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Head of Traditional Anglican Group: No Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians

By Patrick B. Craine

See Part I of this series: Exclusive Interview: Primate of Traditional Anglican Communion on Life and Family

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, March 9, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Archbishop John Hepworth, Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), told LifeSiteNews (LSN) on Friday that the TAC is very clear on refusing Communion to pro-abortion politicians or anyone advocating an anti-life view.

“Anybody publicly espousing an anti-life stand against the clear teaching of the Church and the commandments would be immediately removed from any office, and certainly would be told they can't receive Communion,” he explained.

Hepworth made these comments in an interview with LSN while he visited Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of a worldwide tour encouraging TAC communities to accept the Vatican's recent offer for reunion with the Catholic Church.

While clear on his own community's approach to pro-abortion politicians, Hepworth emphasized that he “can understand the reticence of actually doing something beyond teaching the teachings of the Church.”

“Where the Church is deeply entrenched socially and politically, to discipline politicians is a very complex problem,” he said.  “We might see it in simple issues, but in fact affecting the future and the life of the Church, bishops can ponder and be puzzled.”

“Since Vatican II, the Church has been squeamish about its ability to discipline its laity,” he continued.  “This has been a moment at which the Church has tried to rediscover collegiality, the role of the laity, the ministry of the laity, and it causes some mental conflict to then have to say to somebody, quite publicly, 'you've abandoned the teaching of the Church and you are now being disciplined.'”

In disciplining laity, the Church runs the risk of being told 'stuff you', in the words of the Australian, as well as the possibility that priests will side with the lay person.  “Then you've got public schism, and the Church fears schism more than anything, and I think rightly.”

But Anglicans are more accustomed to “disciplining their laity,” he opined, “because we're more used to lay roles.”

“If laity are going to have a role, they're going to tow the line,” he added.

Regarding refusing Communion to those “espousing an anti-life stand,” he said the TAC is able “to apply that rigidly because we're much smaller congregations.”

He noted that this is an issue for the Church throughout the world, including for the “small” TAC.  His own chancellor in Australia is a member of parliament, and, according to Hepworth, “his voting record on life issues is absolutely impeccable.”  Also, the attorney general for South Australia is one of his parishioners.

“Even the small TAC does have some dealings with senior politicians, and they would not go against us in these matters,” he said.  “That because there are plenty of other churches for them to join if they don't want to observe the rules of this one, or go and be other Anglicans.”

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Exclusive Interview: Primate of Traditional Anglican Communion on Life and Family - Part One
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10030811.html

Anglican Catholic Primate: "To defend the unborn is part of the backbone of the Traditional Anglican Communion"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jul/09071303.html

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