Williams 'saddened' by protests

[David Virtue]

Williams 'saddened' by protests

Church of England Newspaper Interview

Dr Rowan Williams has hit out the critics who have marred his election
as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury with public protests over his
liberal stance on the sexuality issue.

Giving his first interview to The Church of England Newspaper on the
eve of his formal induction as Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams
has spoken of his "sadness" at the reaction of evangelicals to his
appointment.

"I would have liked the opportunity to establish some relationships
before the positions were hardened," he said. "The pity is that some of
what has been said about my theological views will have confirmed in
people's minds a particular picture of what I believe, which makes it
that little bit harder to get back to conversation."

In a BBC interview to be broadcast this Sunday, the night before the
confirmation of his election, he reopens the homosexuality debate by
revealing his wish for same-sex relationships to be acknowledged by the
Church.

Talking to this newspaper, Dr Williams blames evangelical pressure
groups for tarnishing the image of the Church in the eyes of the
public: "For while the people who have written to me are acting out of
a real concern of what is best for the Church and the integrity and
orthodoxy of the Church, that is not always the message that comes
through." He has described the campaign against him as "poisonous" to
close friends.

Yet, in revealing his belief that the Bible does not condemn homosexual
practice, the Archbishop has reignited the argument that threatens to
blight the start of his time in office. The Rev Rod Thomas, spokesman
for Reform, one of the pressure groups, said that by making the
comments, Dr Williams was breaking his own pledge to keep his views
private and not to campaign on the issue.

The new Archbishop argues that a heterosexual indulging in homosexual
activity is clearly wrong, but that the Bible does not condemn life-
long homosexuals. He wants the Church of England to reconsider Issues
in Human Sexuality, a House of Bishops' document, which bars active
homosexuals from the priesthood.

In his interview with The Church of England Newspaper, Dr Williams did
not hide his desire to see the report re-examined. "I think in its very
nature it was a document of its time and it required further thought
and refinement."

Work is already underway on a new report, but the Sunday Times reported
that the Archbishop is keen to see it made much more open to ordaining
practising homosexuals.

The fresh support by Dr Williams for homosexuals is likely to cause
deep concern among traditional provinces in the Anglican Communion, and
make maintaining unity increasingly difficult.

He has already admitted that he is not confident of preventing the
Communion from splitting: "I don't know [if we can keep it together], I
deeply hope and pray that we can, but it will only happen I think if
the varying convictions can see their membership of the body of Christ
through the Anglican Communion as ultimately more important than
whatever local priorities are pressing towards a decisive decision.

"And that's not easy because that requires an underlying sense and
excitement about the mission of the body of Christ."

However, in a letter to Primates after being chosen as Archbishop of
Canterbury, he backed the Lambeth Resolution as the majority view of
the Anglican Communion. He has told senior colleagues that the question
that he is now raising on the homosexuality debate is in keeping with
the Resolution, in being willing to listen to the experience of people.

END