Church row continues
A Melbourne Anglican Bishop has entered the fray over the Anglican Church’s dramatic division on homosexuality saying Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen is endangering gay people.
In a letter published in The Age, Melbourne Bishop Philip Huggins lashed out at Jensen saying his views were devaluing ordinary Anglicans and had caused a potential danger to vulnerable young people, conflicted about their sexuality, threatened by homophobia.
Bishop Huggins said Jensen had not consulted other bishops and was deluded into thinking the world is defined by conference resolutions, referring to the recent Jerusalem conference which has seen the creation of a conservative -˜church within a church,’ due to conflicting views on homosexuality and orthodox teachings.
Anger has boiled over among church conservatives after the ordination of an openly gay bishop, the Reverend Gene Robinson, in the United States in 2003 (and his subsequent civil union), as well as outrage from many over the recent civil partnership between two Anglican priests, exchanging vows in a London church with a traditional liturgy.
Jensen says that it is not only attitudes to homosexuality that have split the church, but wider revisionist teachings causing the rift.
By ANDIE NOONAN
www.bnews.net.au
OMG! Phillip Huggins used to be the bishop of my diocese when I was an altarboy. He was always a friendly and warm sort of man. He always spoke very softly and deliberately about things. I wondered what had happened to him after all these years. Thanks SSO!
No wonder why I am an athiest!
excelletn
good on you! can we swap bishops/cardinals? LOL… we can send to Melbourne all the Sydney ones…
Good for you Bishop Huggins! In all of this WYD upheaval it’s comforting to know that there are some in the church that aren’t entirely against us. Lets remember that too and not tar the whole organisation as homophobic. This is the way of the future and I think the sooner the conservative members of the church realise it, the better it’s going to be for everyone. Phil Scott had made a great point about this day and age, compared to past era’s. This is evolution and progress. So get with it!