Anglican Church distances itself from breakaway diocese
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
Australia’s Anglican Church has moved to distance itself from a breakaway faction that held its first service in south-east Queensland.
A conservative group of bishops opposed to same-sex marriage formed a diocese under the banner of Gafcon, a breakaway group dividing the Anglican church across the world.
Gafcon is the Global Anglican Future Conference, which opposes the ordination of women, the blessing of same-sex marriages, and less stringent attitudes to divorce.
The breakaway group held its first Australian congregational service at Beenleigh, in south-east Queensland, earlier this month and has established a company called the Diocese of the Southern Cross.
In a statement, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, the most Reverend Geoffrey Smith, said the new company has no connection with the church.
“It has no formal or informal relationship or connection with the Anglican Church of Australia. As such, it will operate independently from the Anglican Church as, effectively, a new denomination.
“It is unfortunate that confusion may well result from the establishment of this organization among existing members of the Anglican Church of Australia and among people wishing to connect with the Anglican Church of Australia.
“It is always easier to gather with those we agree with. But in a tragically divided world God’s call and therefore the church’s role includes showing how to live together with difference.”
The Australian arm of Gafcon was launched in Canberra this week, expanding a movement already established in the US, Africa, parts of Europe and South America.
It opposes more progressive theological approaches to gender and sexuality, but Archbishop Smith said he’s puzzled by the focus on this in the Australian group.
“The meeting of the General Synod, held in May this year, clearly affirmed the view that marriage is between a man and a woman, and declined to affirm same sex marriage.
“It is perplexing, therefore, that the leaders of this breakaway movement cite the reason for this new denomination as the failure of General Synod to explicitly express an opinion against the blessing of same sex marriages.”
