[Apologetics] Rowan Williams to celebrate 'secret' LGBT communion service

[Art Kelly]

September 17, 2007
Rowan Williams to celebrate 'secret' LGBT communion
service

The Clergy Consultation has managed to get the
Archbishop of Canterbury to celebrate a communion
service and give a talk on 'present realities and
future possibilities for lesbians and gay men in the
Church.' The consultation is a support organisation
for male and female, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or
transgender clergy, religious, ordinands, seminarians
and their partners. 

As we report, the meeting, so secret that the list of
those attending was to be 'shredded once seen by the
Archbishop', is on November 29 at St Peter's, Eaton
Square where the Bishop of Salisbury's former
chaplain, Nick Papadopulos, is the new Vicar. The
meeting is being organised by Chris Newlands, chaplain
to the Bishop of Chelmsford, and Christina Beardsley. 

It comes at a particularly sensitive time given that
the Archbishop is travelling to the US this week to
see what steps TEC bishops are taking in order to come
in line with Windsor following the 2003 consecration
of Gene Robinson, pictured.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, John Gladwin, is
incidentally the bishop at the centre of the row over
the ordination of Richard Woods in George Carey's old
church in Dagenham. Briony Martin, one of those down
to attend on 29 November, is part of Inclusive Church,
which has today publicised a forthcoming 'Celebrating
Diversity' event at Manchester Cathedral. 

The Archbishop's fundamental liberal sympathies are
well-known, thanks to his essay The Body's Grace. 

Recently it seemed as if he had changed sides for the
sake of Church unity. This has been a cause of great
distress and anger within the liberal and LGBT
community, who had looked to his appointment to bring
about the changes in the Church's culture on sexuality
that they had longed for. They felt hurt and betrayed.


The fact that he's agreed to celebrate the sacrament
for leading members of the LGBT community, however, is
a good indication of where the Archbishop's true
sympathies still lie. 

It has to be a possibility now that he's given up on
trying to prevent schism, and after this week will go
back to pastoring the liberal catholic community that
is his natural home. The welcome back of the prodigal
archbishop might not be all that he hopes however. The
LGBT community is furious at the secrecy conditions
attached to the whole thing.

Where this leaves the unity of the Church of England
remains to be seen. 

I can't see there being problems on the same scale as
the US - a eucharistic celebration is not an
ordination after all although both are sacraments. But
Peter Akinola will surely now be looking for a priest
here to become a CANA bishop for certain English
parishes to look to for oversight. And Rowan Williams
is seriously destabilised now for the end of the week.

The full article is at
http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2007/09/rowan-williams-.html



 


ART KELLY, ATM-S
13524 Brightfield Lane
Herndon, Virginia 20171-3360
(703) 904-3763 home
(703) 396-6956 work
arthurkelly at yahoo.com
art.kelly at cox.net
ArtK135 at Netscape.net


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.
http://tv.yahoo.com/