* FINAL VERSION - Concurred
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Resolution: |
D025 |
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Title: |
Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion |
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Topic: |
Anglican Communion |
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Committee: |
08 - World |
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House of Initial Action: |
Deputies |
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Proposer: |
Ms. D. Rebecca Snow |
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm the continued participation of The Episcopal Church as a constituent member of the Anglican Communion; give thanks for the work of the bishops at the Lambeth Conference of 2008; reaffirm the abiding commitment of The Episcopal Church to the fellowship of churches that constitute the Anglican Communion and seek to live into the highest degree of communion possible; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention encourage dioceses, congregations, and members of The Episcopal Church to participate to the fullest extent possible in the many instruments, networks and relationships of the Anglican Communion; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention reaffirm its financial commitment to the Anglican Communion and pledge to participate fully in the Inter-Anglican Budget; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm the value of "listening to the experience of homosexual persons," as called for by the Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998, and acknowledge that through our own listening the General Convention has come to recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships "characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God" (2000-D039); and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention
recognize that gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have
responded to God's call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf
of God's One, Holy, Catholic and
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church, and that God's call to the ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is a mystery which the Church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, That the 76th General Convention acknowledge that members of The Episcopal Church as of the Anglican Communion, based on careful study of the Holy Scriptures, and in light of tradition and reason, are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters.
EXPLANATION
This resolution provides clarification in light of the
The first resolve reaffirms resolution A159 adopted at the 75th General
Convention General Convention, in 2006. While much attention has been focused
on official statements and resolutions from the primates meetings, Lambeth Conference 2008, and Anglican Consultative Council
meetings in 2005 and 2009, our participation in the Anglican Communion consists
of a much richer tapestry of ministries and networks as well as personal
relationships. Hence the second resolve encourages Episcopalians, individually
and in dioceses and parishes, to build relationships with our sisters and
brothers around the Anglican Communion by participation in these networks and
ministries.
Another sign of the Episcopal Church's commitment to the Anglican Communion is
financial. In 2007, The Episcopal Church budgeted $661,000 for the
Inter-Anglican budget, which sustains the work of the Anglican Consultative
Council and the Anglican Communion offices in
Our relationships in the Anglican Communion have been tested by the question of
the ordination to the episcopate of individuals living in a same-sex
partnership. Resolution D-039 of the 73rd General Convention, in 2000,
acknowledged that the membership of the Episcopal Church includes persons
living in same-sex relationships; established an expectation that "such
relationships will be characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and
respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those
in such relationships to see in each other the image of God"; and further
denounced "promiscuity, exploitation, and abusiveness in the relationships
of any of our members." Three years later, the 74th General Convention
reaffirmed this expectation. These standards thus provide guidance for access
to the discernment process for ordination to the episcopate.
The acceptance of the ministry of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
persons is not settled in The Episcopal Church or in the Anglican Communion.
While the church continues to discern God's will in these matters, it is
important to remind ourselves that sacramental theology since the time of
Augustine of Hippo has affirmed that the validity of sacraments does not depend
on the character of the ordained person celebrating those sacraments.
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* Note: The final language, as well as the final status of each resolution, is being reviewed by the General Convention office. The Journal of the 76th General Convention and the Constitution and Canons will be published once the review process has been completed. |