February 24, 2005
In a communique issued late Thursday the Primates, or senior
Archbishops, of the Anglican Communion asked the Episcopal Church USA and the
Anglican Church of Canada to voluntarily withdraw from the Communion's top
deliberative body for three years. The statement was issued a full 24 hours
before it was expected and was unanimously adopted by the leaders of the
Church's 38 provinces. The action was in response to liberal moves in the US and
Canada that have placed those churches in tension with the rest of the Anglican
Communion, most notably the installation of an active homosexual as bishop in
New Hampshire and the blessing of same sex unions in Canada--moves that reflect
underlying issues of Scriptural authority.
The north American churches have
been asked to change direction as a requirement for their
re-instatement--something that will be evaluated at the next worldwide Lambeth
Conference in 2008.
Many groups have responded to the communique. The
Anglican Mission in The Americas hopes to issue a statement in the next several
days following deliberations among leaders.
Read the Communique
Read prelimimary comments from Bishop Chuck Murphy of the Anglican
Mission, issued before the Ireland meetings...
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