"The 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution 1.10 committed
all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to what is
called a ‘listening process’. The resolution recognised that
there are people who recognise themselves as having
‘homosexual orientation’ and that that they look to the
church for pastoral care, moral direction and God’s
transforming power for the living of their lives and the
ordering of relationships. The resolution continues: ‘We
commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual
persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by
God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons,
regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the
Body of Christ.’" More @ the
Official Lambeth Listening Process Site.
The Facilitator of the Listening Process has collated
relevant research studies, statements, resolutions and other
material on human sexuality from the various Provinces.
Summaries of the responses are here
available for study, discussion and reflection across the
Communion. This was called for by ACC 13 and commended by
the Primates in their communiqué of their meeting in
February 2005.
A group brought together by
Integrity USA, the church's lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) affinity group, spent June 27-28 telling
the facilitator of the Anglican Communion's Listening
Process about their experience of being homosexual or
transgender, or having a family member or friend who is.
In addition, the group, meeting at the General
Theological Seminary with the
Rev. Canon Phil Groves, discussed how to work with
Groves to tell stories such as theirs throughout the
Communion.
The Primates Meeting at Dromantine, Ireland, in February
2005 asked the Anglican Consultative Council "to take
positive steps to initiate the listening and study process"
which has been the subject of resolutions at Lambeth
Conferences since at least 1978 (Lambeth
1978, Resolution 10).
The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the
Anglican Communion, appointed Groves as the facilitator of
the Listening Process in November 2005. His task, as defined
in a portion of the
1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10, is to establish
"a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human
sexuality in the Communion" and to help the communion listen
to the experiences of homosexual persons.
His office asked every communion province to supply
summaries of the work it has done thus far to the entire
communion for study and reflection. Those summaries are
available
here. A description of how the information was gathered
is available
here.
At their February meeting in Dar es Salaam, the primates
asked for a study guide (paragraph
13) to assist Anglican Communion bishops who will gather
next year at the Lambeth Conference. Groves is collecting
contributions to be used in writing that
guide.
Full story here.
