The Anglican world church is apparently on the verge of schism. There is "no longer any hope" of unity with the liberal wing of the Communion, which accepts homosexual priests in the church, writes the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, in a statement by Anglican traditionalists quoted by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
It goes on to say that church unity can only be restored by a "conversion" of U.S. Anglicans. The Episcopal Church there sparked the controversy in 2003 with the appointment of Gene Robinson, a self-confessed homosexual, as bishop of New Hampshire. The conservative church wing emphasizes in its statement that "great efforts" had been made to prevent the crisis; action must now be taken. Otherwise, the church threatens to lead "millions of people" away from the true faith revealed in Scripture. The statement, titled "The Way, the Truth and the Life," was to be released Thursday evening ahead of a conference on the future of the Anglican world church (GAFCON) that begins Sunday in Jerusalem and Amman. The meeting, ahead of the Lambeth Conference, the highest decision-making body of the Anglican world communion, which meets in England at the end of July, is seen as crucial to the conservative wing's decision-making process.
Homosexual bishop travels uninvited to Lambeth conference Homosexual U.S. Bishop Robinson to attend Lambeth conference as uninvited guest. Even without his appearance, the topic of homosexuality is likely to be a major theme of the conference. Most recently, the "yes" vote of two homosexual clergymen in a London Anglican church over the weekend caused strong protests in the conservative camp. Lambeth Conference meets only once every ten years. More than 800 bishops from around the world expected to attend. Africa's conservative national churches in particular vehemently oppose the ordination of professed homosexuals. Several African church leaders, including Archbishop Akinola, have now established various parallel structures in the U.S. So-called "flying bishops" are to minister to Anglican believers who do not wish to be under a liberal church leadership.
Keyword: Anglican Church The Anglican Church was founded at the time of the Reformation in England. King Henry VIII. Broke with the pope in 1533 because he refused to annul the king's marriage. As head of a new state church, Henry VIII set. himself. On matters of faith, Anglicans initially stuck with Catholic teaching. Later, Protestant influences prevailed, leading to the publication of the first Anglican book of faith, the "Book of Common Prayer" in 1549.Outside England, there are 26 Anglican ecclesiastical provinces worldwide, for example in the USA, Australia and several African countries, which are growing in importance. Worldwide, the Anglican Church has about 78 million members. The mother church of England is presided over by the queen or king as secular head of the church. The spiritual leader, Primate of the Church of England, and honorary head of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, as "primus inter pares" (first among equals), he has no authority to ie directives to the respective national churches.In the 19. In the nineteenth century, a group of Anglican clergy at Oxford University triggered a return to Catholic elements. A camp was formed between the more traditional-conservative "High Church" and the more liberal-Protestant "Low Church. The two branches of the church are in a state of tension with each other that has intensified considerably in recent years. Controversial ies include the ordination of women as clergy, and in some cases as bishops, which is permitted in many national churches, the treatment of professedly homosexual priests, and church ceremonies for same-sex couples. These ies increasingly threaten the unity of the Anglican world communion.