Dio of Toronto permits same sex blessings & forbids pastoral discipline
Pastoral discipline exercised toward those spreading false teaching has been banned in the Diocese of Toronto(PDF):
More subtly, as Carl points out in the comments below, while no priest is required to perform same sex blessings, every priest is expected to facilitate them by referring couples to priests who do. And that means that every priest approached by a same sex couple requesting to have their relationship blessed must now decide whether he or she will follow Jesus or obey thisdirective. One cannot do both.
Up to this point it has been possible for an orthodox priest or deacon to remain in even the most liberal diocese in the ACoC and TEC without compromising his integrity. No more. This is the first diocese in North America in which orthodox "loyal dissent" is no longer possible. I am certain it will not be the last.
And it could get worse. The language in 3a is somewhat suspicious. I think the apparent intention is to ensure that a pastoral relationship is formed before ssbs are offered. And yet the language could very easily be twisted in the future to suggest that every priest is "expected" to offer ssbs as a part of his or her pastoral relationship with the members of a parish.
3. Same Gender Blessings This pastoral response is extended to couples in our midst who seek to live in mutual love and faithfulness in a stable, long-term committed relationship. A blessing may be made available to couples who are not civilly married as the blessing is not considered to reflect, or to be understood as, marriage.Of course, the most obvious question is: what does the diocese mean by "sexual orientation"? No priest should ever deny someone communion simply because of his or her homosexual impulses. Every good priest, however, must, if he is to be faithful to scripture and to his calling as a minister of the gospel, deny communion to someone who unrepentantly, consistently, and defiantly continues to engage in sex acts with someone of the same sex--just as he must do the same for unrepentant heterosexual adulterers etc. My guess is that the phrase "sexual orientation" really means "people who engage in sex acts with others of the same sex".
a. The blessing of any same gender relationship is expected to be part of an existing pastoral relationship with a priest and local congregation.
b. At least one of the couple should be baptized.
4. Same Gender Couples in Parishes not Designated
a. It is expected that no one will be excluded from receiving the eucharist or baptism in any parish on the basis of their sexual orientation or their views on the issue of same gender blessings, whether in favour or opposed.
b. Same gender couples in a parish not designated to perform blessings may approach their Area Bishop to seek an alternative. It is expected that the couple and the priest designated will first seek to develop a pastoral relationship before a blessing is offered.
...
7. Diocesan Diversity – The Diocese of Toronto honours and appreciates the diversity represented in its parishes and clergy. This diversity will continue to be reflected in the selection and appointment of clergy, and in the membership of committees and councils of the diocese. We recognize there are theological and cultural differences across our diocese and within parishes which are strained by both the limits and permission represented in blessing same gender relationships.
All congregations and individual Anglicans are called to exercise pastoral generosity one to another.
Permission to participate in blessings of same gender commitments will be extended only to those parishes and clergy who fulfill the requirements noted above and are granted permission by the diocesan bishop.
No clergy nor parishes will be required to participate in the blessing of same gender relationships.
Clergy who object to blessing same gender relationships will be asked to exercise pastoral generosity by referring same gender couples seeking a blessing, if requested, to the Area Bishop.
Clergy who support blessing same gender couples will be asked to exercise pastoral sensitivity to those in their parish who are not in agreement with the parish designation...more
More subtly, as Carl points out in the comments below, while no priest is required to perform same sex blessings, every priest is expected to facilitate them by referring couples to priests who do. And that means that every priest approached by a same sex couple requesting to have their relationship blessed must now decide whether he or she will follow Jesus or obey thisdirective. One cannot do both.
Up to this point it has been possible for an orthodox priest or deacon to remain in even the most liberal diocese in the ACoC and TEC without compromising his integrity. No more. This is the first diocese in North America in which orthodox "loyal dissent" is no longer possible. I am certain it will not be the last.
And it could get worse. The language in 3a is somewhat suspicious. I think the apparent intention is to ensure that a pastoral relationship is formed before ssbs are offered. And yet the language could very easily be twisted in the future to suggest that every priest is "expected" to offer ssbs as a part of his or her pastoral relationship with the members of a parish.
No comments:
Post a Comment