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The blessing of same sex unions is a practice in some parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church in the USA. A parish is a subdivision of a diocese or bishopric within the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, and of some other churches. ...
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Canadian branch of the Anglican Communion. ...
The Episcopal Church or the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the American Church of the Anglican Communion. ...
The Diocese of New Westminster and the Episcopal Church (USA) both took synodical action to authorise public Rites for the Blessing of same sex unions. This has led to tensions within the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury requested that the Lambeth Commission review the matter. The Commission issued a report in October, 2004 recommending a moratorium on public Rites of Blessing of same sex unions and further consideration and study of the matter in preparation for the Lambeth Conference of 2008. The Diocese of New Westminster is an Anglican Church of Canada diocese in British Columbia, based in Vancouver. ...
A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine or administration. ...
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. ...
The Anglican Communion is a world-wide organisation of Anglican Churches. ...
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion, outranking the other English archbishop, the Archbishop of York. ...
The Lambeth Conferences was the name given to the periodical assemblies of bishops of the Anglican Communion (Pan-Anglican synods), which since 1867 have met at Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury. ...
Action by the Diocese of New Westminster Blessing of same sex unions became a subject of media attention in Vancouver, BC in May, 2003 when Bishop Michael Ingham of the Diocese of New Westminster announced that he had given priests in some parishes the authority to bless gay and lesbian unions. Bishop (disambiguation). ...
Gay, in addition to meaning happy, also means, simplistically, preferring the same sex in current usage, though to tie down the word to a specific cultural meaning might be to misrespresent a huge community of individuals who find themselves described by the word gay. The term gay, or lesbian for...
A lesbian (lowercase L) is a homosexual woman. ...
Bishop Ingham issued a rite of blessing of people in committed same sex unions on May 23, 2003. This was done in response to a request by the Diocesan Synod in June, 2002. The diocese considers that the blessing of same sex couples is one part of their work of community outreach and care for parishioners. The blessing is a way that some priests use to ensure that homosexual people who seek to be included in the Anglican Communion feel safe and respected. In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ...
Community is a set of people (or agents in a more abstract sense) with some shared element. ...
Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ...
Homosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by esthetic attraction, romantic love, or sexual desire exclusively for another of the same sex. ...
The blessing is a “pastoral tool.” Some priests in some parishes (six in all) bless permanent, faithful relationships. Permission is granted by the bishop only when a priest requests it, and a parish has decided by majority vote, that they want to be a place of blessing. Ingham says of the practice: Majoritarianism (often also called majority rule) is a political philosophy or agenda which asserts that a majority (sometimes categorized by religion, language or some other identifying factor) of the population is entitled to a certain degree of primacy in society, and has the right to make decisions that affect the...
- I insist only that those on all sides of the issue respect one another and that everyone should maintain the order of the church. Our goal in the Anglican Church in the Greater Vancouver area is to be a church that accommodates differences.
Not all Anglicans wish to participate. In fact some parishes are deeply opposed. They have complained to Church authorities and the matter is currently under review within the Anglican Communion. The matter is regarded so seriously by many bishops and parishes within the Anglican Communion in Africa, Asia and Latin America that it could lead to schism. Motto: Building a sustainable region Area: 2,878. ...
The Anglican Communion is a world-wide organisation of Anglican Churches. ...
World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...
World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ...
Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...
The word schism, from the Greek σχισμα, schisma (from σχιζο, schizo, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. ...
Resolution of the Episcopal Church of the USA The issue of blessing of same-gender unions was the subject of a resolution at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church of the USA held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 30 - August 8, 2003. After debate, the following resolution was concurred in and became an Act of the Convention: The word resolution has several meanings, depending on context. ...
- C051: Blessing of Committed Same-Gender Relationships. Affirms that our life together is grounded as expressed in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral; that homosexual persons are children of God, and that differences exist in how best to express that in the pastoral care of those who intend to live in monogamous noncelibate unions; that we expect such relationships to be characterized by fidelity and monogamy; and recognizes "that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions." Commits us to continued study and discernment, including resources to be compiled by a special commission to be appointed by the Presiding Bishop.
Report of the Lambeth Commission The Archbishop of Canterbury requested the Lambeth Commission on Communion to report to him by September, 2004. The Commission was asked to consider the legal and theological implications flowing from decisions related to homosexuality that were apparently threatening the communion. In addition to decisions relating to the blessing of same sex unions, the Commission was asked to examine the decision of the Episcopal Church (USA) to appoint a priest, Gene Robinson, in a committed same sex relationship as one of its bishops. The Commission was charged with specifically considering the effects on communion: "impaired and broken communion," between provinces of the Anglican Communion over the above decisions. Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...
The issue of homosexuality remains one of great controversy throughout the Anglican Communion. ...
The Right Reverend Vicki Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is the ninth bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church. ...
Full communion is a kind of relationship between two or more organizations of Christians. ...
In its report, known as the Windsor Report, the Commission put forward the following general findings:
- The Commission regrets that without attaching sufficient importance to the interests of the wider Communion:
- the Episcopal Church (USA) proceeded with the consecration of Gene Robinson
- the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church (USA) declared that 'local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions'[80]
- the Diocese of New Westminster approved the use of public Rites for the Blessing of same sex unions
- the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada issued a statement affirming the integrity and sanctity of committed same sex relationships
- a number of primates and other bishops have taken it upon themselves to intervene in the affairs of other provinces of the Communion.
The Commission called for a moratorium on the blessing of same sex unions, and recommended that bishops who have authorised such rites in the United States and Canada "be invited to express regret that the proper constraints of the bonds of affection were breached by such authorisation."
Related topics Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage (also called gay marriage, marriage equality, and often just marriage by its proponents, and—usually by its opponents—homosexual marriage) refers to non-traditional marriage between partners of the same gender (for other forms of same-sex unions that are different from marriages, see the articles linked...
Sources
External links Statement from the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire on the Blessing of Same-sex Unions (http://www.beyondinclusion.org/theunerguide.htm) |
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