Archbishop Peter Jensen has said the US bishops' reply to the Anglican Communion's ultimatum says nothing new and may do nothing to resolve tensions between the two bodies.

"At first reading, the statement from the TEC bishops does not seem to say anything new," Archbishop Jensen says.

"The situation may not then be changed in any way. However, we are continuing to study the document and will respond in due course."

The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States released its official response to the Anglican Communion’s February ultimatum on September 25.

The February statement had called on the Episcopal Church to stop blessing same-sex unions and the ordination of practising gay clergy.

It also called for alternative pastoral oversight which would give individuals and congregations alienated from the Episcopal Church "adequate space to flourish within the life of that church'.

If the US House of Bishops did not adequately fulfil these requests, "the relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a whole remains damaged at best, and this has consequences for the full participation of the church in the life of the Communion," an Anglican Communion’s statement said.

The Episcopal Church Statement

The Episcopal Church has introduced their statement with an articulation of "passionate desire" to remain in the Anglican Communion and its belief that the statement "provide(s) clarity and point(s) toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue".

Some of the key points are:

"¢ A call on bishops with jurisdiction "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion"

"¢ A pledge "not to authorise public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion"

"¢ A stand against "incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and (a) call for them to end"

"¢ A plan to "appoint Episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight" which would be "provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province"

"¢ A rejection of the Anglican Primates' proposed "pastoral scheme' for those seeking alternative oversight, due to a "deep concern" that the scheme would threaten the Episcopal Church's autonomy.

Africa weighs in

Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria has expressed his disappointment with the Episcopal Church's response.

"We made clear that it is a time for clarity and a rejection of what hitherto has been an endless series of ambiguous and misleading statements," he says, referring to the Anglican Primates’ February requests.

"Sadly it seems that our hopes were not well founded and our pleas have once again been ignored."

Archbishop Akinola laments the absence of a "change of heart (repentance)" in the response and says what it delivers instead is an "unrelenting determination to "bring the rest of the Communion along'".

This is especially the case regarding the blessing of same-sex unions, he says.

"While we have repeatedly asked for a moratorium on same-sex blessings " across the Episcopal Church the clergy have continued with these blessings with the full knowledge and support of the Diocesan bishops, even if not technically authorized."

 

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