THE Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) has presented what it calls a “resolution” to the Lambeth Conference which asks the bishops to reaffirm Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Conference as the “official teaching of the Anglican Communion on marriage and sexuality”.
The GSFA is asking bishops to sign the resolution (or “Call”) anonymously, online.
In a letter to bishops, sent on Tuesday afternoon, however, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the “validity” of the 1998 resolution was “not in doubt” (read story here).
Bishops are being asked to sign up to the resolution, which states that the Anglican Communion, “in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage”.
The new resolution also reiterates the assertion in Resolution 1.10 that the Bishops “commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God”.
On same-sex marriage, the resolution states that the Anglican Communion “cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions”.
The resolution differs from 1.10 in a sub-section that “urges that renewed steps be taken to ensure that all Provinces abide by this doctrine in their faith, order & practice”.
On Friday, the GSFA called for sanctions against Churches that allowed same-sex marriage or the ordination of same-sex-partnered priests, and vowed not to share in the eucharist with bishops from Churches that allowed same-sex marriage (Online News, 29 July).
To sign the resolution, bishops must submit a photograph of their official Lambeth Conference pass, and send it to a dedicated email address.
In a press release, the GSFA said that it would “ask a well-respected person to independently verify the processes to provide independent security, giving Anglicans across the globe assurance that the reaffirmation process was recorded accurately. Records, once verified, will be destroyed.”
The Archbishop of South Sudan, the Most Revd Justin Badi, who chairs the GSFA, said on Tuesday: “We are living at a time of great spiritual confusion and moral flux. The Church of Jesus Christ cannot afford to lose its moorings in Holy Scripture and drift with the world. Based on the need to establish clear doctrine on marriage and sexuality at this defining moment for the Anglican Communion, this conference must reaffirm the biblical teaching of Lambeth Conference 1998 Resolution 1.10.”
The GSFA says that it speaks for 75 per cent of Anglicans around the world, with 25 member Provinces, although this number includes the breakaway Anglican Church in North America and the diocese of Sydney, which, despite being in the southern hemisphere, is not usually considered to be in the “global South”.