As members of the Church of Ireland we wish to express sorrow that Mary Glasspool, a person who is living in a same-sex relationship, is to be consecrated as one of two new assistant bishops in Los Angeles on May 15.
The election of openly homosexual cleric Mary Glasspool as a suffragan Bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles is immensely saddening but not surprising. It is merely the latest indication of the trajectory the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) has been taking for decades.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has given his Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention and addressed it to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion. As faithful Anglicans, the Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy want to consider this and respond accordingly:
The Archbishop of Armagh’s recent lecture delivered at the USPG annual conference, is highly problematic at a number of levels. The problems are with his use of Scripture, his understanding of Richard Hooker, his view of the church and what she is or isn’t free to do and the pastoral care of those with same-sex attraction.
At the start of September 2003, in the midst of the present crisis within Anglicanism, the House of Bishops sent their Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality to the clergy and people of the Church of Ireland. It is their much-awaited statement on the issue since Archbishop Eames announced at General Synod 2003 that the Bishops were examining the whole issue of sexuality.
The Church of Ireland Bishops invited groups and individuals within the Church to submit their views on Human Sexuality, as part of a listening process within the church.
Representatives of EFIC met with the bishops in December 2004 as part of that process and were courteously received. The following was our submission:
A Submission on Human Sexuality to the House of Bishops by the EFIC Committee
