Statement from the Canadian House of Bishops on the failure of Synod to endorse gay marriage

1540

15 July 2019

We, members of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, see the pain and anguish inflicted on LGBTQ2S+ people, on members of the General Synod, across the Church, and in the world, as a result of the work and the vote on the matter of Canon 21, concerning marriage. We see your tears, we hear your cries, and we weep with you. We have caused deep hurt. We are profoundly sorry.

Although the bishops are not of one mind, we look with hope to the “Word to the Church” and its affirmations which General Synod 2019 overwhelmingly approved on Friday, July 12.

We are walking together in a way which leaves room for individual dioceses and jurisdictions of our church to proceed with same-sex marriage according to their contexts and convictions, sometimes described as “local option.”

Together, we affirm the inherent right of Indigenous peoples and communities to spiritual self-determination in their discernment and decisions in all matters.

Although we as bishops are not able to agree, in the name of Jesus Christ, we commit to conduct ourselves “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).

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19 COMMENTS

  1. Why bother with a national assembly if some groups can decide things for themselves and dissenters aren’t bound by majority decisions?

    • The marriage canon required the two-thirds majority. An affirmation of a local option did not. The GS adopted the resolution affirming the local option passed with 85% support.

      • What they accomplished is to adopt the modern TEC practice where resolutions overrule canons- clearly unconstitutional, but since the people ruling on the constitution are strong proponents, the unconstitutional has been ruled constitutional. The precedent is now set, and in Canada, before long, as in TEC, bishops and clergy will be inhibited (suspended, in modern lingo, since “inhibited” did not sound right in an uninhibited new religion) for upholding canons and BCP rubrics.
        The entire canonical/constitutional structure is now null and void. If you want to know the doctrine of the new religion of Canada, call the ACC national office once a week for updates.

      • The technicalities of the majorities needed or achieved is of little value. Who cares if was done according to the canons? This is chaos and I’ll wager that The Spirit has left the building.

  2. So why do indigenous people (Siberian-Americans) have special exemptions from this New Thing That God Is Doing?

    • I was wondering the same thing. Conversely, why don’t non-indigenous peoples have the right to spiritual self-determination?

    • This will be a huge over-simplification, but under Canadian law, and some more rational canonical changes in the ACoC canons beginning 30-40 years ago, First Nations and other indigenous cultures have more respect and autonomy. This leaves the relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and the indigenous jurisdictions more like the relationship between 815 and the diocese of Honduras, than like 815’s relationship to Navaholand or, for that matter, any domestic diocese.

  3. Everyone seems to be upset by the decision. On the traditionalist side, a local option seems to be unacceptable as most do not want same-sex marriages. On the progressive side, they wanted the marriage canon to be amended so the local option does not seem like enough.

  4. “still others see the love and grace of Jesus demanding a transforming view of
    justice which includes all persons – including those whom the church
    traditionally interpreted as sinners condemned by scripture, and seek to
    repent of language and attitudes which oppressed the LGBTQ2S community
    and injured their dignity     both as persons in civil society and as beloved
    children of God;”
    In other words, that which is sin is not, and that which is not is sin.

    • Saw that last night. It demonstrates that some of those poor young people are in desperate need of psychological counseling. Which in turn demonstrates a complete failure of pastoral guidance by the clergy in their dioceses. The article stops just short of blaming teen suicide on Christianity and orthodox bishops.
      Also, reading between the lines, it sounds like the First Nations and other indigenous delegates were treated in much the same way as African delegates at the recent United Methodist general conference.

  7. Can you imagine their cries of solidarity and weeping if the vote went the other way? Would they moan about the “deep hurt” done to folks who hold traditional views? Somehow I don’t think so.

  8. Without shedding crocodile tears over the lost vote, what these pagan bishops should first do is to get the synod to vote that the church is not the Sacrament of Christ (who’s God Sacrament). Then, do whatever they want in the church’s name, and no body will take much notice!

    Many years ago when I was in senior Sunday School, in a lesson on Hell, I remember very well the teacher saying that one should not be surprised to note a couple of bishops residing there. I never believed it even as an adult to my early 50’s because I took bishops and priests to be those whom God has called and appointed to lead people back Home —to Heaven.

    Thanks to these pagan bishops (and such others about whom we have head so much of lately), I am now a believer of what my Sunday school teacher taught me. Now, I do not expect to see anybody else, but bishops such as these in Hell. ????

  9. The tragedy as I see it is the Bishops do not understand their role. The ACofC is an Episcopal Church, it is not a congregational or presbyterian church, so they need not quote statistics that the combined vote was over 80% or that the members of their diocese is pro same sex marriage. They do not represent the people under their charge, they are not agents of their diocese. They are agents of God, they must choose God’s cause not man’s. They are responsible that the whole Word of God is preached not just the parts they like. Those that choose the local option and approve same sex marriage I feel should also remove the Nicene Creed from their services. How can they say “I believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” do they believe the Apostles would agree to this change?

    I also find it ironic that had the vote passed they would have proclaimed the Holy Spirit is at work. When their will is not accomplished it is God has more work to do on this matter. They are the Pharisees of today and have reduced God to the level of their worthiness.

    To quote R. Niebuhr from 1937, I feel they believe in
    “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”

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