Glynn Cardy 1PM: Things are heating up in Fiji as the Anglican General Synod debates gay issues today. Glynn Cardy from Auckland’s St-Matthew-in-the-City says he was told this morning that police in Pacific nation were “discreetly visiting and checking on” the Synod. “They are particularly interested in the debates around sexuality this afternoon,” he has posted on Facebook, from where he is updating congregation members and supporters. “It's nice to think that we are at least talking about one thing that the political world is interested in,” Cardy adds. The Vicar of the open-armed Auckland congregation has put forward a motion asking the Synod to support parishes debating the nature of marriage and how it should be applied to same-sex relationships. He says it’s about the changing nature of marriage, evolving in tandem with broader cultural shifts, “and thus laying the groundwork for us to embrace LGBT couples who want to be married in an Anglican context”. The Waiapu diocese, which covers Bay of Plenty to Hawkes Bay, has also forward motions to bless same-sex unions and ordain gay priests. The motions are set to be voted on after an address today by Anand Satyanand, the former Governor-General, who is leading a Commission on blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of gay priests, which will report back in 2014. Before today’s proceedings, Archbishop David Moxon had already told various media nothing will be decided until 2014, when the Commission reports back. The Anglican Church already has some openly-gay priests but the church has instructed that no more be ordained while it debates the issue.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 10th July 2012 - 12:33pm