The Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy, will proceed with the ordination to the priesthood of a man who is openly living in a relationship with another man on Thursday evening despite a large growing protest in the Diocese.
I understand that more than 700 signatories have been received on a letter of protest. These 700 signatories represent close to 15% of regular church attendance in the Diocese and do not include members from one large church, St Matthew’s Shenton Park, which is organising it’s own response and will effectively double the number protesting. This leaves easily one quarter of regular church goers in the Diocese now protesting against an ordination.
The grounds of protest are set out in the following document supplied by a number of different sources:
The ordination is due to take place at St George’s Cathedral on the evening of Thursday 30 November at 7pm local time (10pm AEDT).
This latest controversy come rapidly on the heels of protests being made to the Archbishop over recent statements made in the press by Precentor at the Cathedral, Stephen Hilton, alongside the Cathedral’s involvement in PrideFest 2023.
Conservatives in the Diocese were told, when Hilton was appointed, that “he was not a campaigner”. Now he has written an article campaigning on this issue to accompany the Cathedral being used to promote the agenda of “inclusion”. This advocacy included the flying of an “inclusion” flag and the draping of flags on the Lord’s Table. I understand a seperate complaint has been made about this.
I have been unable to find any other moment in the history of the Anglican Church in Australia where an ordination has been protested by a quarter of the Diocese, let alone where the Ordinary has pushed on with the event in the face of such clear and obvious discontent.
Last year Goldsworthy ordained a number of other candidates to the Diaconate in the face of similar objections.
