Primates in robes. Hmm. How very gay.

Newry, here in Northern Ireland, is the meeting–place this week of the Primates Meeting 2005 — a gathering at which the chief ordained officials of the Anglican Communion will meet to discuss issues regarding homosexuality and the church.

If you’re gay or homophobic you’ll certainly be aware that in 2003, Gene Robinson was ordained as Bishop of New Hampshire by the Episcopal Church in the US. Outcry followed. Here in the UK, Jeffrey John was appointed as Bishop of Reading, but didn’t take up the post due to controversy.

Well, not just controversy. There was so much biblical fucking anger that a massive section of the Church worldwide finally threatened to walk away and take its congregations and clergy with it.

Why the fuss? Both men were gay.

So the Lambeth Commission was set up to report:

on the legal and theological implications flowing from the decisions of the Episcopal Church (USA) to appoint a priest in a committed same sex relationship as one of its bishops, and [...] specifically on [...] the ways in which provinces of the Anglican Communion may relate to one another in situations where the ecclesiastical authorities of one province feel unable to maintain the fullness of communion with another part of the Anglican Communion

After the Commission issued its report, its chairman Robin Eames, Primate of all Ireland, invited all the Primates to Newry to discuss everything. This is therefore big news for 2 reasons: they’re all meeting a few miles away from here, and what they’re talking about there will determine whether there will continue to be a single worldwide Anglican church in future. History in the making…

I think the Church should split over this issue. First, why have a single Communion eternally polluted by strife between 2 factions which can never reconcile with each other when you could have 2 independent happy Churches? Second, being a gay atheist, I have to confess that I see no reason why the future of any church of any kind should be desperately, artificially prolonged.

Now, I’m not crowing, and not jubilant: Christians will undoubtedly be very distressed over this, and for that they have my sympathy. But their institutions that exert their influence over a simply organic planet: as they crumble, let them crumble.

tags: [marriage] [gay marriage] [church] [gay]