Updated Saturday morning
A post-Lambeth statement was released by the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada at the conclusion of its meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Link to it in full here.
This statement is also available as a PDF here.
The earlier document on Shared Episcopal Ministry is linked from this page.
Update
The Anglican Journal has a report on this, by Marites Sison headed ‘Large majority’ of bishops agree to moratoria
Earlier reports:
Montreal bishop will work out rite for same-sex blessing by Harvey Shepherd
Ottawa bishop seeks approval for same-sex blessings by Art Babych
Central Interior assembly says ‘yes’ to blessings by Marites Sison
Also, see Lutheran Bishops issue statement on joint meeting.
It is sad that they are going to keep the moratoria in place until 2010. As they have noted, some dioceses have not yet engaged in the listening process. They are dioceses who have determined that it would be ungodly to engage in the listening process. We should not wait for such souls. That is the same as saying that until some cultures repent of murdering and abusing their women, no other society may put in place legal and cultural frameworks to protect women from abuse. God did not wait for the Pharoah or his sorcerers, God was ready to… Read more »
Perhaps they will issue another statement explaining what the statement means, if anything….
Our diocesan bishop, Barry Clark, indicates in the article that he’ll be moving forward carefully: “I think that tends to be forgotten. There’s nowhere that anyone is permitted to bless same-sex marriages. We may be talking about it, my desire is to put the process moving in that direction but nothing has happened,” said Bishop Clarke in an interview. The translation is that we’re not talking about same-sex marriage but the blessing of civil marriages for same-sex couples. I suspect this has already happened in a very informal manner within our cathedral parish, which is very affirming. There is a… Read more »
For further information on the plans for implementation in the Diocese of Montreal, see (hot off the press): http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=7aac2057-aaa6-4857-b857-611b3eb679f1
Andrew in Montreal
As *I* read it, they understand that some dioceses WON’T wait (for consensus re same-sex marriage), and that such dioceses will be respected in their decicions, regardless.
“Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, acknowledged that this stance allows dioceses such as Montreal and Ottawa some wiggle room to continue what their bishops have recently described as “incremental” and “experiential” steps toward same-sex blessings.’ – Press Report. Question: Does this ‘wiggle room’ allow of further actual blessings to take place in the Dioceses mentioned, one wonders, or is it simply an encouragement for the prophetic Dioceses to continue to ‘study’ the implications of the moratoria? This is not clear. One could hope that ‘experiential’ steps towards same-sex blessings, as mentioned in the statement might… Read more »
“As a result of these conversations a large majority of the House can affirm the following: “A continued commitment to the greatest extent possible to the three moratoria — on the blessing of same-sex unions, on the ordination to the episcopate of people in same-sex relationships and on cross-border interventions — until General Synod 2010.” Well, I’m not sure what it does say. But it quite specifically doesn’t say that all the bishops have agreed to the moratorium. One diocese already has authorized the blessing of same-sex unions. Four more dioceses (Montreal, Ottawa, Huron and Niagara) as well as the… Read more »
“That is the same as saying that until some cultures repent of murdering and abusing their women, no other society may put in place legal and cultural frameworks to protect women from abuse.” Surely this an egregiously ill-informed and hyperbolic misrepresentation of the Canadian bishops statement. Spokespersons for TEC often make the point that their polity is not understood or respected elsewhere in the Communion, as if TEC is the only province with a similar polity governed by both the rule of law and the rule of love. Of course it is not. The Canadian bps have arrived at just… Read more »
Before Lambeth was even finished, Gregory Venables announced that he would not abide by the moratoria, and soon after several of his partners in crime did the same.
Why, then, do some insist in pretending that the moratoria are somehow still a realistic proposal? They are dead. Finished. Strangled in their cradle.
What will happen, as anyone with more than three functioning neurons can plainly see, is that the so-called “orthodox” will continue their piracy while the ACC and TEC are expected to give in to them *and* continue paying the Communion’s bills.
Garry What is forgotten in all this is that there are GLBTs who desire to be affirmed as being desirous and capable of living in life-long committed and affirmed relationships. Their suffering does not disappear because there is a moratoria in place. God is a relational being. We were created in God’s image. We are also relational beings. It is wrong to with-hold affirmation from souls who are ready to make a commitment. The dioceses who have not listened will not listen until there is evidence that the world does not end because GLBTs (or eunuchs) have been affirmed. Of… Read more »
I have to wonder if Canada isn’t giving Venables and crew just enough rope to hang themselves. Border crossings will continue despite what Synod says and just maybe by 2010 the ACofC will be able to say, “we did what you asked and this is what we got in response.” What will the ABC do? If it’s Semantu, it may force his hand to tell the GS, I don’t recognize these replacement structures. Only time will tell. Truly though, education of the masses is most important. What I see is a lot of people at the higher up level not… Read more »
“there are GLBTs who desire to be affirmed as being desirous and capable of living in life-long committed and affirmed relationships.”
Is this what sacrimental matrimony is all about, regardless of how heterosexuals have treated it for the past God knows how many centuries?