The Archbishop of Canterbury says there are “two styles of being Anglican”
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said fundamental differences among the world’s 77 million Anglicans over gay clergy and same-sex marriages could divide the Anglican church into a two-tier model. In a message published Monday on his website, the archbishop said “we are faced with the possibility rather of a ‘two-track’ model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage.” According to Archbishop Williams, the “two-track model” yields “two styles of being Anglican.” The model could avoid a formal rift between liberals and conservatives but put pressure on the relationship between the global Anglican Communion and American Episcopalians who decided this month to ordain openly gay bishops and to start the process of developing ceremony for same-sex unions. In his message, Archbishop Williams also restated his view that “a blessing for a same-sex union cannot have the authority” of the full Anglican Communion, any more than a blessing for a heterosexual couple living outside marriage would have. The archbishop’s message drew a mixed response from both liberals and conservatives in the United States.