CHURCH MAY SPLIT INTO A FEDERATION

May 3, 2004

By Ruth Gledhill

The London Times

Plans for a formal split in the Anglican Communion are under consideration to resolve deep divisions over homosexuality.

The Lambeth Commission—an 18-member international body appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams—is studying a proposal to transform the Communion into a looser “Anglican confederation,” modeled after the World Lutheran Federation.

Under this model, national provinces would retain autonomy to adopt doctrines or practices as they see fit, while still identifying as “Anglican” and remaining in communion with the Church of England through the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Provinces deemed too progressive—such as The Episcopal Church (USA), which ordained an openly gay bishop, or the Anglican Church of Canada, which authorized same-sex blessings—could be downgraded to “observer” status or excluded from gatherings like the Lambeth Conference.

This would allow conservative provinces to effectively “excommunicate” liberal ones without full schism, maintaining a symbolic global unity.

Already, plans are underway to significantly reduce the number of bishops invited to the 2008 Lambeth Conference in South Africa. Unlike the 1998 gathering—which included nearly 800 bishops—cost and controversy will likely limit attendance. Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire is unlikely to be invited.

Canon lawyers are reviewing the Lutheran structure ahead of the Commission’s next meeting in Kanuga, North Carolina. “The quality of the communion depends on how far the Western Church is willing to sacrifice its lesbian and gay members,” one source noted.

Recommendations are expected to circulate among primates by late July, possibly establishing tiers of membership: full members, non-voting participants, and observers—based on each province’s actions.

The model is fitting: Anglicans and Lutherans already share fellowship under the 1995 Porvoo Declaration.

The Anglican Communion comprises 38 provinces and nearly 70 million members across 164 countries.

In a recent letter, Lambeth Commission chair Dr. Robin Eames, Primate of Ireland, urged conservatives not to form breakaway dioceses until the Commission’s report is complete by year’s end. “It is my prayer… that the report will enable the Anglican Communion to move forward together in ways that will stand the test of time,” he wrote.

© 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd.