Lesbian bishops?

The news broke in December that Mary Glasspool (left), a practicing lesbian, had been elected as suffragan bishop of Los Angeles, although the appointment will only become effective if and when it is ratified by the diocesan authorities.

The Archbishop of Canterbury issued this response shortly afterwards:

"The election of Mary Glasspool by the Diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop elect raises very serious questions, not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole. 

The process of selection however is only part complete. The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees.  That decision will have very important implications. 

The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold."

Welcoming this response, EFCW subsequently issued this statement:

The Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales notes the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the election of Mary Glasspool by the diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop: ‘The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold’.  We believe that the election of Mary Glasspool indicates a willingness in the diocese of Los Angeles to break those bonds of affection, and that the confirmation of this election, should it happen, will indicate the willing-ness of The Episcopal Church as a whole to take actions ‘contrary to the mind of the Communion’.  Those who have left The Episcopal Church over recent years have, by contrast, shown their readiness to respect the mind of the Communion.  Such events in the United States have shown with increasing clarity which groups do and which do not represent the witness of authentic Anglicanism in that country.

Many EFCW members were among several hundred in Wales who signed their support of the Jerusalem Declaration.  Theologians from around the world have been working together to produce the Commentary on the Jerusalem Declaration, entitled “Being Faithful: The Shape of Historic Anglicanism Today”, which has now been published on behalf of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.
 
For further details contact Tudor Griffiths (one of the contributors) via the Contact page.