Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom

Anglican Church in crisis talks to avert schism

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, in New
Orleans
Last Updated: 5:13pm BST 20/09/2007

The fate of the world’s third largest Christian Church is hanging in
the balance after the Archbishop of Canterbury began crisis talks
American liberals in a last-ditch effort to avert schism.

Holy Smoke: Damian Thompson’s blog The Archbishop fears 77 million
strong Anglican Communion could split over gay clergy debate Dr Rowan
Williams has two days to persuade the American House of Bishops in New
Orleans to row back on its pro-gay agenda or face the biggest crisis
in Anglican history.

He is under huge pressure from conservative leaders to oust the
Americans if they refuse to agree to halt the consecration of gay
bishops and the blessing of same-sex "marriages".

The Archbishop has told friends of his fears that the 77 million
strong Anglican Communion could split into bitterly antagonistic rival
Churches if he fails to hammer out a compromise over the next few
days.

He has privately warned the American bishops that if they "flatly
refuse" to cooperate, he is prepared to humiliate them by stripping
them of their voting rights at the showcase Lambeth Conference next
year, though he sees this as a last resort.

But he is aware that even if he does achieve a form of words that
placates moderates, conservative hardliners may still reject the deal
and to force damaging new splits by boycotting the ten-yearly
Conference of Anglican bishops in Canterbury.

African bishops have already provoked the liberals by consecrating a
series of "missionary" bishops to minister to American conservatives
who have rejected their liberal leaders, defying calls to respect the
territories of fellow bishops.

The Africans claim they have been forced to take the action because
liberal American bishops are persecuting American conservatives, and
they are calling on the Archbishop to set up a semi-independent safe
haven for traditionalist worshippers.

Dr Williams has privately admitted that this issue could prove to be
the toughest in his talks with the Americans, who have so far rejected
any outside interference in their Church as "colonialist".

Their head, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, herself a
feminist and pro-gay liberal, has secretly drawn up a new version of
the scheme for ministering to conservatives, but few believe that it
will satisfy hardliners.

A handful of conservative dioceses in America, led by the Bishop of
Pittsburg, the Rt Rev Bob Duncan, are preparing to form a breakaway
"parallel" Church in America alongside the Episcopal Church, the
official branch of Anglicanism.

The crisis that has engulfed the Anglican Communion, which is made up
of 38 self-governing provinces headed by primates, was triggered by
the 2003 consecration of Gene Robinson Anglicanism’s first openly gay
bishop in America.

The American Church were warned by the primates in February that it
could lose its full membership of the Communion unless it made clear
declarations halting gay consecrations and same-sex blessings and
setting up a semi-independent enclave for traditionalists.

They were given a deadline of September 30, so they decided to invite
the Archbishop, whom they accuse of siding with conservatives, to
listen to their views at their six-day meeting in New Orleans.

The American liberals are furious that the Archbishop has already
refused to invite Bishop Gene Robinson as a full participant at the
Lambeth Conference, which all Anglican bishops are expected to attend.

They are expected to issue their response to the demands of the
primates early next week, and a statement by the Archbishop, who is
starting a trip to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon at the weekend, will
follow later.

The dispute has proved so intractable and acrimonious because it
hinges on fundamental differences of how strictly the bible should be
interpreted.

Speaking in April, Dr Williams said: "It’s not just about nice people
who want to include gay and lesbian Christians, and nasty people who
want not to include them.

"The question is, really, ‘What are the forms of behaviour that the
Church has the freedom or the authority to bless if it wants to be
faithful to scripture and tradition?’

"That’s the question which is tearing us apart at the moment."