Our Mother Jesus . . . a sermon by US
church's new head
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2237322,00.html
THE
Episcopal Church in America descended into chaos last night after leading
bishops on both the liberal and conservative wings dissassociated themselves
from a last-gasp effort to avert a schism with the worldwide Anglican
Communion.
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Just hours
after its newly elected woman head preached a sermon in praise of “our mother
Jesus”, the Episcopal Church agreed to “exercise restraint” in appointing any
more gay bishops after a tense day of debate and argument.
The Archbishop
of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, welcomed the resolution with gratitude and
what appeared to be relief, but he also made clear his reservations.
He welcomed the
“exceptional seriousness” with which the Episcopal Church had treated the calls
for it to repent and to impose moratoriums on same-sex blessings and the
consecration of any more gay bishops. He said that actions by bishops and laity
of the Episcopal Church yesterday showed “how strong is their concern to seek
reconciliation and conversation with the rest of the Communion.”
But he
continued: “It is not yet clear how far the resolutions passed this week and
today represent the adoption by the Episcopal Church of all the proposals set
out in the Windsor report. The wider Communion will therefore need to reflect
carefully on the significance of what has been decided before we respond more
fully.”
But this
fragile consensus was immediately shattered by leading bishops on both sides.
Thirty liberal
bishops issued a statement of dissent, saying that they could not abide by the
new resolution. Bishop John Chane of Washington, a prominent church liberal who
officiates at the National Cathedral in American capital, said that he would
not agree to block the ordination of any gay bishop. “I will defy the
resolution by consenting after prayer and careful consideration to any person
duly elected by a diocese in this church,” he said.
On the other
side, five conservative bishops accused the General Convention of “misleading
the rest of the Communion by giving a false perception that they intend
actually to comply with the recommendations of the Windsor Report”. They
continued: “We therefore disassociate ourselves from those acts of this
Convention that do not fully comply with the Windsor Report.”
They said that
they repudiated the actions of the convention and committed themselves to
providing pastoral care to worshippers and parishes on the orthodox wing, so
placing themselves also in potential breach of Windsor because this would
entail crossing diocesan and parochial boundaries.
The resolution
was agreed after panicked bishops summoned the rare joint session of the whole
Church at its three-yearly convention. The session was held the day after the
800-strong House of Deputies resoundingly rejected the Anglican hierarchy’s
demand for a moratorium on the consecration of gay bishops.
Delegates, many
wearing pink “It’s a girl” badges in celebration of the Right Rev Katharine
Schori’s election as the new presiding bishop, were warned by the current
primate of the Episcopal Church, Frank Griswold, that if they did not at least
make an attempt to comply with demands for a moratorium on the consecration of
any more gay bishops, they would risk exclusion from key bodies of the Anglican
Church.
A proposal put
forward by Bishop Griswold committing the Church to “exercise restraint by not
consenting to the consecration of any candidate for the episcopate whose manner
of life presents a challenge to the wider Church and will lead to further
strains” sailed through the 300-member House of Bishops on a show of hands and
was approved 75-34 by clergy delegations and 72-32 by lay delegations in the
House of Deputies.
Earlier, at the
morning Eucharist at the convention in Columbus, Ohio, Dr Schori signalled her
feminist credentials in a sermon that drew on the writings of the 14th-century
Julian of Norwich. She said: “Mother Jesus gives birth to a new creation — and
you and I are His children. If we’re going to keep on growing into Christ
images for the world around us, we’re going to have to give up fear.”
Liberals in Britain and America defended her sermon as being in a long
tradition of writings by women theologians that use the metaphor of Jesus as
mother.
episcopal
【＠】エピスコパル、
【形】英国国教会派の、監督の、監督派の
schism
【変化】《複》schisms、
【名】分裂した団体、分離、分裂、宗派分立罪
associate
【＠】アソーシエイト、アソウシエイト、【変化】《動》associates |
associating | associated、【大学入試】
【形】準〜、副〜、次席の
【名-1】仲間、知り合い、知人
【名-2】同僚、社員、準会員、共同事業者、提携者◆【類】coworker ;
colleague
【名-3】関連要素
【名-4】共犯者
【自動】付き合う、仲間に加わる、交際する、共同で事業を行う、〜につきものだと考えられている
【他動-1】結び付ける、結合させる、関連づける、関連させる◆【参照】associate ~ with
【他動-2】〜を連想する、思い出す
【他動-3】仲間に加える、提携する
consecration
【名】献身、献堂、自分を捧げること、叙階、神に捧げること、神聖化、精進、聖職授任、聖別、聖別式、専念、奉献
communion
【変化】《複》communions、
【名】宗派、親交
adoption
【＠】アダプション、アドプション、
【名-1】採用、採択、導入、選定
【名-2】養子縁組
【名-3】外国語借用
【名-4】票決
【名-5】《英》公認
shatter
【＠】シャッタ、シャッター、【変化】《動》shatters |
shattering | shattered、【大学入試】
【名】破片
【自動】粉々になる
【他動】〜を打ち砕く、粉々に割る、壊滅させる、粉々にする、粉砕する、台無しにする
abide
【＠】アバイド、【変化】《動》abides | abiding
| abided、
【自他動】耐える、我慢する、辛抱する、持ちこたえる、とどまる、待つ
officiate
【変化】《動》officiates |
officiating | officiated、
【他動】式の司祭を勤める、職務を行う
ordination
【変化】《複》ordinations、
【名】聖職授与式
diocese
【変化】《複》dioceses、
【名】＾監督［司教・主教］管区
convention
【＠】コンベンション、【大学入試】
【名-1】慣習、慣例、しきたり
【名-2】会議、代表者会議、集会、大会、年次総会、協議会
【名-3】約束事、協定、条約
worshipper
【変化】《複》worshippers、
【名】愛好家、参拝者、崇拝者、礼拝者
parish
【＠】パリッシュ、【変化】《複》parishes、
【名-1】教区（民）、巡回区域、専門分野
【名-2】（米国ルイジアナ州の）郡◆米の郡は、アラスカ州（バーロー borough）、ルイジアナ州(parish)、他の州(county)
diocesan
【形】監督管区の、教区の
parochial
【形-1】教区の、教区経営の、地方的な
【形-2】視野が狭い、度量の狭い、偏狭な、杓子定規な
consecration
【名】献身、献堂、自分を捧げること、叙階、神に捧げること、神聖化、精進、聖職授任、聖別、聖別式、専念、奉献
primate
【変化】《複》primates、
【名】霊長目の動物、大主教、霊長類
lay
【＠】レイ、【変化】《動》lays | laying |
laid、【大学入試】
【形-1】俗人の、在家の、平信徒の
【形-2】素人の、一般の、非専門家の
【名】セックス
【自動】《下品》〜とセックスする（have sex with）
【他動-1】〜を置く、横たえる
【他動-2】（卵を）産む
【他動-3】《コ》重ね合わせる
【他動-4】配管する
Eucharist
【名】聖体（拝領）、聖餐（式）
《宗》聖餐、《カトリック》聖体（拝領）、聖餐用のパンとブドウ酒
credentials
【名】信用証明書、照会状、信任状