The Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) is to be excluded from ecumenical and leadership roles in the Anglican Communion, after its decision in June to amend canon law to allow same-sex couples to marry in church. The widely expected decision was announced by the Archbishop of Canterbury during last week’s meeting of Anglican primates in Canterbury.
Archbishop Justin Welby, said the consequences for the Scottish Episcopal Church were agreed unanimously. “There were a lot of expressions of disappointment, strong feelings from many of the provinces,” he said, adding that he felt “very sad” about the decision. “People were disappointed, they were angry but it was a very different mood to previous primates’ meetings,” he said.
Speaking to The Tablet, the Communion secretary general, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, said “viewpoints were expressed with openness and honesty. I think everybody who spoke felt that they were heard.”
The decision means that for three years, members of the SEC will no longer represent the Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, will not be appointed or elected to internal standing committees and that, while participating in internal bodies, they will not take part in decision-making on issues of doctrine or polity. The measures are the same as those applied to the US Episcopal Church last year after its support for same-sex marriage. The first same-sex wedding in a UK Anglican church was in Edinburgh last month.
Loading ...
