Leaders of the (Anglican) Church of England have warned the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden that if it agrees to expand the concept of marriage to include same-sex couples, it risks creating “immediate and negative” consequences for ecumenical relations.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has suggested that the Episcopal Church may have to accept a secondary role in the Anglican Communion after voting to allow the ordination of gay bishops and blessings for same-sex unions.
Williams, the spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, said in a statement from England that “very serious anxieties have already been expressed” about the pro-gay resolutions approved by the Episcopal Church at its General Convention in Anaheim, California.