ANGLICAN LEADER DEPARTS U.S. AS DISPUTE OVER GAYS SIMMERS

Arizona Daily Star, AZ
Chicago Tribune
Published: 09.22.2007
Arizona

NEW ORLEANS – Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams came to a
hurricane-damaged town hoping to spark frank dialogue about gay
ordination issues that have divided the U.S.-based Episcopal Church
from many of its Anglican brethren abroad.

He seems to have gotten just that, saying Friday that the 77 million
member Anglican Communion is "under the greatest possible strain at
the moment."

Episcopal Bishops are meeting through Tuesday to draft a response to
the worldwide communion’s call to stop consecrating gay and lesbian
bishops – a conflict that has divided the worldwide body since the
U.S. election of an openly gay bishop in 2003.

"Temperatures are very high at the moment," Williams told
reporters. Yet he expressed hope that the Anglican Communion would
find ways to remain unified.

Williams, U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and others
spoke in a press conference as the archbishop prepared to leave for
Armenia, Syria and Lebanon. However, most conservatives, some of whom
said they were not hopeful about the bishops’ meetings, left town
Friday rather than wait for the Episcopal Church to draft its response.

Peter Frank, spokesman for conservative Bishop Robert Duncan of
Pittsburgh, said the departure is "not a walkout or anything like
that. It’s just being here for the archbishop and then letting the
church make its decision."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress