"But, ultimately, what Bishop (-elect) Glasspool shows us is a God who is infinitely more interested in love than sex. Sadly, nothing coukld be further from the truth for his human creatures" - Fr. George Pitcher, Telegraph -

Quite a pithy and apt response, by George, to the recent 'shock, horror' responses to the selection of Mary Glasspool to the office of a bishop in the Episcopal Church of the USA.

It would be nice to see a newly-reformed sodality of the Anglican Communion, jointly headed by Bishops Katharine Schori & Desmond Tutu. This may be the only way that women and gays can be given any sort of respect in the Church. God help us!

I have two comments:

1. I long for the day when the sexuality of a person is not their defining feature. I am heterosexual, but nobody would think of introducing me as "Meet Anne, she's heterosexual."

2. We need to get away from the phrase 'openly gay' meaning that someone is in a homosexual relationship. 'openly gay' simply means that an individual does not hide his or her sexual orientation.

The most important things are committed, monogamous relationships.

The really shocking thing here is the contrast between the churches reaction on Mary Glasspool and the deafening silence on the new 'genocidal' law in Uganda. Apparently it's OK to imprison and execute homosexuals but God forbid that one should be elected a Bishop ....

It may be true that the Archbishop of Canterbury has special influence over the Church and legislature of Uganda.... in which case.....

On the other hand I really think he is deluding himself if he thinks he has that much sway.

Seems the truth is it's easier for him to act as though he is furiously lobbying against this Bill and for us all to let him off the hook.

He is therefore curing his own discomfiture.

There are things that are truly evil and you just have to speak out about them because history will search for your stance and currently his silence is truly both deafening and shaming for all of us.

The evil fruits of Lambeth 1:10.

I don't really disagree with GP, but it isn't the selective history interesting: women have been ordained priest since the 1970s (and Florence Li Tim Oi in the 1940s) and we've had women bishops since the 1980s in the Communion. We've had women bishops so long, a number of them are now retired.

"The evil fruits of Lambeth 1:10." - Craig

Not for much longer. You mark my words.

I was going to remind George Pitcher that we have been ordaining women to the priesthood for thirty-five years, and to the episcopate for twenty. But Judith Maltby beat me to it!

The reality is that it has been a very long time since the Church of England has constituted the meaning of "Anglicanism." But maybe now it's time for the rest of us in the Communion to reconsider our appellation. If "Anglican" means "homophobic misogynistic establishment," then I guess the only true "Anglicans" in North America are Bob Duncan and Jack Iker and Martyn Minns, as they claim. You're welcome to them, +Rowan.

Quite true, thank you for pointing it out J M!

As far as a "schism" goes... In the U.S. this is definitely a microschism. Only about 1% of parishes, priests, dioceses have attempted to leave TEC for some schismatic church. If you examine carefully the statistics given by the schismatics, you will see that they rely mostly on other anglican denominations such as the Reformed Episcopal Church or the Anglican Mission in America, most of whom were never members of TEC.

The election of the Venerable Canons is indeed Good News!

"Only about 1% of parishes, priests, dioceses have attempted to leave TEC for some schismatic church. If you examine carefully the statistics given by the schismatics, you will see that they rely mostly on other anglican denominations such as the Reformed Episcopal Church or the Anglican Mission in America, most of whom were never members of TEC." - Scott Stockburger -

Yes, Scott. What you say is the truth. However, the dissidents are relying on their solidarity with the African Churches they are alligned with -through faux bishops consecrated in the several African Provinces which sponsored them. This is the larger fundamentalist grouping that ACNA and other dissidents in the USA and Caanda rely upon for their numerical fantasies.

Money from rich conservatives in North America is funding the new alliances with Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda and other countries which share their impoverished understanding of human sexuality. Money sometimes speaks louder than Gospel Truth.