My First Reaction To The Communiqué From The Primates Meeting

The Communiqué was released last night just as we were heading out to dinner with friends, so I didn't have a chance to really read it until this morning. I am quite disappointed with this document, but it is simply a communiqué; it came out of a meeting in Tanzania and not on stone tablets from Mt. Sinai.

It seems that no matter how often TEC explains its polity to those from more hierarchical and less democratic provinces, they simply can't comprehend the process or refuse to under stand it. This passage:
...In particular, the Primates request, through the Presiding Bishop, that the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
1. make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorise any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention (cf TWR, §143, 144); and
2. confirm that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent (cf TWR, §134); unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion... ignores the House of Deputies and assumes that the House of Bishops may do whatever they want to do without the House of Deputies. They simply don't understand how things work, or they refuse to understand how things work!

I must say that I am saddened with, what appears to me, the willingness of the Primates to give in to a certain African Archbishop who refused to have communion with the ABC and other primates, who avoided sharing meals with the others, and avoided attending services with the others on Sunday. I guess if one acts like a little brat, sitting in a corner pouting, the majority of the Primates will give him what he wants! Perhaps this is because they are males; there is often a strong strain of "stupid" which manifests in large gatherings of males. I can't imagine such behavior being tolerated in a gathering of women.

I want to spend some time digesting this news, so I won't be posting much today. No matter what has been decided in Tanzania, the work God calls us to do goes on. I still have to right a sermon for tomorrow and work on my Lenten Series talk which starts Friday. I won't be deserting my GLBT brothers and sisters in Christ. We at Parroquia San Cristóbal will continue to preach the Good News of forgiveness of sins and the coming of God's Reign. We will continue to reach out to those who are hurting, who are hungry, who are in despair, and tell them of God's unconditional love. We will continue to do the work God has given us to do.