LONDON — Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has been called on to withdraw recognition from the Canadian diocese of New Westminster because of its introduction of a service of blessing for same-sex unions. The proposal was made by Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia, in an article in New Directions, the periodical of Forward in Faith, the movement linking members of the Church of England opposed to the ordination of women priests. Jensen’s article is a response to one by Williams in the same periodical a month ago forecasting a “messy” future for the Anglican Communion because of the dispute over homosexuality.
In his article, Jensen concentrated on the situation in New Westminster, only mentioning the election of Canon Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in a passing reference. He cited the nine parishes that have withdrawn from the diocese of New Westminster in protest against what they see as something that would involve them “in an immoral activity … specifically forbidden by the Bible.”
(TAB)
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