U.S. Anglicans said to face sanctions over support for gay bishop 

by Cedric Pulford
Ecumenical News International

LONDON — Leaders of the U.S. Episcopal (Anglican)Church may be put into quarantine by the rest of the worldwide Anglican Communion after the ordination of an actively gay man, Gene Robinson, as a bishop in the United States, London newspapers were reporting Sept. 3.

      The Times and the Telegraph daily newspapers reported what they said were the expected findings of a special commission set up by the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams in the aftermath of Robinson’s consecration and support for same-sex blessings in a province of the Anglican Church of Canada. Both actions run counter to decisions of the 1998 Lambeth conference of all bishops of the 75-million communion.

      The commission, which holds a final meeting in Windsor, England, next week, is due to report in October.

      U.S. bishops who continue to support Robinson’s consecration would be excluded from Anglican summits, according to the newspaper reports. New bishops everywhere in the communion would have to undertake to support official Anglican policy.

      The U.S. Episcopal Church itself would face possible exclusion from the communion, the newspapers said. The decision would be made at the next Lambeth Conference, due in 2008, if the U.S. church’s leadership had not renounced its position.

      The Telegraph reported: “If adopted, the proposals could prove enough to placate the church’s conservatives.”

      The newspaper noted that many of the suggestions emerged from the Anglican Communion Institute, a think-tank supported by George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

      Carey caused controversy last month by agreeing to carry out confirmation ceremonies in the United States, at the invitation of dissident parishes, which are withholding support from the U.S. Episcopal Church because of the homosexuality issue.

      In England, disputes over the appointment of an openly gay man, Jeffrey John, as a cathedral dean mainly disappeared when he indicated he would follow official Anglican teaching on homosexuality. Earlier, he had been nominated as a suffragan (assistant) bishop, but declined the post after protests about his nomination.