NZ Anglicans unlikely to split  

 

The Anglican Church in New Zealand is unlikely to split from the Anglican communion over the appointment of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in the US, despite opposing viewpoints from different dioceses.

 

Provinces in the Anglican Church are allowed to operate independently, but “in communion” with each other, which allows for a diversity of opinion. In New Zealand, the Nelson diocese has rejected the idea of gay priests on several occasions, whereas the diocese of Dunedin is in support.

 

The “communion” of Anglican provinces around the world will be tested over the next few months, as a recent conference of Anglican leaders in the UK failed to come to a consensus about gay priests.

 

A number of provinces worldwide have threatened to break away from the Church if Robinson’s ordination goes ahead, but a great deal of these provinces had already declared themselves “out of communion” for a number of years over the issue of women priests in the Church.

 

See: Gaynz.com