The Australian Church Record, number 1914, October 2014, has been released.
Whose court is the ball in now? The game of words continues as the Anglican world waits to see the eventual relationship between ECUSA and the Anglican Communion. The Primates gave a strong serve into ECUSA’s court in the communiqué released from Newry, Northern Ireland, February this year. ECUSA’s return was weak and ambiguous.
Not surprisingly, there seemed to be a lot of discussion among the Primates in Newry (22 points to be exact) but deep in the middle of the communiqué were the words that orthodox Episcopalians were looking for. ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada were requested to voluntarily withdraw their members from the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC).Additionally, requests were made for a moratorium on public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration of any bishop living in a sexual relationship outside Christian marriage. In a news release, the Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, Bishop Duncan applauded the communiqué for its clarity and considered it a win for the conservative forces within ECUSA. Surely, this would flush ECUSA out and bring them to the point where they had to repent or leave.
The Primate for ECUSA, Bishop Griswold,saw it differently. He understood the communiqué as an opportunity to buy more time with more rhetoric. In an interview with the Episcopal News Service, Bishop Griswold commented, “One thing that is very clear from the communiqué is that space is created on many fronts…” and that it is a statement to,“…slow down a bit. Let’s make room for each other …”All this from the same document that Bishop Duncan read.
The communiqué made its way to the March House of Bishops meeting in Navasota,Texas (HOB) which produced a covenant statement. As far as any hope of repentance was concerned, we received another statement of “regret”. Regret for, “… failure to consult adequately with our Anglican Partners …” Note the absence of regret for the actions taken at the 2003 General Convention. Oh well, what about the moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions? The HOB informed that they had never authorised such liturgies. That’s not the way many of us remember 2003. What about the moratorium on the consecration of practicing, gay bishops? Consent has been withheld from all persons elected to the episcopate, regardless of their sexual practice. This is a clever way of avoiding the problem of practicing homosexuals in the episcopate.
Well then, surely the voluntary withdrawal from the ACC cannot be ducked. We will have to wait for that one. It has gone to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church for “serious deliberation”. Orthodox Episcopalians are left more bewildered and frustrated. Bishop Jack Ika of Fort Worth, rightly observed in his report from the HOB meeting, “…it was decided that little would be said, and even less would be done…” One wonders how long the Episcopal Church can talk its way out of inevitable crisis.