Australia’s Anglican Church splits over same-sex marriage, conservatives form new diocese
by Fiona Blackwood, ABC:
Australia’s Anglican Church has split, with a conservative group of bishops opposed to same-sex marriage forming a breakaway group.
Described as an “Anglican lifeboat for faithful Christians”, the newly formed Diocese of the Southern Cross was announced at the Global Anglican Future Conference in Canberra over the weekend.
Bishop of Tasmania and chair of the conference Richard Condie said decisions made at a recent Synod of church leaders “opens the way to blessings for same-sex marriages”.
The Right Reverend Dr Condie said: “Those of us who hold to scriptural teaching believe that that’s not what the Bible teaches about marriage”.
“Marriage is between a man and a woman, as The Bible teaches,” Bishop Condie said.
“We have found that adoption of that new teaching quite difficult.”
Bishop Condie said the new diocese would be a “safe place for Anglicans” who “can no longer sit under the authority of their bishop”.
He said the new diocese would also address concerns about “the lowering of standards, particularly in sexual ethics for leaders in the Anglican Church”.
Bishop Condie is referring to church leaders who are in same-sex relationships.
He said the new church would welcome women and divorced people as leaders “as long as the circumstances of that are understood and people are repentant”.
But it is not clear if women could be ordained.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
