Saturday, November 10, 2012

Justin Welby, New Archbishop Of Canterbury, Watched By Pro-Gay Rights Episcopalians As Church Tensions Continue

From Huffington-

For nearly a decade, the 77 million-member Anglican church has been caught in an internal tug-of-war over gender and sexuality: The liberal U.S. Episcopal Church that forms its American wing appoints gay members to be church leaders and approves blessings for same-sex couples, while the more conservative, traditional wings in the United Kingdom and Africa forcefully protest.

So when the new archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Church of England and the symbolic head of the Anglicans worldwide, was named, questions started pouring in. Will the Rev. Justin Welby, the new archbishop who was relatively unknown to most Anglicans before his appointment, be able to maintain unity in the church as it continues to confront increasing internal tensions?

The answer is unclear. In interviews in London on Friday, Welby spoke out against homophobia, but reports said he is against same-sex marriage. He also said that he supports ordaining women bishops. That's long been a non-issue in the U.S., where the highest-ranking Episcopal bishop is a woman, but it's a more contentious one in the Church of England, which is voting on the issue only this month at its General Synod.


More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/justin-welby-gay-archbishop-canterbury-episcopal_n_2103879.html

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