Whose fault is the Episcopal split?
Why the Anglican church in North America is being divided into two denominations
What happened
Theological conservatives who oppose liberal moves by the Episcopal Church formed a rival North American province of the Anglican Communion on Wednesday. (AP in the Kansas City Star)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This split marks the biggest challenge yet for Episcopalians, said Laurie Goodstein in The New York Times. But they've been torn apart since the ordination of the first openly gay Episcopalian bishop five years ago. So it's hardly a surprise that conservatives have broken away.
Of course the liberal Times would blame conservatives for the split, said Merv Benson in PrairiePundit. But "if the liberals had not taken actions that ignore over 2000 years of history and church doctrine, the split would not be happening."
No wonder the Episcopal Church is losing money and members, said David Virtue in Catholic Online. "The decline indicates that theological liberalism is a cancer that is eating away at the Episcopal body politic and that no amount of money will ultimately keep it together."
Actually, Episcopalians will be better off when the conservative renegades form their "own homophobic nest of worship," said Michelangelo Signorile, who hosts a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio. So, to all you people angry about the church's increasing acceptance of gays and lesbians: "Don't slam the door on the way out."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will Europe beat China and India to the North Pole?
Podcast Plus, is the man who designed the iPhone going to kill his own creation? And what's going on at the equalities watchdog?