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Loading ...Despite moratorium, UK may soon have first gay bishop
09.02.2008 10:19am EDT
(London) An openly gay clergyman, who missed out for a post of bishop in England, is reportedly under consideration for a similar job in Wales, despite a call for a moratorium on elevating gays by the worldwide leader of the Anglican Church.
Dr. Jeffrey John is said to be on a short list to become Bishop of Bangor in North Wales.The Church of England and the Church of Wales are separate entities, although both are part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
John, who currently is Dean of St. Albans in England, was on a short list five years ago to be elevated to the Church of England, Bishop of Reading. The decision came shortly after the U.S. branch of Anglicanism made the openly gay Rev. Gene Robinson the bishop of New Hampshire.
The furor by conservatives within the worldwide denomination over Robinson led to John withdrawing his name from consideration for the bishopric of Reading.
Divisions between worldwide church conservatives and liberals over the role of gays in the faith has persisted.
Last month, at the once-a-decade meeting of bishops from around the globe, more than 200 theologically conservative bishops staged a boycott. Nevertheless, the Lambeth Conference ended with a call by the titular leader of Anglicans not to consecrate any other gay bishops for the time being.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican Communion needs “space for study and free discussion without pressure” about whether to accept changes in the traditional biblical understanding of openly gay clergy and same-sex relationships.
News that John under consideration to be a bishop in Wales has once again fueled deep divisions within the Anglican Church.
Like Bishop Robinson, John is in a committed relationship. Two years ago, he entered a civil union with his longtime lover, Grant Holmes, also an Anglican priest. Both men maintain they are celibate.
John is reportedly among several candidates under consideration to be Bishop of Bangor. Despite Archbishop of Canterbury Williams’ opposition to gay bishops, he has no direct authority over the Church in Wales.
The head of the Welsh branch of Anglicanism is the Archbishop of Wales, Dr. Barry Morgan.
Morgan is a liberal and has in the past said he would be willing to consecrate an openly gay bishop.
Wonderful…God be praised.
Wow. Still another one. Peter Akinola of Nigeria must be having another shit fit. First the Lambeth came and went and the sky did not fall in. U.S. Episcopal and Canada Anglicans were not excommunicated. Canterbury is riding out the storm and no more U.S. churches have joined Akinola’s parade. Glory be to God.
If Peter (love that name) Akinola would invest his time in cleaning up the political corruption, and help to alleviate the desperate social situations and poverty within his own country, he would not have time left to stick his nose in other people’s business.
“Like Bishop Robinson, John is in a committed relationship. Two years ago, he entered a civil union with his longtime lover, Grant Holmes, also an Anglican priest. Both men maintain they are celibate.”
Huh? They’re in a Civil Union but they are celibate? May I ask why? Celibacy is neither a sacrament nor a requirement for Anglican priests, so I don’t get it. Perhaps each simply has no interest in sex (possible, but a little unusual) and it is certainly the right of each to express his sexuality, or not to, but adding this footnote to the debate is a red herring. It is no more relevant than if they had disclosed that the men had sex with each other 11 times a day. It simply is not a factor because, as I already stayed, celibacy is neither a sacrament nor a requirement for priesthood in the Anglican church. If supporters of a potential gay bishop think that introducing this factor into the discussion somehow helps their candidate, they are sorely mistaken. The Anglicans debate gets more and more bizarre every day. I hope he gets elected if he is qualified (and most reports state that he is) and, for the sake of everyone he withholds the details of his and his partner’s sex-life rather than to interject what most gay men would consider a strange fetish into the mix.
What in the world does this paragraph mean?:
“Like Bishop Robinson, John is in a committed relationship. Two years ago, he entered a civil union with his longtime lover, Grant Holmes, also an Anglican priest. Both men maintain they are celibate.”
The word celibate means “unmarried.” Why would a married man / couple maintain that they are “unmarried?”
I suspect that they are misusing the word “celibate” to mean that they are “living in a sexless union.” Why would a married gay man / couple want to maintain that they are “living in a sexless union”?
Sorry for the redundancy. Alex and I must have been responding at the same time!
Against logic AND Canon Law, the “authorities” in the Church of England REQUIRED that same-sex clergy couples NOT HAVE SEX if they were to be allowed to have CIVIL unions. Several wags on both sides of the pond volunteered for Bed Check .
Cheers,
Bud Clark
San Diego CA USA