Pastoral Statement
to Lesbian and Gay Anglicans

A Pastoral Statement to Lesbian and Gay Anglicans from Some Member Bishops of the Lambeth Conference

August 5, 1998

Dear sisters and brothers,

The Lambeth Conference has spent nearly three weeks deliberating issues of human sexuality, among many other vital issues facing our worldwide Communion. We have met in a climate of enormous diversity and have attempted both to articulate our views and listen carefully to those of others.

Within the limitations of this Conference, it has not been possible to hear adequately your voices, and we apologize for any sense of rejection that has occurred because of this reality. This letter is a sign of our commitment to listen to you and reflect with you theologically and spiritually on your lives and ministries. It is our deep concern that you not feel abandoned by your Church and that you know of our continued respect and support.

We pledge that we will continue to reflect, pray, and work for your full inclusion in the life of the Church. It is obvious that Communion-wide we are in great disagreement over what full inclusion would mean. We ourselves have varied views and admit, as the report of the Human Sexuality Sub-section of the Conference says, that there is much we do not yet understand. But we believe it is an imperative of the Gospel and our faith that we seek such understanding.

We call on the entire Communion to continue (and in many places, begin) prayerful, respectful conversation on the issue of homosexuality. We must not stop where this Conference has left off. You, our sisters and brothers in Christ, deserve a more thorough hearing than you received over the past three weeks. We will work to make that so.

Faithfully,

[This statement is still being signed. As of Saturday, August 8, 1998, a total of 146 bishops (including 8 primates) have signed.]

Australia (8) Phillip Aspinall, Adelaide Brian Farran, Perth - Northern Region Ian George, Adelaide (Metropolitan) Roger Herft, Newcastle Peter Hollingworth, Brisbane (Metropolitan) Richard Randerson, Canberra & Goulburn Andrew St. John, Melbourne - Geelong Ronald Williams, Southern-Region, Brisbaane

Brazil (1) Glauco Soares de Lima, São Paulo (Primate)

Canada (9) David Crawley, Kootenay (Metropolitan); James Cruickshank, Cariboo; John Hannen, Caledonia; Andrew Hutchinson, Montreal; Michael Ingham, New Westminster; Terence Finlay, Toronto; Michael Peers, Canada (Primate); Ann Tottenham, Toronto–Credit Valley; Duncan Wallace, Qu’Appelle

Central Africa (2) Khotso Makhulu, Botswana (Primate) John Osmers, Eastern Zambia

England (33) Gordon Bates, York-Whitby Jonathan Bailey, Derby David Bonser, Manchester - Bolton Michael Bourke, Lichfield - Wolverhampton Ian Brackley, Guildford-Dorking Michael Doe, Bristol - Swindon Richard Garrard, Penrith - Carlisle John Garton, Exeter - Plymouth John Gladwin, Guildford Laurie Green, Chelmsford - Bradwell Christopher Hill, Lichfield - Stafford Edward Holland, Colchester Rupert Hoare, Worcester - Dudley William Ind, Truro Richard Lewis, St. Edmundsbury & Ipswich Christopher Mayfield, Manchester John Nicholls, Sheffield John Oliver, Hereford John Richardson, St. Albans - Beford Henry Richmond, Derby - Repton Roger Sainsbury, Chelmsford - Barking Mark Santer, Birmingham John Saxbee, Hereford - Ludlow Colin Scott, Manchester - Hulme Peter Selby, Worcester Robin Smith, St. Albans - Hertford Alan Smithson, Durham - Jarrow David Stancliffe, Salisbury Timothy Stevens, St. Edmundsbury & Ipswich - Dunwich Humphrey Taylor, York - Selby James Thompson, Bath & Wells Dominic Walker OGS, Oxford - Reading Frank Weston, Ripon-Knaresborough

Ireland (3) Richard Clarke, Meath & Kildare Robin Eames, Armagh (Primate) John Neill, Cashel & Ossory

Japan (1) James Uno, Kita Kanto

New Zealand (8) Thomas Brown, Wellington David Coles, Christchurch George Connor, Waiapu Penelope Jamieson, Dunedin Murray Mills, Waiapu David Moxon, Waikato John Paterson, Auckland (Primate) Waiohau Rue Te Harra, Aotearoa (Northern Region)

Scotland (6) Bruce Cameron, Aberdeen & Orkney Douglas Cameron, Argyle & The Isles Neville Chamberlain, Brechin Michael Henley, St. Andrew's Dunkeld & Dunblane Richard Holloway, Edinburgh (Primate) Gregor macgregor, Moray, Ross & Caithness

South Africa (6) Robin Briggs, Pretoria Duncan Buchanan, Johannesburg Geoffrey Davies, Umzimvubu Njongokulu Ndungane, Cape Town (Primate) Michael Nuthall, Natal David Russell, Grahamstown

United States (65) Frank Allen, Atlanta Harry B Bainbridge III, Idaho Charles Bennison, Pennsylvania Frederick H. Borsch, Los Angeles William Burrill, Rochester Richard Chaing, Hawaii Michael Creighton, Central Pennsylvania Clifton Daniel, East Carolina Jane Holmes Dixon, Washington Joe Morris Doss, New Jersey Christopher Epting, Iowa Richard Grein, New York Gary Gloster, North Carolina Clark Grew, Ohio Edwin Gulick, Kentucky Ronald Haines, Washington Sanford Hampton, Olympia Barbara Harris, Massachusetts Donald Hart, Maryland Dorsey Henderson, Upper South Carolina Robert Ihloff, Maryland James Jelinek, Minnesota Robert Johnson, Jr., North Carolina Robert Johnson, Western North Carolina David Jones, Virginia Charles Keyser, Armed Forces Rustin Kimsey, Eastern Oregon Chilton Knudsen, Maine Jerry Lamb, Northern California Edward Lee, Western Michigan Peter Lee, Virginia Alfred Marble, Mississippi Larry Maze, Arkansas Jack mckelvey, Newark Mary Adelia mcleod, Vermont Rodney Michel, Long Island Robert Miller, Alabama Robert Moody, Oklahoma Steven Plummer, Navajoland Neff Powell, Southwest Virginia Thomas Ray, Northern Michigan Creighton Robertson, South Dakota Hays Rockwell, Missouri Catherine Roskam, New York Calvin Schofield, Jr., Southeast Florida Tom Shaw, SSJE, Massachusetts Richard Shimpfky, El Camino Real Mark Sisk, New York William Smalley, Kansas Andrew Smith, Connecticut John Spong, Newark William Swing, California Chester Talton, Los Angeles Robert Tharp, East Tennessee Douglas Theuner, New Hampshire James Thornton, Idaho Martin Townsend, Easton Orris Walker, Jr., Long Island Vincent Warner, Olympia Catherine Waynick, Indianapolis Arthur Williams, Jr., Ohio Geralyn Wolf, Rhode Island Stewart Wood, Michigan Wayne Wright, Delaware Stewart Zabriskie, Nevada

Wales (4) Alwyn Jones, St. Asaph (Primate); David Huw Jones, St. David’s; Barry Morgan, Bangor; Rowan Williams, (then Monmouth, now Archbishop of Canterbury)