Clergy defy ban on gay unions

THERE seems little chance that all Canadian Anglican clergy will honour the moratorium on blessing same-sex unions requested by the worldwide Anglican communion.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, leader of the Anglican church, warned last weekend at a conference of Anglican leaders that the 80-million- member church would be “in grave peril” if the US and Canada did not agree to moratoriums on same-sex blessings and the ordination of gay bishops. A quarter of the world’s Anglican bishops boycotted the conference.

But the head of the Canadian church, Archbishop Fred Hiltz said yesterday it would be especially tough for Bishop Michael Ingham of the British Columbia diocese of New Westminster to halt the homosexual blessings altogether.

Ingham caused an outcry among conservative Anglicans around the world in 2003 when he started authorising some parishes to bless gay unions.

Hiltz pointed out that the decision-making synods of four more Canadian dioceses have in the past year asked their bishops to authorise same-sex blessings.