+Andrew: Conversations with the Primate

Welcome once again to Conversations with the Primate and once again thank you for your very many messages since our last web cast.

In particular I appreciate the responses that came to the web cast on the Windsor report. We’re now hard at work at pulling all those together and very soon I’ll be presented with a summary of those which I’ll be able to take to Ireland with me in ten days time to share with the other primates of the Anglican communion.

A related matter is very much before Canadians and I’ve had several messages. One from my friend Joe Aziz in Toronto is typical of the kind of messages I’ve had on the subject of same sex marriage.

Joe says, “it’s with great puzzlement I view the Christian Church’s response to same sex marriage legislation. The Catholic Church is the only one I know of that has stepped up to the plate and let the Prime Minister know that gay and lesbian marriage is heresy. Why is the Anglican Church so silent? Please find attached a page from our book of common prayer stating the solemnization of holy matrimony. It’s pretty clear.”

Well yes it is Joe and thank you for prompting me to make this response. In fact it’s not the Roman Catholic Church that is the only one who’s responded. Many of the Protestant churches, particularly of the evangelical family, have made pretty urgent responses to the Government of Canada. Anglicans have stood at arm’s length for some good reasons and I’ll do my best to articulate those.

First of all, Joe is absolutely right, the prayer book is pretty clear. And marriage in Anglican tradition is, and always has been, between a man and a woman, one of each. And we hold to that in our canons and in our practice within the life of the church.

Having said that, at the recent general synod there was a motion that affirmed the sanctity and integrity of same sex relationships, acknowledging that within the church as within every other segment of society, there are many people who have bonded together as partners and that we recognize those relationships as having a certain integrity.

Well that now challenges somewhat our traditional stance. We have never had a conversation in the Anglican Church about same sex marriage. That just hasn’t been on our radar screen yet. It’s true however, that many people say that the time has come and we should have that discussion and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that becomes part of the next general synod.

In the mean time, the society as a whole has made some important decisions. And here in Canada, seven provincial jurisdictions and the Yukon have authorized the marriage of same sex partners. And that represents about 85 percent of the population of Canada.

And now legislation is before the House of Commons that would redefine marriage to include the possibility of people of the same gender.

A number of difficulties arise for Anglicans as indeed for member of other churches. It seems for the first time practices of the state, of the civil jurisdictions, are going to be significantly out of step with the practice of the church. A long standing tradition is being challenged.

Having said that, in the 21st century we are in a very different Canada from the one that we were in in the early 20th century. By that I mean that when Joe and I were young, virtually everybody in Canada went to church or synagogue. Christians were in the strong majority and Christian teaching had significant bearing on the laws of the land. And that was certainly a good thing.

In the 21st century however, Canada has become by its policy of welcome and accommodation a thoroughly multicultural and pluralistic society. And we need to get used to a new reality where the churches are closer to the margins today than they are to the centre of Canadian life. And we need to choose our battles and choose those situations where we will really confront government and do our utmost to influence policy.

Dr. Reg Stackhouse is a professor emeritus of Wycliffe College here in Toronto and was indeed a member of parliament. And I tend to support his view that Canada as an inclusive society must have laws which are for all Canadians and do not simply reflect the religious views of any one group.

Therein of course lies another problem, particularly for clergy. That there is a worry that the time may come when they will be obliged to marry people whom their church polity would not otherwise allow them to marry.

Now indeed the legislation that is before the House seems to protect faith communities from that eventuality. But there’s an ongoing concern that legislation notwithstanding human rights commissions may eventually be appealed to and oblige clergy to act.

From my point of view, the answer to that is very simple. We are licensed by governments to marry in the name of the state, just as indeed in the name of our faith communities we bless those relationships. If the time ever comes when we are obliged by any authority to marry people whom we do not feel in conscience we can marry, then we simply turn in the license and say the business of contracting relationships is a civil matter that should be executed by the state and we no longer need to function as officers of the state. But in our faith communities we’ll bless relationships according to the policies of our faith communities.

So I hope that that concern can no longer loom as a very large one.

Now bottom line on this, the Anglican Church of Canada has taken no new stand but the Anglican Church of Canada is on the edge of a discussion around the issue of relationships and specifically marriage.

What we can do at this point is to say to you and to all our members of the Anglican church, as part of your duty as a citizen of this country, and as a Christian exercising responsibility as a citizen, we would urge you to be in touch with your Member of Parliament and be in touch with the Prime Minister as to what your conscience and the teaching of your tradition has brought you to in the way of a stand on this issue.

The government seeks to provide for all Canadians and that certainly includes you. So please do let your stand be known.

Bishops and archbishops of the Roman Catholic Church are not only within their rights but have a very clear mandate to speak on this issue as they have done. An Anglican primate however must be very careful that his voice is the voice of the church and arises from specific canons and statements and resolutions of that church.

At this point, because of the discussion that we are involved in around blessing same sex unions, I don’t believe that I have a mandate to express a single voice that is that of the Anglican Church of Canada beyond saying, our tradition has been, and until change by active synod remains, that Christian marriage is between one man and one woman for life. And that is about as far as I can go.

I look forward to your responses to this segment and hope that you will be in touch with me. I’m eager to see the new consensus evolve within this church that does allow me to speak on your behalf with more authority than I might be able to muster at the moment.

Thank you for being part of this conversation with the primate and I look forward to hearing from you and to being back with you again. God bless you.