The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has admitted that he is powerless to stop church leaders walking out of talks aimed a healing splits in the Anglican
There are worries that representatives from some African nations could pull out of the discussions, sparking fears of a permanent split in the church.
Justin Welby said that he hoped to achieve "reconciliation" at the Anglican primates meeting this week.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Certainly I want reconciliation. Reconciliation doesn't always mean agreement, in fact it very seldom does. It means finding ways of disagreeing well."
He added: "There is nothing I can do if people decide to leave the room. It won't split the communion."
In 2003 a gay bishop was consecrated, Canon Gene Robinson bishop of New Hampshire, by the liberal Episcopal Church in America and this decision split opinion.
The archbishop said: "The Church is a family and you remain a family even if you go your separate ways."
Justin Welby said: "A schism would not be a disaster, God is bigger than our failures, but it would be a failure. It would not be good if the Church is unable to set an example to the world of showing how we can love one another and disagree profoundly because we are brought together by Jesus Christ not be our own choice."
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Hannah Tooley
Hannah Tooley is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
