Strip Gay Bishop Of Office if there is to be peace in the Anglican Church

[Cannikin]

Gene Robinson must be removed as Bishop of New Hampshire if there is to be peace in the worldwide Anglican Church a commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury has been told.

The Eames Commission was created to seek unity between conservatives and modernists in the faith following the uproar over Robinson's election last year. This week it met in South Carolina where a position paper was presented by Archbishop Drexel Gomez, of the West Indies calling for Robinson's removal.

Gomez told the commission, headed by the Most Reverend Robin Eames, the Archbishop of Armagh in Northern Ireland, that as long as Robinson is allowed to remain as a bishop in the Episcopal Church the threat of a schism will grow.

Gomez, one of the leading conservatives in the Church said that the best remedy would be to annul Robinson's consecration, in effect declaring that it never occurred.

Read the full story:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/06/061804robinson.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Screw that. Take the schism instead.

Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/liberalchristians.htm

[cosmicdot]

2. I'd go with the schism ... what's the history of religion without schisms?

ultimatums and schisms seem to go hand in hand

let "conservative" Archbishop Drexel Gomez, of the West Indies, schism away

Curious language, there: "strip Gay Bishop"

[BiggJawn]

3. Schism, my Schizzles...

Why do you think there's so damn many different flavours of Pentecostals and Baptists?

In my mind, the biggest thing the commission has to work on now is what to call the 2 new branches of the Anglican Church....

[gratuitous]

4. Why should Robinson step down?

What crime has he committed? I find no fault in this man.

But the crowd only called out the louder, "Crucify him!"

We'll see if the Archbishop of Canterbury emulates Pilate or Atticus Finch.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Pilate looks closer to the mark

He wasn't exactly decisive about a British bishop:

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, twice gave verbal permission for the gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John to be appointed a bishop, it emerged yesterday.
The disclosure comes almost a year after Dr John was forced to stand down from the post of suffragan bishop of Reading by Dr Williams, because his appointment caused a storm of protest from Anglican evangelicals across the world.
...
"I had understood the diocese was more behind the appointment than seemed to be the case," he said. "There was public disagreement in the House of Bishops:If bishops are divided over welcoming a new member, then that does make one scratch one's head. Thirdly, there was the international dimension, which was very complex and quite fragile. When a third-world diocese says it cannot remain in fellowship, that is a cost to both sides."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1241818,00.html

[freetobegay]

5. They want it to look like it never even happened.

Who does that sound like?

[Loki]

6. I have a better idea Archbishop Gomez - you leave.

These intolerant, one issue, conservative fundy extremist hate monger hypocrites need to leave my Episcopal church and line up behind the cretins at Westboro Baptist where their true spiritual leader Fred Phelps can make them feel oh so warm and fuzzy in their hatred. The one's who have left the church because of this, I say good riddance.

[PopSixSquish]

8. Yeah, What Loki Said!!!

I'm an Episcopalian and a PK to boot. Don't let the door hit you fellas in the rear on the way out.

"intolerant, one issue, conservative fundy extremist hate monger hypocrites" indeed!

[shimmergal]

9. Well, actually...

The Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't have the power to make Bishop Robinson step down.

Only the Episcopal church's triennial convention--House of Delegates and House of Bishops-- can do that. Yes, American Episcopalians feel an obligation to _listen_ to the spiritual and other advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury. But they aren't obligated to follow it--he's not like the Pope is in Roman Catholicism. So I suspect Dr. Williams will try to keep peace in the Anglican family despite the report.

After all, if the U.S. branch schisms, probably Canada will follow. I doubt he'd like to see these two (relatively) wealthy groups leave, despite the bravado with which some of the third world bishops have said "WE don't need your funds; we'll go it alone." And remember, the British church was only some ten years behind the U.S. in ordaining women priests. The same drama will be replayed in the Church of England over the gay issue again, no matter how the issue may be patched up now.