You would think that our compadres in Wales would have learned from the pecusa disaster. Note in the VGR/idolatry article posted earlier that even pecusa hasn't learned from the pecusa disaster. According to that article there are plans to consecrate five or six more actively homosexual bishops in pecusa. Now, this may be Integrity's plan; that doesn't mean that five or six active homosexuals will be elected by diocesan conventions. Maybe the pecusa goal is to get the 1,000 members a week fleeing pecusa up to 2,000 a week thus proving that pecusa is exceptionally "prophetic." ed.
From WalesOnline.co.uk:
Jul 14 2008 by David Williamson, Western Mail
ARCHBISHOP Barry Morgan’s willingness to consecrate gay bishops could threaten the future of the Church in Wales, clergy warned last night.
Conservative priests yesterday responded with alarm to Dr Morgan’s remarks that he would support the appointment of an openly gay bishop if one was chosen by the Church’s electoral body. They warned such an appointment would be “disastrous” and could even end up splitting the church.
The row comes as leaders from across the Anglican Communion prepare to gather in England this week for the crucial once-a-decade Lambeth Conference.
Traditionalists have been outraged by the election of Gene Robinson, an openly-gay cleric, as bishop of New Hampshire. Dr Morgan last week chaired a conference at which Bishop Robinson gave a key address.
When asked if he would support such an appointment in Wales, Dr Morgan said: “In principle, if I thought that a person who had been nominated was an excellent candidate in every other way and that he was in a faithful relationship, for me personally, that would not present a problem. But, of course, it might present a problem for my church and I would have to alert the electoral college to that.”
The Church in Wales will appoint three bishops in the coming months.
There are vacancies in the dioceses of Bangor and St Davids, and the Bishop of St Asaph plans to retire at the end of the year.
Canon Andrew Knight of Swansea and Canon Tudor Griffiths of Deeside were among five clergy who said in a statement yesterday the appointment of a bishop in a gay relationship could be “church-breaking”.
They said: “The innovation of the American and Canadian Anglicans in the area of teaching on sexuality has already caused enormous damage to their churches. If the Church in Wales were to follow the line indicated by the Archbishop, the same disastrous results could be expected here.
“It is a question of whether the church will or will not remain faithful to the whole teaching of scripture and Christian tradition. The ordination of persons in same-sex relations is, therefore, an issue of church-breaking significance.”
Canon Knight said: “While I am sure the Archbishop is entitled to his own opinions, it does raise the question about how far he represents us all and provides a focus for our unity... I’m not sure what the Archbishop of Wales thinks he’s doing – whether he’s simply wrong about where he feels the community is on that issue, or whether he’s trying to start something.”
The Rev Lorraine Cavanagh, Anglican chaplain to Cardiff University, stressed that Dr Morgan’s comments should not be taken out of context.
She said: “[Bishops] have to be elected by an electoral college and he has nothing to do with that process.”
She said that the Archbishop would warn the college of the controversy this would ignite in the Communion but “if they chose to go ahead and press on he would have no choice but to consecrate that person”.
The Rev Martin Reynolds, a retired priest living in Newport and spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, said the Archbishop’s position was well known, adding: “The chances of it happening, of course, are pretty remote at this stage.”
However, he added: “We’ve got three bishops to be appointed and there are senior clerics in the province who are partnered gay men.”
He welcomed Dr Morgan’s remarks, saying: “It’s a very important statement at this juncture when America appeared to be standing alone.”
A spokeswoman for Dr Morgan said he was not seeking to create fresh turmoil for the church.
“The Archbishop of Wales is sensitive to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the work he’s doing, and wants to support his efforts to keep the Anglican Communion united,” she said.
The Rev Giles Goddard, chairman of the Inclusive Church group, also welcomed the Archbishop’s opinion, which he said would be widely read, adding: “Comments get shot around the world very quickly.”
The Rev John Plant, chairman of the Modern Churchpeople’s Union, said: “It is heartening to hear one of our archbishops now speaking up for the silent majority.”
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