AUSTRALIA: The crisis in world Anglicanism over same-sex issues deepened yesterday with the decision by Anglicans in Australia's main city, Sydney, to vote to review links with the Church of England. Last month Anglicans in Nigeria agreed to remove all references to Canterbury (accepted as the centre of Anglicanism worldwide) in its constitution.
Yesterday the Sydney synod passed a motion, without debate, which called for a review of the Anglican Church of Australia's constitution.
The intention is to make it optional for Australia to maintain its traditional ties with the Church of England.
"The current crisis in the Anglican Communion has been brewing for some time, but [ has been] brought to a head by the consecration of a practising homosexual," said Rev Mark Thompson, a spokesman for the Sydney synod.
Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen has deeply traditional views on same-sex unions, while Australia's Anglican primate, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, played down talk of a rift as recently as last June. He said then that the things that united the church were "more profound than those which divide us".
At its synod last month the Church of Nigeria revoked its links with the See of Canterbury, creating the potential for a new split in the 77 million-strong Anglican communion worldwide.
Australia has about four million Anglicans, the second-largest denominational grouping in Australia after Catholics.
Deep divisions in worldwide Anglicanism emerged following the consecration two years ago of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in the US.
Earlier the Canadian diocese of New Westminster approved a blessing for same-sex unions. - (Additional reporting by Reuters)