Anglican Teachings Rejecting Homosexuality Unchanged, Canterbury Says
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the global communion has not changed its teachings rejecting homosexuality and does not plan to “reopen the discussion".
Posted: Saturday, March 11 , 2006, 11:12 (UK)

Despite the controversial election of a gay bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church and the confirmation of gay unions in the Canadian Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said the global communion has not changed its teachings rejecting homosexuality and does not plan to “reopen the discussion” at its next decennial gathering in 2008.

“I do not hear much enthusiasm for revisiting in 2008 the last Lambeth Conference’s resolution on this matter,” Archbishop Rowan Williams wrote in a pastoral letter to the 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion on Thursday.

Canterbury’s comments serve to ratchet up pressure on the U.S. Episcopal Church for its upcoming 2006 General Convention, during which it will be forced to uphold a moratorium on the consecration of non-celibate homosexuals or choose to walk apart from the global communion.

The Episcopal Church has already been excluded from key international Anglican meetings, and the majority of churches in Africa have cut all ties with their U.S. counterpart. A complete division is likely to occur if the U.S. church ordains as bishop active homosexuals – two of whom were nominated last month in California. the rest