Archbishop of Canterbury: Anglicans have decided to ‘walk together at a distance’

January 25, 2016

Apologizing for “the pain that the church has caused LGBTI people,” Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury described the recent meeting of Anglican primates as a “God moment” in which Anglicans decided to “walk together at a distance,” rather than “walk apart.”

During the meeting, the Episcopal Church (USA) was suspended from the communion for three years because of its support of same-sex marriage.

“We are a global family of churches in 165 countries, speaking over a thousand languages and living in hundreds of different cultures,” said Archbishop Welby. “How could we not wound each other as we seek to hold together amidst great diversity? There will be wounds for each other, but we must repent of wounding others who are especially vulnerable, whether they are LGBTI people or those menaced by religiously-motivated violence, terrorism and exile.”

 

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Further information:

• Archbishop Justin reflects on the Primates' meeting Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury)
• Episcopal Church USA suspended from Anglican communion (CWN, 1/14)
• Anglican primates gather in Canterbury; ‘schism would not be a disaster’ (CWN, 1/12)