Bishop Frank Griswold, the leader of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) has issued a stark warning to parishioners of the diocese of California, that if they elect another gay bishop in its upcoming election, it would further widen the confrontation within the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The ECUSA is already in danger of being expelled from the main Anglican body after going against the will of a majority of the worldwide Communion and electing an openly homosexual bishop in 2003.
Since the consecration of gay Bishop Gene Robinson the Anglican Communion has been heavily divided, with liberalists refusing to back down on the issue.
In just two weeks, the diocese of California, which is centred in San Francisco, will elect its next bishops from six proposed candidates. However, a major concern has arisen as three of the six are openly homosexual. It is believed if California follows the same path as 2003, the divisions amongst Anglicans across the globe may become irreparable.
Presiding Bishop of the ECUSA, Frank Griswold reported to a national UK newspaper, “The diocese needs to respect the sensibilities of the larger communion. It will note what is going on in the life of the church and make a careful and wise decision. It will then be up to the house of bishops to give or withhold their consent. Given what has happened over the last three years, I think there will be increased sensitivity.”
Bishop Griswold has also not hidden the fact that he has held private meetings to discuss the crisis with the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
He explained that they had discussed at depth, ways in which the Church could defuse the situation at the triennial Convention in June, which will take place in Ohio, USA.
A special Commission set up by the Episcopal Church recently submitted its report on the issue of homosexuality in the Church, and it recommended that its members employ “very considerable caution” before consecrating any other gay bishops. It also advised that the Episcopal Church should rule out any future blessing services for gay couples.
Bishop Griswold said, “It would sadden me greatly if there was a real break in the Anglican communion, because we are members one of another and share a common baptism. All of us would be diminished if any part of the communion was expelled.
"I am very aware that issues of poverty, disease and civil war are life and death issues of the sort we should be concentrating on, not our preoccupation with a particular manifestation of sexuality. I think it is possibly the work of the Evil One, making us fixate on sexuality rather than the more urgent things of the world,” he said, according to the Guardian.
More than 50 percent of the Anglican Communion’s provinces have severed or threatened to sever its ties with the US arm of the Communion because of its unwillingness to conform to the Church’s traditional Biblical teachings on the matter.
Since 2003, the problem has strained the Communion to near breaking-point. Even during the last joint-meeting last year in Northern Ireland, 14 Presiding Bishops and Archbishops refused to share communion with Bishops Griswold, or attend a service being led by Dr Williams, due to his apparent neutral stance on the issue.
Revealing how important he considered his direct talks with Dr Williams were, Bishop Griswold told, “We both live under stresses and strains, and it is important not to have second-hand communication, to meet face to face. It enables me to hear his concerns and he can hear some from me. He knows ECUSA [the Episcopal church] very well and we have known each other for years but what he is probably most aware of are some of the more angular expressions of concern from various factions in our church,” according to the Guardian.
Despite his clear conviction to keep the Communion together, Bishop Griswold when asked whether he would still support Bishop Gene Robinson’s election, he answered, “I am keenly aware of the difficulties [it] caused. I can understand the churches that opposed, but at the same time I have to respect the people of New Hampshire in their choice.
“To have abstained would have been meaningless and, assent to his election having been given, it would have been very odd for me not to attend his consecration.”
The San Francisco-based diocese of California will hold its Bishop election on 6th May, with all eyes in the worldwide Church looking on in tense anticipation.
Daniel Blake
Christian Today Correspondent