Liberal SA clergy promise to defy synod after it rejects gay blessings

Oct 10, 2016 by

by George Conger, Anglican Ink:

Liberal clergy have vowed to ignore last month’s vote by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) repudiating same-sex marriage.

Meeting in Ekurhuleni in Gauteng Province on 30 Sept 2016 the ACSA provincial synod voted to reject a motion put forward by the Diocese of Saldanha Bay authorizing the blessing of same-sex unions.  A second clause to the motion, that would permit dioceses to license clergy who had entered same-sex civil unions or marriages, was removed by the proposers before the start of debate.

On 29 Sept 2016 the synod broke into small groups to discuss the resolution after hearing presentations from a panel of four representing different theological and pastoral viewpoints on the issue. Before voting began, the Primate of the ACSA, the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town, stated synod rules required the measure to be approved by a two thirds margin in each order. However the motion fell short and was defeated among the bishops 16 to 6, by the clergy 42 to 34, and the laity 41 to 25.

Speaking to the Mail & Guardian the Bishop of Mthatha the Rt. Rev. Sitembele Mzamane (pictured) said the church was unlikely to change its views. “If they want to marry, that’s fine. But they should not come to the church and make us try and change our approach. Because this kind of life is very unnatural.”

After the vote was announced Archbishop Makgoba voiced his disappointment with the outcome. He noted the South African church was organized along democratic lines and “people on all sides of the debate have to accept the result. At the same time, the debate is not over. Without trying to predict its ultimate outcome, or to suggest what that should be, it was notable that a number of opponents of the motion did not reject it out of hand, but suggested instead that opinion in our Church was not yet ready for such a move.”

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