By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE ANGLICAN Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands announced at its 134th annual synod last week that it will sever ties with the dioceses in North America, which have consecrated homosexual bishops.
Additionally, the synod voted affirmatively for the election of women as bishops in the Jamaican church, adopted two resolutions aimed at what has been described as 'gender correctness', and voted to establish a Diocesan AIDS Committee aimed at sensitising the faithful about the deadly disease.
'IMPAIRED COMMUNION'
"The Jamaica Church, like others, has announced that it will have no communion with the Diocese of New Hampshire in the United States of America and the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada, both of which have consecrated homosexual bishops," the church said in a news release yesterday.
The move came after the Lord Bishop of Jamaica Reverend Alfred Reid told the synod that 'a state of impaired communion' now exists in the Anglican Church because of the ordination of confessed homosexuals to the priesthood.
In addressing gender issues, a decision was reached to change the name of the diocese's quarterly newspaper from The Jamaica Church-man to The Anglican in order to include the involvement of men and women within the church. "The other was a resolution which replaced the word 'clergyman' with 'clergy', as representing the men and women who are now ordained to service," the release stated.
On the contentious issue of the election of women bishops, the synod made it clear that the local church intends to give its approval and support when the matter comes up to be resolved by the worldwide Anglican communion.
Currently, only three provinces of the Communion New Zealand, America and Canada already have women bishops. In 2000, the church's general synod voted to begin 'further theological studies' on the episcopate in order to prepare for debate on the issue.
The synod also raised some $60,000 to assist two HIV-afflicted persons who made presentations concerning their struggle with the disease.
