A church divided
THE Anglican Church in Jamaica yesterday frowned on the decision of its American cousins to appoint a gay bishop, but stopped short of a ringing condemnation of the move.
But Bishop Harold Daniels, the canonical administrator of the Jamaican diocese said that the election of V Gene Robinson, 56, as the Bishop of New Hampshire had left the local church with an “uncomfortable feeling”. He argued that male-and-male sexual relationships were against the teachings of the scriptures.
“The church does not approve of persons who are practising homosexuality occupying any position of leadership in this manner,” Bishop Daniels told the Observer. “Our position in the Province of the West Indies is that we do not approve of a choice being made like this… (We) feel that it is an unacceptable behaviour for someone to be practising homosexuality.”
In fact, the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, of which Jamaica is a part, has in the past rejected homosexuality in the priesthood, which is in line with a 1998 resolution passed at the Lambeth Conference — a lose gathering of the world’s Anglican communion.
Said Bishop Daniels: “The bishops (at the Lambeth Conference) had a resolution on human sexuality, which includes what types of behaviour would be accepted and approved within the union; and gay bishops was one of the possibilities which we all voted against. We are very uncomfortable that there are persons in the church who have taken that stand.”
But this week Robinson, a divorced father of two, was elected by the Episcopals as Bishop of New Hampshire and this was ratified by the House of Bishops.
The Robinson affair and human sexuality in general were now likely to be hot topics on the agenda of the synod of the West Indian church, Daniels conceded.
Robinson has appeared with his daughter and long-time lover to appeal for reconciliation. However, conservatives warned that the decision in the New Hampshire decision could split the Episcopalian Church and even the world’s Anglican communion, estimated at 700 million people.
Some members of the clergy in the United States feared that congregations, and even priests themselves, could leave the church.
In Kingston, Daniels did not pronounce on the likely global impact of Robinson’s election, but insisted that the teachings of the scriptures pointed to human sexual relationship between male and female within the concept of marriage. “It has always been between a man and a woman,” he said.
Robinson’s election, he said, opened “the door for these kinds of things which are very grievous”.
“It permits people to look at one church and draw a conclusion and the ordinary members would find themselves subjected to much criticism,” he added.
Daniels, however, urged non Anglicans not to “lump everybody in one basket but (to) recognise that there are faithful people who hold similar positions”.
The position of the Jamaican Anglicans was largely echoed by head of the Jamaica Baptist Union, Reverend Everton Jackson, who argued that the practice of homosexuality was a contravention of biblical principles.
“Those (homosexuals) who are practising should be ministered to with the hope that they will abstain,” he said. “Non-practising homosexuals should be supported and encouraged not to become active as such activity would be contrary to the will of God.”
Senior officials of the local Roman Catholic church were unavailable for comment yesterday.
But Ronnie Thwaites, a social activist and Catholic deacon, said he neither approved of nor condemned Robinson’s election. He, however, felt that there should be no prejudice because of someone’s sexual orientation.
“I believe God loves people of all sexual orientation and I think we are all enjoined by scriptures to live a chaste way of life,” Thwaites said. “The latter two characteristics are what I would look at for in an ecclesiastic appointment.”