Australian Anglican Primate: Gay and Women’s Rights ‘Won’t Split Church’
The primate of the Anglican Church in Australia and Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Phillip Aspinall, has denied the Church will split over gay and women's rights.
Posted: Tuesday, October 18 , 2005, 8:40 (UK)

Dr Phillip Aspinall, primate of the Anglican Church in Australia and leader of four million Australian Anglicans, has played down fears that the Australian Church might split from the Church of England over disagreements regarding gay priests and the ordination of women as bishops.

The primate’s comments follow the Sydney Diocese’s recent announcement that leading Sydney layman Robert Tong will put forward a motion for debate at the diocese’s annual synod to change the Church’s constitution, making the traditional link to Canterbury optional.

“I think a large part of the church in Australia would be reluctant to lose its very close connection with the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury, even if such a move got support in Sydney and that remains to be seen,” said Dr Aspinall, who is also Archbishop of Brisbane. The rest