Accra-Ghana, Feb. 12, GNA – The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, says 85 per cent of Anglicans believe and uphold the traditional view and approach to marriage.
He said, “there isn’t a single Anglican position on the subject; there is a very honest statement that we disagree profoundly.
“There are two struggles; one is to find a way towards a common view, but the more urgent is to make sure that we disagree and love each other. That is the signal to the rest of the world that you do not have to hate those who disagree with you. You can continue to love them…They are human beings,” the Archbishop said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, responding to a question on whether the Anglican Communion had a position on same-sex marriage at a presser on the eve of the opening of the 18th Plenary of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC18) in Accra, said the Communion had no single position on the subject.
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) is one of four “Instruments of Communion” or “Instruments of Unity” of the global Anglican Communion of 42 autonomous and interdependent-yet-interdependent Churches present in more than 165 countries.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said the Church of England, a part of the Anglican Communion, passing the resolution on same-sex marriage did not bind anyone at all not even the Church of England at the moment.
The Church of England’s General Synod recently endorsed the decision by the Province’s College of Bishops not to change the doctrine of marriage.
The Synod spent two days discussing a lengthy series of amendments to a motion put forward by the bishops as their response to Living in Love and Faith – a six-year programme of study, exploration and consultation on questions of identity and sexuality.
In their proposals, published last month, the bishops said that they were not changing the Church’s doctrine of marriage. At the same time, they published a set of draft prayers and said that they would consider commending those for use by individual clergy, if they chose to do so, to bless people in committed relationships.
The final motion, narrowly approved by the Synod, began by “recognising the commitment to learning and deep listening to God and each other of the Living in Love and Faith process, and desiring with God’s help to journey together while acknowledging the different deeply held convictions within the Church.”
The Rt. Rev’d Anthony Poggo, General Secretary of the Anglican Communion, said the Communion was made up of 42 provinces in 165 countries that had different views on same-sex marriage.
