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Archbishop or Canterbury Dr Rowan William, at ‘secret’ gay ceremony
30 Nov 2007 –
England- The Archbishop of Canterbury has encouraged gay Christians to continue
to engage with their opponents in the ongoing row over human sexuality in the
Anglican Communion.
Yesterday the Archbishop
presided at a service of the Eucharist for members of the Clergy Consultation, a
group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and intersex priests in the
Church of England.
The secret meeting, which was moved from its original location after it was
revealed by the Protestant group The Church Society, was criticized by
traditionalists because of the service of the Eucharist.
The Archbishop also spoke at the service about the current crisis in the
Anglican Church, and one of those present said that Dr Rowan Williams addressed
the group in his sermon and remarks ‘as mature, adult Christians.’
The Rev Colin Coward, who leads the Changing Attitude group representing gay
Christians in the Church, said: “I felt that the tensions we experience in our
work was acknowledged by Dr Williams. We experience ourselves as being at the
centre of an intense dispute about the presence of LGBT Christians in our
Communion.
“Changing Attitude represents people in diverse parts of our Communion and at
every level of the church, from grassroots lay members of a congregation to
those in the episcopate. We endeavour to engage with those who disagree
radically with us. I received encouragement from the Archbishop to continue in
this endeavour. “Changing Attitude believes that the Anglican Communion can
maintain its traditional character of generous inclusion as we engage across
apparently intractable difference. We can do this when we acknowledge the
integrity of those with whom we disagree and relate to them as adult members of
our Church.”
He said that the 80 people present at yesterday’s meeting represented the ‘tip
of the iceberg’, adding that there are over 1,000 LGBT priests in the Church of
England. “If every LGBT clergy person were to be inhibited from their ministry
tomorrow, the Church of England would be thrown into crisis.”
But he added that gay priests in the Church are ‘mostly invisible’. “We remain
invisible because of the intense prejudice expressed by many Christians towards
us and because of the hostile environment in many societies. The Consultation
provides a safe place in which clergy and partners can meet in confidence and
talk openly about our lives.”
and vocations. To meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday was both a
privilege and an appropriate opportunity to engage in listening to one another
in the presence of God in the context of worship and prayer.”
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