A RESPONSE TO THE WINDSOR REPORT
A. Theodore Eastman, Vicar
Washington National Cathedral
October 25, 2004

The Windsor Report, issued in London on October 18th, is the result of the year long work of The Lambeth Commission, appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to examine the current situation of impaired communion between various Anglican churches and to recommend ways to repair, improve and strengthen the ties that bind the Communion together. The panel was composed of seventeen members from various Anglican churches around the world, including our own Episcopal Church, and was chaired by Archbishop Robin Eames of Ireland. The report has gone to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will bring it to a meeting of the Primates of the thirty-eight national or regional churches in February 2005 and thence to a meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, a more representative international body, later in 2005.

The precipitating issues were three actions that proved to be controversial in certain parts of the Communion:

• the election and consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest in a committed same gender relationship, as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire,
• initiatives taken in the Canadian and American churches to permit public rites of blessing for same gender unions,
• and the subsequent intervention of some bishops in the dioceses of other bishops where there are congregations that dissent from the above actions.

The 93 page report, which may be found at www.anglicancommunion.org., outlines the biblical and theological foundations of the concept of communion, proposes a process for deepening mutual responsibility and interdependence within the Anglican Communion, and recommends specific actions to depressurize the current situation in order to establish better communication and enable broken relationships to begin to heal. The report raises many issues that will need careful study, reflection and discussion in the months ahead. For the moment, however, it would be well to address the most immediate recommendations, which are as follows:

With respect to the election and consecration of Gene Robinson to the episcopate, the report recommends

• that the Episcopal Church “be invited to express its regret that the proper constraints of the bonds of affection were breached in the events surrounding [this election and consecration] and for the consequences which followed, and that such an expression of regret would represent the desire of the Episcopal Church to remain within the communion;”
• that “pending such expression of regret, those who took part [in his consecration] should be invited to consider in all conscience whether they should withdraw themselves from representative functions of the Anglican Communion…in order to create the space necessary to enable the healing of the Communion;”
• that the Episcopal Church “be invited to effect a moratorium on the election and consent to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate who is living in a same gender union until some new consensus in the Anglican Communion emerges.”

With respect to the blessing of same gender unions, the report recommends

• that a moratorium be called on all such public rites;
• that bishops “who have authorized such rites in the United States and Canada be invited to express regret that the proper constraints of the bonds of affection were breached by such authorization;”
• that “pending such expression of regret, such bishops be invited to consider in all conscience whether they should withdraw themselves from representative function in the Anglican Communion.”

With respect to bishops who believe it is their conscientious duty to intervene in provinces, dioceses, and parishes other than their own, the report recommends that they

• “express regret for the consequences of their actions;”
• “affirm their desire to remain in the Communion,” and
• “effect a moratorium on any further interventions.”

Some of the recommendations require corporate responses; others invite responses from individual bishops. The only way that the Episcopal Church as a whole can express regret or institute blanket moratoriums, is by action of the General Convention which will not meet again until the summer of 2006. It is expected that the pertinent recommendations of the report will be dealt with there.

As for expressions of regret by individual bishops, that will have to be done on a bishop by bishop basis. The Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of Washington have already issued responsive statements on these matters (copies attached). As one who voted to confirm the election of Gene Robinson and participated in his consecration, I want to say wholeheartedly that I regret that my participation in those events unintentionally caused pain and anger among some Episcopalians at home and other Anglicans abroad. My actions were taken after extensive study of Scripture and science, careful thought and discussion, and no small measure of open-hearted prayer. I believe them to be consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, even as I know that other faithful Christians hold a different position with equal conviction. It would be a tragedy, however, to allow these differences to destroy the “bonds of affection” which have historically held the Anglican Communion together. There is so much else within the faith and order of the church on which there is broad agreement.

The Windsor Report takes pains to declare in several places that continued study and honest discussion need to take place throughout the Anglican Communion on issues relating to human sexuality. I couldn’t agree more. So it baffles me that those of us whose thoughtfully reasoned and spiritually grounded participation in the consecration of Bishop Robinson should be excluded from official international Anglican gatherings where these matters will be discussed.

A continuing goal of the Washington National Cathedral is to be a safe and open place where people with varying perspectives and positions on important religious matters of the day can gather to work through their differences. It is my conviction that the Cathedral should dedicate a significant portion of its time and energy in the immediate future to address the issues raised but unresolved in the Windsor Report. No one would be excluded from these conversations. Our new Cathedral College, it seems to me, is the ideal instrument to undertake this important work.

An agenda could include these topics among others:

• the nature of human sexuality,
• the mystery of diversity in unity within the economy of God and the household of faith,
• the authority and interpretation of Holy Scripture,
• the full inclusion of all baptized people in every aspect of the ministry of the church,
• an exploration of forms of governance, consultation and communication appropriate to the theology and ecclesiology of Anglicanism.

In his Word to the Church last week, Bishop Griswold observed that the Episcopal Church represents a “diverse center, in which a common commitment to Jesus Christ and a sense of mission in his name to a broken and hurting world override varying opinions on any number of issues, including homosexuality. The diverse center is characterized by a spirit of mutual respect and affection rather than hostility and suspicion.”

It is my hope and prayer that the efforts of the Cathedral and its College will be able to help this diverse center expand and grow stronger.