But Anglican Archbishop His Grace Drexel Gomez, who heads the Anglican church in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, held fast to his position that the diocese would realign itself with the American Episcopal Church if they continue to support the ordination of an openly gay, non celibate Bishop.
The issue and others closely associated with it like condoning same sex unions will be at the crux of a meeting next week that the Archbishop and other Anglican primates will attend in London.
“Some kind of decision has to be made, there is no question about this,” he said. “This is why it has attracted the attention of the international press for the past few weeks. And in a sense I feel that I am a part of history being involved in the meeting.”
While he held on to a sliver of optimism, Archbishop Gomez admitted that he must remain realistic.
“The outcome of this meeting will really depend on the number of persons siding with the Conservative group, who seek to maintain the tradition, teaching and practices of the historic church and the Bible,” he said during an interview at his home on Thursday.
The present leadership of the Anglican Church is divided into three groups: the largest, the Conservatives, of which the Archbishop is a member, the powerful though small Revisionist group or modern bishops and the Moderates, who tend to support some of the arguments from both sides, according to Archbishop Gomez.
The emergency meeting is scheduled for October 15-16 at Lambeth Palace in London.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams was persuaded to summon the meeting to discuss an array of developments relating to homosexuality, particularly in light of the 1998 Lambeth Resolution as well as the recent ordination of canon Gene Robinson – a gay priest living in a homosexual relationship for more than 13 years – as the next Diocesan Bishop of New Hampshire.
Reverend Robinson was elected August 5 by 62 votes to 45 by bishops of the Episcopal Church.
Archbishop Gomez will serve as the leading spokesman for primates for the south during the meeting, having co-authored the book “To Mend the Net,” in which he proposes some recommendations for dealing with situations “of this kind.”
“Archbishop Williams have indicated that I have 10 minutes to speak on behalf of the group,” he said.
During its annual synod last year, the local Anglican diocese passed a unanimous resolution reaffirming their opposition to same sex unions and homosexuality, a position Archbishop Gomez said he does not anticipate will change.
But while having hammered out a position, Archbishop Gomez said the primates of the South have been urged to remain tight lipped on their position prior to the next week’s meeting.
However, should this position not prevail, he said, the group will reserve the right to meet and decide how they will react to the situation. This provincial meeting will take place November 2 in Antigua.
But according to the Archbishop, even if the church were to decide not to accept openly gay bishops and condone sex unions, he hopes to remain “in communion with the Church as far and as long as possible, sharing the same faith and practices, which are integral aspects of Christianity.”
“To be a church, you are not isolated but must live in communion,” he said. “We as Christians are members of the body of Christ and to be a Christian means giving corporate expression of the reality, but when the body is severed, then you are hurting it. And occasions will arise when it becomes necessary to sever because you no longer have a common faith and share a common practice, communion is already being impaired, which is unfortunately what is happening in our world today. The lines have not only been drawn but the direction of contemporary teaching is driving some people away from the traditions.”
“And so we will have to face up to the reality that we may even use the same name as Anglicans, but we teach different things. Historically, Anglicans have dealt with this issue by using two terminologies – essential and non-essential teachings. And most of us agree that the issues we are looking at now are essential, which we require agreement on. The main issue then at this meeting will be how do we retain this teaching? Is there some way for us to continue together without disruption?”
Archbishop Gomez pointed out that Church will only find a way in this dilemma “by the Grace of God and if some persons are willing to change their present attitudes and teachings.”
Although apparently dodging the prospect of a happy medium co-existing between the Anglican Church standing on its principles and gays in The Bahamas, the Anglican leader pointed out however that “there is room in our church for all persons who wish to come to faith, irregardless of gender orientation.”
“As a church we believe that the homosexual practice is wrong, but there is no sin in having the homosexual orientation and that God loves all his children,” he said. “But the old saying still holds true – although modern people laugh at it – that ‘God loves the sinner but hates the sin,’ and this is what we try to practice. And so we don’t exclude anyone, but we still say that we have a moral obligation to teach and proclaim the truth as we have received it.”
“And this presents a pastoral difficulty because every priest has to be sensitive to these issues and seek to try to relate to persons who claim to be of homosexual orientation, to make space in the pastoral ministry for them, without compromising the teaching.”
Archbishop Gomez is expected to leave the capital Sunday evening.
By Macushla Pinder, The Bahama Journal
