Interview with Australian Archbishop Aspinall

MONICA ATTARD: Hello, welcome to Sunday Profile. I'm Monica Attard and tonight I'm joined by the Australian head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall.

The Anglican Church has agonised over the issues of homosexuality, gay clergy and the ordination of women for a very long time. But just last weekend a most serious schism emerged between the liberal and conservative factions of the church.

A rebel group, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, led by Sydney's Archbishop Peter Jensen met in Jerusalem and they set up their own leadership structures, including a rival Primate's Council.The group is angry about a "liberal" approach in the church to homosexuality and the ordination of women and though it's not yet clear what this new movement will mean for the Church, in Australia at least it appears that the two sides could be heading for a showdown unless of course some divine intervention or less vitriol breaks the impasse.

At a time of intense feeling The Primate of Australia, Archbishop Philip Aspinall is speaking now for the very first time about the dramatic events of the past week.
Interview

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