Anglican Debate Over Homosexual Issues Church rift... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 6/21/2002
Last Visited: 2/27/2003
Trevor Walters, rector of St. Matthew's parish in Abbotsford, said the diocese had broken away from the mainstream Anglican Church by endorsing a form of sexual activity that was deemed incompatible with Scripture by the Canadian House of Bishops in 1997, and by a vast majority of Anglican bishops from around the world during the Lambeth Conference in 1998.
As a result, Walters said conservative parishes like his were obliged to leave the diocese temporarily and to wait for higher authorities -- such as the House of Bishops, the primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury -- to tell them what to do next."We'll just wait until all those folks sort out the mess, and we'll do what they tell us to do," he said.
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During the debate before the vote, Walters told a "parable" about a subtly abusive husband who belittled his wife privately and didn't take her protests seriously until he heard she was planning to leave.Speaking after the walk-out, Walters said Ingham's efforts to appear conciliatory were little more than a political tactic.
"He's appeared to be conciliatory, in that he's held back two votes," said Walters."Well, that was political, not conciliatory.You don't push ahead with a vote that's as divisive as that unless you've got a high percentage.Now of course, today there was 60-something percent, so it was a safe thing for him to continue."
Cultural discrimination
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Walters said the nine churches that left the synod include some of the larger parishes in the diocese, representing up to one quarter of the diocese's membership and one fifth of the diocese's budget, and he said he expected other churches to join them soon.He also noted that three of the churches that walked out were predominantly Chinese, and he said these parishes were especially alienated by the direction the synod had taken.
"If this issue that has come before us is a question of minority rights -- we don't want to discriminate on the basis of creed, culture, sexuality, et cetera -- then we've just discriminated against culture, because the Chinese culture simply prohibits homosexuality," said Walters.
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Walters said the controversy here will have ramifications for the Anglican church around the world."We're really going to be the test case for the Anglican Communion," he said.
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