothers and sisters to exercise a moratorium on public rites of blessing for same-sex unions and on the consecration of any bishop living in a sexual relationship outside Christian marriage," the statement read.
