Presiding Bishop: "There is Certainly a Double Standard"

Some of our readers and Thinking Anglicans point us to this interview of Bishop Katharine by the BBC. Some of the content of that interview can be found in this article:

..."He (Bp. Robinson) is certainly not alone in being a gay bishop, he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop," she said.

"He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status."

She said other Anglican churches also have gay bishops in committed partnerships and should be open about it.

"There's certainly a double standard," she told BBC Radio 4's PM programme...

..."Those (blessing) services are happening in various places, including in the Church of England, where my understanding is that there are far more of them happening than there are in the Episcopal Church," she said...

...Some African churches are threatening to boycott the (Lambeth)conference - particularly if US Bishop Robinson receives an invitation.

But Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori says she thinks he might yet be invited.

"We're still hoping that that might be the case," she said.

We have pointed out before that there are numerous examples of blessings occurring throughout the Communion. They are offered quite openly in Anglican congregations in New Zealand, Scotland and Canada. It is speculated that blessings are offered in as many as ten Provinces of the Communion. Yet, the only Province the extreme conservatives have in their crosshairs is TEC. Must be fear of those American cooties again?

J.