Archbishop of Canterbury calls for church unity
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has appealed for unity after what is being described as one of the most traumatic weeks for the Church of England in over a decade.
A synod called after the recent controversy surrounding the Anglican church and the appointment of a homosexual priest, Canon John, as Bishop of Reading, has been discussing the issue of homosexuality and the church.
It was Dr Williams who persuaded Canon John to resign his post for the sake of unity after intense pressure from traditionalists including conservative Anglicans overseas.
Delegates at the synod have called for a debate about Jeffrey John but Dr Williams has ruled it out calling for it to wait until after the publication of a discussion document in the Autumn.
Preaching a sermon at York Minster yesterday to a congregation mainly of members of the synod, Dr Williams called on members to set aside ‘passionate party spirit’ and to ‘cling to unity when everything in us cries out for separation’.
A group of gay activists tried to force the synod to talk about homosexuality on Saturday by invading the stage, shouting and brandishing banners calling on the church to repent’ 2000 years of discrimination against homosexual people’.
