New Orleans Statement
Background
Feb 19, 2007 The Primates met in Tanzania and issued a Communiqué which asked for clarity from The Episcopal Church (TEC) over consecrating actively gay bishops and authorising same sex blessings. Their deadline for this was Sept. 30 2007.
Sept. 25, 2007 the TEC house of bishops issued a statement from New Orleans which included this summary:
52 • We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election Of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
57 • We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
58 • We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
59 • We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to·end.
61 • We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
63 • We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
65 • We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
67 • We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.
Response From REFORM To New Orleans Statement By TEC Bishops
The statement from TEC Bishops amounts to no more than cynical window dressing. In an attempt to keep their place at the Anglican table, TEC Bishops have acquiesced only in the most formal way to the requests made by Anglican Primates at Dar es Salaam last February, while at the same time making quite clear they intend to pursue their liberalising agenda.
It seems that those who are sympathetic to TEC’s position wish to keep all parties engaged in discussion, even though it is becoming increasingly evident that there is less and less common ground between TEC and orthodox Anglicans. However good the motives of some may be, the possibilities for compromise are now very limited. Furthermore we are deeply concerned that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s own position has now been seriously weakened. Recent press reports suggest that he has shown solidarity with gay activists in TEC by joining them in a service of Holy Communion and by preparing to preside at Holy Communion with a private group of gay activists within the Church of England in two months’ time. We are currently seeking clarification about this from the Archbishop.
We are facing an eleventh-hour crisis in the Anglican Communion; any suggestion that further discussion is the way forward is a failure to realise the imminence of the threat we face. What is needed now is firm, decisive leadership which clearly protects and promotes the Biblical Christian faith. It is around such a position that the Communion could unite. In practice this means that discipline should be applied to TEC. Any bishops involved in the consecration of Gene Robinson or who teach that such consecrations are acceptable should be dis-invited from the Lambeth 2008 conference.
Without such discipline, we fear that divisions within the Anglican Communion will become permanent, with very grave consequences for the Church of England herself. Many in the mainstream of the Church’s life will want to align themselves with orthodox believers and distance themselves from TEC. This will entail a review, and suspension of, current diocesan links with TEC. Where dioceses are unwilling to suspend such links, orthodox clergy and parishes will remain committed to the Church of England, but will find the case for seeking alternative forms of spiritual oversight increasingly attractive and in many cases overwhelming.