Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service
28 February 2000


Archbishop of Canterbury refuses to recognise 'Singapore
consecrations'
ENI-00-0070

By Cedric Pulford
London, 28 February (ENI)--The Archbishop of Canterbury - who is
the leader of the world-wide Anglican Communion - has refused to
recognise the consecration of two new bishops in Singapore.

The two American priests were consecrated in Singapore on 29
January by conservative bishops from Asia, America and Africa who
believe that the Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) is too
liberal. Conservatives world-wide are highly critical of the
Episcopal Church because of the growing acceptance of
homosexuality and the prominence of women clergy within the US
church.

The two new bishops were entrusted with the goal of setting up
"Anglican missions" in the US to "reverse the decline" of the
church. The consecrations provoked outrage in Anglican churches
in many countries and was a clear signal that the battle between
progressive and conservative Anglicans was becoming even more
bitter. The head of the Episcopal Church in the USA, presiding
bishop Frank T. Griswold, said he was "appalled" by the Singapore
consecrations.

Dr George Carey, who is the leaders of the world's 70 million
Anglicans, has branded the consecrations as "irresponsible and
irregular", and sent a letter to all Anglican bishops world-wide
to criticise the Singapore initiative.

The two new American bishops, John H. Rodgers and Charles H.
Murphy, were consecrated in Singapore's St Andrew's Cathedral by
Moses Tay, Archbishop of South East Asia, and
Emmanuel Kolini, Archbishop of Rwanda, with support from two
retired US bishops and another Rwandan bishop.

Lesley Perry, the Archbishop of Canterbury's chief spokesperson,
told ENI that the consecrations were "valid, but illegal". This
meant, she said, that Rodgers and Murphy were bishops, but lacked
legality through shortcomings in the consecration process.

In his letter sent on 17 February to all bishops, Dr Carey
explained that bishops normally operated within dioceses. The two
appointees lacked a territorial basis, and it was doubtful that
they would be authorised to pursue their ministries by the
Episcopal Church authorities in the US. The letter also asserted
that the consecrations had not followed the constitutions of
either of the provinces whose archbishops performed the ceremony,
South East Asia and Rwanda.

However, Dr Carey recognised Rodgers and Murphy as "faithful and
committed ministers of the gospel * I do not question the motives
of those involved in the service, nor their own perception that
the situation in the United States is so serious that this action
could be justified.

"However, the understanding of episcopal ministry, which appears
to have allowed them to act unilaterally, without consultation
and in secret, is quite foreign to the Anglican tradition."

Dr Carey described as "unrealistic" expectations that a
week-long meeting of Anglican primates in Portugal next month
would produce an authoritative statement on faith and morals. Nor
would the meeting seek to impose its will on any province.

"To talk of the primates disciplining the Episcopal Church of
the USA, or any other province for that matter, goes far beyond
the brief of the primates' meeting."

The 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution on human sexuality -
which declared that homosexual practice was incompatible with
scripture but that all people are loved by God - "provided a text
around which the vast majority of bishops could unite", Dr Carey
said. (Much of the opposition to the Lambeth resolution, approved
by 526 votes to 70, with 45 abstentions, came from progressive
American bishops.)

Dr Carey's remarks on the two Singapore consecrations will be
welcome to many Anglicans, especially those in the US who are
angry at what they see as unwarranted interference in their
church.

But a leading traditionalist in London told ENI that Dr Carey
had exceeded his authority in refusing to recognise the two rebel
bishops.

Geoffrey Kirk, national secretary of Forward in Faith, which
represents traditionalist clergy, said: "The legality of
consecrations is a matter for individual provinces. There are no
canons for the whole communion, so the archbishop cannot
pronounce on the matter. He is not a legal officer of the
provinces."

Kirk praised the Singapore consecrations as "creatively and
imaginatively" finding a way to extend pastoral care to American
Anglicans affected by issues like women priests and the
acceptance of practising homosexuals. Referring to the fact that
the rebel bishops could not expect authorisation to minister in
the ECUSA, Kirk asked rhetorically: "Should it be necessary to
seek the agreement of a bishop who is formally apostate?"

In a month that saw him often in the headlines, Dr Carey also
warned of the risk of the Internet "isolating" individuals.
Giving a lecture on Christianity and citizenship, he told an
audience in Liverpool, in north-west England, on 23 February that
the "virtual" world of the Internet was not a substitute for real
relationships and communities.

Dr Carey, who is a keen computer user, said: "Increasingly, we
are not only citizens of the world, but also citizens of the
World Wide Web.

"Clearly the access to information and the ability to tap
resources not otherwise available can be a potent tool of
empowerment. But it can also be exclusive and isolating."

The Christian emphasis was on relationships, not just
connections. "Yes, we have to make contact, but it is the quality
of that contact that matters. We must be sure that the virtual
community is at the service of real communities, not a substitute
for them. It must be a tool for inclusion, not a weapon of
exclusion."

In another address, given at the University of Essex on 20
February, Dr Carey warned against a "Sunday morning" approach to
Christianity. He warned, in remarks which prompted controversy in
Britain because they seemed to justify media intrusion in the
private lives of politicians, that it was "self-delusion" for
politicians and others in public life to try to separate private
and public morality. Sexual sins often involved issues of deceit
and betrayal.

"The question reasonably arises in the public mind, why should
we have confidence in someone in public life who cannot be
trusted not to cheat in their private life? The point is not just
that bad private behaviour leaves the individual vulnerable, for
instance, to media intrusion, but that it undermines the respect
that we need to have for politicians if they're to enjoy our
confidence."

? Dr Carey, aged 64, has postponed his retirement because
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II wants him at her side when she
celebrates the 50th anniversary of her reign in 2002, according
to The Times newspaper in London. Although Dr Carey, who became
Archbishop of Canterbury in 1991, can stay in office until he is
70, some church-watchers had expected him to step down as early
as this year. But The Times reported that Queen Elizabeth admired
the archbishop's honesty, faith and steadfastness under attack.
Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's office, declined to comment on
the newspaper report.