The consecration of V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire on Nov. 2 has brought the world’s Anglican community perilously close to declaring a schism in the church.
Robinson’s consecration ceremony drew 3,000 Anglicans to the University of New Hampshire ice hockey rink, where over 50 bishops waited to lay a hand on him and consecrate him to the rank of bishop. A bell choir and wind ensemble began the formal proceedings of the ceremony, followed by a choir singing “The Church’s One Foundation.” In addition to Robinson’s brother and sister bishops, Gaycitynews.com reports that Robinson’s daughter Ella, ex-wife Isabella McDaniel, and partner of 14 years, Mark Andrew, participated in the ceremony.
Matt Foreman, director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said of the ceremony, “Four thousand guests – congregants, really – came not just to witness but to wholeheartedly endorse what is to many abject heresy: the consecration of an openly gay man as a bishop of the church.”
In another point in his commentary on the ceremony, Foreman wrote, “As if there was something to prove – because indeed there was – the audience sang hymns heartily and responded with affirming shouts when asked if they wanted Gene [Robinson] to become their bishop. … This was not about doing the “right thing” through gritted teeth; it was a joyous celebration.”
The ceremony did not go off without its hitches, however. Protestors, both pro- and anti-Robinson’s consecration, lined the walkway to the ice rink. Three speakers, two of them anti-gay priests, rose during the part of the ceremony that calls for objections.
Meredith Harwood, the second of the protestors, said, “We must not proceed with this terrible and unbiblical mistake which will not only rupture the Anglican Communion, it will break God’s heart,” according to Washingtonpost.com.
David McDaniel, an Episcopalian sophomore at Guilford, said, “As a practicing Episcopalian, I am a firm believer in the fundamental right of women and minorities to hold office as priests, bishops, and canons. I also believe on a personal level that homosexuals should be extended every legal right that a heterosexual individual should expect.
“However, I cannot condone the ordination of a homosexual to the office of bishop, or any other office. By the doctrine of the Anglican Communion, homosexuality is incompatible with scripture, and with the traditions of the Church.”
The enormous outcry against Robinson’s consecration comes from conservative Anglicans, who protest his sexual preference. Their objections run so deep that millions of Anglicans worldwide have threatened to declare full schism from the Episcopal Church. Archbishop Peter Akinola, who heads the 17.5 million Anglicans in Nigeria, said in an interview, “We can no longer claim to be in the same communion…Wehave reached the end of the road.”
Reactions to the controversy in the United States are just as passionate, but moving much more slowly. Canon Bill Atwood reported to CNN.com that a permanent break in the Anglican Communion won’t be announced until a commission reports on whether or not a schism can be averted. But, Atwood said, “functionally, we’re not together. Functionally, the Episcopal Church has created a separation. Relationally, it’s a disaster.”
Frank Moore, who served as an usher during the ceremony, said, “It was an absolutely spectacular occasion. Valid objections were raised, eloquently, and we listened to them, although most of us disagree. It was a landmark day and I was honored to be part of it.