By Alex Bush
June 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a splinter group formed by numerous Anglican organizations across the continent, has announced its decision not to allow practicing homosexuals as well as women to be bishops. The group has also reaffirmed the true definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. The Anglican offshoot formed over questions of orthodoxy in the mainstream Western Anglican communities.
The ACNA has aligned itself with the bishops from South America and Africa, who represent about 80% of the world's Anglicans. The ACNA itself represents about 100,000 faithful. The Episcopalians in the United States represent approximately 2 million members of the global Anglican Communion.
The Canons of the new community restrict divorce to somewhat limited circumstances, as well as reaffirm the true definition of marriage as “a union permanent and lifelong of one man and one woman.” Remarrying after a divorce is permitted, but under strict circumstances. Marriage as a life-long commitment is affirmed repeatedly in the Canons.
Bishop Duncan of Pittsburg says the church may continue to ordain women as priests or deacons, but their names will not be put forth as candidates for ordination to the bishopric. Duncan called the ordination of women as bishops “a sad and arrogant American approach,” saying that since the majority of Anglicans do not recognize women or homosexuals as bishops “putting someone other dioceses do not recognize as capable of holding the office in the post is divisive in the international church.”
The Anglican community has been in turmoil in recent years between rival camps of conservative and liberal Anglicans over the ordination of women and homosexuals to be presbyters and bishops and, most recently, over same-sex “marriage.”
Click here for the ANCA Website.
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