Anglican church leaders to bring in 'relationship counsellors' over sexuality dispute

Professional mediators are to be used by church leaders in an attempt to resolve the deep divisions within the Anglican Communion over sexuality.
By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
06 Feb 2009

A report backed by the heads of all the Anglican provinces around the world has put forward the innovative proposal as a way to settle the dispute between conservatives, who oppose the ordination of homosexual clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions, and liberals.

The external mediators will try to reconcile differences between the Common Cause Partnership, a group of orthodox Anglicans in America and Canada who want to set up a new province, and the national churches from which they have split.

At the end of a week-long gathering of the leaders of the 38 Anglican provinces in Alexandria, Egypt, known as the Primates Meeting, they said in a joint communique: "We request the Archbishop of Canterbury to initiate a professionally mediated conversation which engages all parties at the earliest opportunity. We commit ourselves to support these processes and to participate as appropriate. the rest

Anglican Primates agree mediation programme
Friday, 6th February 2009
By George Conger

Anglican primates have endorsed a mediation programme to reconcile liberals and conservatives. A report backed by the heads of all the Anglican provinces around the world has put forward the innovative proposal as a way to settle the dispute between conservatives, who oppose the ordination of homosexual clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions, and liberals. the rest

Damian Thompson: Disintegrating Anglican Communion to call in professional mediators