Archbishop Gomez attended an extraordinary “emergency” meeting of primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion on Oct. 15-16 in London.
“For most of us assembled at the meeting, including the Archbishop of the West Indies, the issue of the ordination of Canon Robinson as a bishop is totally non-negotiable and we ask Anglicans across the Communion to pray for the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit as we work to save our Anglican community,” said Archbishop Gomez, delivering his charge at the opening of the 103rd session of Anglican Synod at Christ Church Cathedral.
The two-day in London was called by the Archbishop Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury) to discuss the implications of recent developments in the Episcopal Church of the United States, to wit the recent confirmation of an openly gay person to become the next Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America and one Diocese in the Anglican church of Canada have both taken action and “forced” the Communion as a whole to have a special meeting to decide on a course of action in response to the actions taken by elements of the Episcopal Church in the US.
Archbishop Gomez told The Guardian in an earlier interview before leaving for London that the Episcopal church in the United States made two decisions at their recently concluded convention, confirming the election of an openly gay person who divorced his wife and left his two children and have also confirmed him to become the next Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire.
He also stated at the time that the second Act of the Convention was to pass a Resolution which said they would recognise same sex blessings taking place in individual dioceses and parishes. The churches of the Southern Diocese, however, of which The Bahamas is a member, objects to both of these actions. He said the church in the United States has taken “formal action” without consulting the churches of the Southern Diocese and did not give them the courtesy to discuss their proposals.
Archbishop Gomez told a packed Cathedral of Synod delegates that the meeting, as a body, unanimously opposed both actions and explored the possible implications for the future of the Anglican Communion.
“We requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint a special commission to examine the various structural adjustments which may become necessary in our on-going relationships within the Anglican Communion in the absence of a central juridical mechanism within Anglicanism for coping with such issues,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez pointed out that the Communion is comprised of 38 independent and autonomous provinces, sharing a common faith, worship, fellowship and witness. He concluded that the actions of the Episcopal Church will seriously hamper common teaching and witness within the Communion.
According to Archbishop Gomez, the Archbishop of Canterbury has promised to appoint a Commission to report within 12 months. Primates would receive the report and make their recommendations to the respective provinces.
“The outcome of these crucial deliberations will determine our ongoing relationship as a Communion. I ask your prayers for all persons who will be involved in this important area of work,” he said.
Archbishop Gomez said the primates at the meeting also reaffirmed the commitment to the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution on Human Sexuality, which remains the position of the Anglican communion.
The Resolution declared that:
*Homosexual practice was incompatible with Holy Scripture and prohibited same-sex blessings
*Reaffirmed the centrality and authority of the Bible for Anglican life and witness
*Declared that should the Episcopal Church proceed with the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson as a Bishop, his ministry as a Bishop will not be recognised by most of the provinces in the Communion, as such consecration would place the future of the Anglican Communion in jeopardy
Archbishop Gomez said a provincial response to the Statement from the primates’ meeting will be made at the meeting of the Provincial Standing Committee and the House of Bishops scheduled to be held in Antigua during the second week of November. The provincial response will be communicated to the Diocesan Council.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
