Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will be one flesh”. (Gn.2:24; Mt. 19:5, Eph. 5:31)
The College of Bishops of the Province of Chile rejects the decision of the Synod of the Church of England to allow the blessing of same-sex couples. Among several reasons, the following stand out:
1. This is a practice contrary to what is established by the Word of God. God- ordained marriage is between a man and a woman who are biologically and genetically so.
2. Although the Church of England argues that it is not a marriage but only a blessing, the essence is the same and it does not change. Saying this is belittling or diminishing the true effect of a blessing bestowed in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. We perceive as most probable that this “blessing” is the first step of several to finally approve the marriage of same-sex couples and at the end, the freedom of conscience that is argued so much for those who disagree and do not want to do so will no longer be respected. Ultimately, it will be mandatory for all clergy, and no one will be ordained unless they agree in writing to practice it and those who disagree will be excommunicated from the church. We have already seen and experienced this very closely with The Episcopal Church of the USA (TEC).
4. If the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury want us to “walk together”, then we call on him to stop this process so as not to affect the life of the Church of England itself and the Anglican Communion as a whole. It is still time to do it.
5. The Anglican Church of Chile recognizes the biblical marriage between a man and a woman in a monogamous and lifelong union; historically reflected in our Founding Documents (the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer of 1662, and the Second Book of homilies on the State of Marriage – No.18).
6. Finally, to the brothers and sisters of the Church of England who remain faithful to Biblical teachings, and must face with these types of decisions that will affect their Christian life and ministry, we send our solidarity, and we will support them to the best of our ability.
SIGNED:
The Most Rt. Rev. Hector Zavala — Primate of Chile and Bishop of Santiago
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Morrison — Bishop of Valparaiso
The Rt. Rev. Enrique Lago — Bishop of Southern Chile
The Rt. Rev. Alfred Cooper — Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago
The Rt. Rev. Nelson Ojeda — Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago
The Rt. Rev. Abelino Apeleo — Bishop Emeritus of La Araucanía
23 March 2023
