The Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said he remains
"committed" to the Anglican Church's official stance against
gay sex in an attempt to preserve biblical norms,
reports TheTimes of London. Williams added, "I do not
believe that sex outside marriage is as God purposes
it." He spoke out regarding the controversy swirling
around the acceptance of homosexuality within the church on
Tuesday at the once-a-decade Anglican Lambeth
Conference in England.
"Are we
heading for schism? Well, let's see. If it is the end
of the Anglican Communion, I do not think anyone has
told most of the people here," Williams told TheTimes. Division within the church arose after
openly gay bishop Gene Robinson was consecrated in the
United States in 2003.
Afterward, church
elders decreed that no more gay bishops could be
consecrated. Liberals within the church are hoping to
reverse that ruling by the time the next General
Convention meets in the summer of 2009.
As a result, 230
bishops boycotted the Lambeth Conference and organized
their own rival meeting, Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans,
in Jerusalem last month. Also speaking at the
conference, the Archbishop of Sudan, Daniel Deng,
called for openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson to step down from
his post, the British Broadcasting Company reports. Deng
blamed Robinson for the boycott, saying that his
behavior "violated Anglican norms," according to the
BBC. (The Advocate)
