Majority of primates call for temporary Episcopal Church sanctions

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Ugh.

[Episcopal News Service — Canterbury, England] A majority of Anglican primates Jan. 14 asked that the Episcopal Church, for a period of three years, “no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity.”

Expressing their unanimous desire to walk together, the primates said that their call comes in response to the decision by the Episcopal Church’s General Convention last June to change canonical language that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman (Resolution A036) and authorize two new marriage rites with language allowing them to be used by same-sex or opposite-sex couples (Resolution A054).

An announcement posted on the Primates 2016 meeting website said that “the Primates agreed how they would walk together in the grace and love of Christ.”

“This agreement acknowledges the significant distance that remains but confirms their unanimous commitment to walk together,” the announcement, which includes the full text of the primates’ call, said. The announcement also said the agreement “demonstrates the commitment of all the Primates to continue the life of the Communion with neither victor nor vanquished.”

I hope the Episcopal church at least considers leaving the communion. We're neither wanted or apparently needed anymore.

[Betty Karlson]

1. Mind you: only the primates (archbishops, metropolitans) have taken this step.

The bishops (Lambeth conference) and the other body of commiunion have not yet taken this step.

Furthermore: the UK bishops are mostly on our side. This is power play by the Nigerian and Ugandan primates, who are as homophobic as the rest of their countries.