CONSECRATION OF GAY BISHOP
S-E Asia Anglicans cut ties with US Church
Anglican leaders in region vote unanimously to sever ties with Episcopal Church and all those who voted for the bishop's consecration
KUALA LUMPUR - The Anglican Church in South-east Asia announced yesterday that it had broken ties with its United States counterpart for consecrating openly gay bishop Gene Robinson, deepening the Church's global rift on the issue of homosexual ordination.
Archbishop Yong Ping Chung, the Anglican Primate for South-east Asia, said leaders representing around 170,000 Anglicans in nine Asian countries voted unanimously on Nov 20 to cut ties with the Episcopal Church, the US national Church that is a member of the Anglican Communion.
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The vote was taken at a special meeting of the Church's South-east Asian province called after the Rev Robinson's Nov 2 consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire, a decision that has thrown the Church into tumult around the world and split it into camps of liberals and conservatives.
'The province regrets that communion with the (Episcopalian Church) as well as those who voted for the consecration and those who participated in the consecration service is now broken,' Archbishop Yong said in a statement faxed to AP.
He said the province regarded Bishop Robinson's consecration as 'a flagrant disregard of the fundamental teachings of the Bible and the long-established doctrines of the Church' that it could not support.
'The province no longer treats those in the Episcopalian Church in the United States of America who carried out and supported the act of consecration as brothers and sisters in Christ, until and unless they repent of their action and return to embrace Biblical truths,' he added.
The South-east Asian province of the Church represents around 170,000 Anglicans in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos and Nepal.
Conservative Anglican leaders have warned that Bishop Robinson's elevation could result in the Church splitting into separate movements, especially if he is invited to a meeting of Anglican bishops known as the Lambeth Conference.
Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola, who leads 17.5 million Anglicans in Nigeria, recently pledged to boycott any Anglican meetings attended by Episcopal Church representatives.
Archbishop Akinola, who has become spokesman for the so-called Global South group of fast-growing Anglican churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America, says they are considering a 'realignment' of world Anglicanism that might include dropping Anglican references and symbols.
Sydney's conservative Archbishop Peter Jensen has said he may align his congregation with Archbishop Akinola's group.
Bishop Robinson's consecration has also jolted relations with the Catholic Church. The Vatican announced this week that a February meeting in Seattle to work on a common statement of faith 'would have to be put on hold'.
Pope John Paul II warned two months ago that Bishop Robinson's elevation as bishop could mean 'serious difficulties' in efforts to unify Catholics and Anglicans. -- AP
Latest news published by the Anglican Church of Province of SE Asia.
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24 November 2003, Office of the Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia
The Synod of the Province of the Anglican Church of South East Asia (‘the Province’) unanimously reject the purported consecration of Dr Gene J Robinson (‘Robinson’) on 2 November 2003 by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (‘ECUSA’) in New Hampshire, as a bishop in the Anglican Church. The Province views the purported consecration as a flagrant disregard of the fundamental teachings of the Bible and the long established doctrines of the Church.
As Dr Gene J Robinson is a practising homosexual who had divorced his wife and has for the last 13 years been living with a male partner, the Province cannot and do not recognize his consecration and ministry in the Anglican church.
In view of ECUSAÂ’s action in proceeding with the consecration despite the warnings and pleas of a large majority of Anglican churches worldwide, the Province regrets that communion with the ECUSA as well as those who voted for the consecration and those who participated in the consecration service is now broken.
This means that the Province no longer treats those in ECUSA who carried out and supported the act of consecration as brothers and sisters in Christ until and unless they repent of their action and return to embrace Biblical truths. At the same time, the Province remains in fellowship with the faithful believers within ECUSA who rightly oppose and reject the erroneous actions of their house.
This decision was made unanimously at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Synod held in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia on 20 November 2003. A copy of the resolution is attached for general information.
For Media Inquiries, please contact:
The Most Revd Datuk YONG Ping Chung
Tel: 088-245846
Fax: 088-245942
Email: diocesan@tm.net.my
Background on the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia
The Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia is a union of all Anglican churches in South East Asia, with ecclesiastical responsibility over 9 nations namely: Malaysia (West Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah), Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos and Nepal.
Anglican churches are organized into dioceses, with each diocese being headed by a Bishop. Each diocese is then part of a province, which is led by its overall spiritual leader, known ecclesiastically as the Primate. The Primate of the Province is currently Archbishop, Most Rev Datuk Yong Ping Chung of the Diocese of Sabah.
The Anglican Communion is a historical fellowship of Anglican churches worldwide. They meet formally at Lambeth Conferences (named after the Lambeth Palace, where the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate of the Church of England presides) once every 10 years for fellowship and to discuss matters concerning church doctrines and issues that may impact the church and/or society. Provinces are represented at these Conferences by their bishops and Primates. There are altogether 38 Primates in the Anglican Communion. In between Conferences, Primates meet for consultations.
At the Lambeth Conference 1998, the attempt to authorize and implement public blessing of same-sex unions/‘marriages’ was defeated by a large majority of bishops despite strong lobbying from ECUSA [Episcopal Church of the United States of America] and some bishops in England, Canada and Australia. The Province of South East Asia has consistently maintained that same sex unions are against the course of nature, totally against Biblical teachings and Church doctrines and an abomination to God.
extracted from http://www.anglican.org.sg/break_communion_24nov2003.html