London, England, Dec 7, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Anglican Archbishop of York, David Hope, told the newspaper “The Telegraph” on Sunday that because of the ordination of an actively homosexual bishop, the Anglican Church is “on the verge of implosion.”
Hope, considered the second most important man in the Anglican Church, said the “fundamental Christian message” of the Anglican Church “is in danger of being lost” because of the differences that have emerged surrounding the ordination of women and, especially, the ordination of active homosexuals.
According to Hope, the internal struggle of the Anglican Communion because of these moral issues “puts off both young and old people.”
According the Hope, the Anglican Communion should first concentrate on “urgent” issues such as “the Christian doctrine of creation, redemption and sanctification.”
“If you go to a hospice where they're working with the dying, they're not asking you whether you're in favor of women bishops or whether you're gay or any of this, that or the other. The important thing is that the work of the persons there actually engages."
Hope acknowledged in the interview that a homosexual relationship is unacceptable from the point of view of Christian tradition, and he said that he “and many other clergy found it a daily struggle to live in accordance with the gospels.”
David Hope will retire as Archbishop of York on January 15.