110 West Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23220
800-DIOCESE
August 25, 1998
MEMORANDUM
TO:
The Clergy of the Diocese of Virginia
FROM: The
Bishop
I am sending you, as an enclosure with this letter, the documents relating to the debate on human sexuality at the Lambeth Conference. The Lambeth Conference adopted by a very large majority a resolution affirming the Church's Biblical and traditional teaching regarding human sexuality. Bishop David Jones and I both voted with the majority.
A copy of that Resolution (Resolution R-1.10) is attached, along with an appendix to the resolution that includes the matters referred to in a sub-section (g) of the resolution.
The resolution, as adopted, "commends the the Church the sub-section report on human sexuality." The sub-section of bishops dealing with human sexuality adopted a report -- and adopted it by a unanimous vote. It is the first document in this package. Fifty-four bishops made up the sub-section dealing with "Theme 3: Human Sexuality." The bishops were from all over the world and included a wide range of opinion. For example, among the American bishops in the sub-section were Bishop Spong of Newark and Bishop Stanton of Dallas. The sub-section was chaired by Bishop Buchanan of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The sub-section began its meetings with recognition of enormous conflict within the group. At one point, a group of conservative bishops threatened to walk out of the sub-section meeting if the chair of the sub-section permitted some gay and lesbian persons to speak to the section. (The chair, many observed, acted unilaterally and invited the people without consulting his colleagues -- the invitation was rescinded.)
Nonetheless, after two weeks of prayerful, deliberate consideration, the section developed the statement on human sexuality that is attached and adopted it unanimously. The sub-section spent so much time on the statement on human sexuality that it did no spend very much time preparing a resolution to bring to the plenary session of the Lambeth Conference. When it did bring a resolution (Resolution, 1.10), the resolution was substantially amended on the floor and then was overwhelmingly adopted. But as the appendix demonstrates, the conference had other options. I believe the "Theme 3: Human Sexuality" report expresses the traditional teaching of the Church and does so in a way that is pastorally sensitive. The resolution, as adopted, which I supported, affirms the traditional teaching of the Church, as we have done for years in Virginia, but I believe the initial phrase in paragraph (d) of Resolution 1.10, which was an amendment, is unnecessary and imprecise. (The phrase beginning, "while rejecting...") Bishop Jones and I voted against the amendment but it nonetheless was adopted and included in the main resolution.
I mention these complicated details because it is important for you to know the prayerful context in which the discussion on sexuality was held in the sub-section at the Lambeth Conference, and, quite frankly, the more political context in which the sexuality matter was dealt with in the plenary session.
In the end, I believe the Lambeth Conference, while using language more strident than we have used in Virginia, has nonetheless adopted what we in Virginia have lived with for years; that we believe that the normative context for sexual intimacy is lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual marriage, and in our pastoral practice, we are sensitive and try to mediate God's grace to those whose life experiences are different from that norm.
I hope this material is helpful to you. Please remember that all of this material was put together hastily and when the formal Lambeth Report is released in a few months, there may well be some minor variations in the texts.
Taking a long view, it is important to recognize
that the Lambeth Conference has affirmed our unity, our traditional faith,
and calls us to loving pastoral practice in the expression of that faith.
Please sign my guestbook
and
view it.
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