The Anglican Communion must strive to maintain unity in order to carry out its mission around the world, Lord George Carey told an audience at Goodson Chapel Wednesday afternoon.
Carey, who as archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002 was the religious head of the world's 77 million Anglicans, condemned the decision of the 2003 General Convention of U.S. Episcopalians-the American denomination of the Communion-for ratifying the nomination of an openly gay bishop.
But in response to threats of schism and the departure of some churches from the Communion, Carey issued a "personal plea to patience" to both liberal and conservative churches.
"As someone who is no longer party to the process of negotiation, I can only join with you in praying for some speedy resolution that will allow us to get on with far more important tasks," Carey said, referring to poverty and the AIDS crisis in Africa.
Much of his talk focused on a pivotal document issued during his time on the throne: the resolution known as Lambeth 110. The document, passed in 1998, stated that homosexual practice was "incompatible with Scripture," but called for a deeper dialogue with homosexuals.
But the uneasy truce between progressive and conservative elements in the church was shattered in 2003 by the ratification of V. Eugene Robinson, an openly gay priest in a longstanding relationship, as bishop of Vermont.
Carey criticized the bishops involved with the ratification, saying they knew that they were going against the will of most of the Anglican Communion and destroying the process begun by Lambeth 110.
"Discussion was now dead in the water, as it had been preempted by the actions of the General Convention," he said.
Still, Carey added that it is important that leaders work to prevent full schism in the Church.
"Once groups divide, the journey back to full union often never happens," he said.
In light of current events, Carey said the history of the Anglican Communion has often been one of crisis, which he said has been a defining force for the church.
After the address, audience members, many of whom sported clerical collars, gathered for tea, scones and discussion.
"As one who supports the decision of General Convention 2003 and sees ordination of gays and lesbians as a prophetic gift, I am yet encouraged that Lord Carey continues to call us into conversation and reconciliation," said Anne Hodges-Copple, Trinity '79 and rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham.
Another attendee, Andrew Rowell, said he enjoyed the talk despite his more conservative stance.
Rowell, Trinity '95 and a second-year graduate student in the Divinity School, is a member of The Falls Church, a large parish in Virginia that left the Episcopal Church several months ago to join the Diocese of Nigeria.
"I thought his speech was fantastic, but one wonders what the actual dialogue is," Rowell said. "Is there an endpoint or is the final conclusion just, 'We agree to disagree'? Because if so, we might as well just stop."
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