Canterbury, U.K.

Anglicans divided: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams tried to fend off a conservative rebellion within the Anglican Church this week, as bishops gathered for their once-a-decade conclave. The church has been fractured since 2003, when the liberal, U.S. wing, the Episcopal Church, ordained an openly gay bishop. About a quarter of Anglican bishops, mostly conservatives from Africa, boycotted this week’s conference in protest. Williams, who in 1989 wrote an essay praising homosexual love, said this week he was “committed” to the church’s stance against homosexuality and that sex outside marriage was also wrong. At the same time, he backed a decision by the church’s governing body to allow the ordination of female bishops.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us