Jan 14th, the Hong Kong Anglican Church held a conference to allow the council memebers of each diocese in Hong Kong Province and the Macau mission area to express their opinion concerning the Windsor Report. The report was published by the Lambeth Commission three months ago on homosexuality and unity within the Anglican Communion.
The Most Reverend Peter Kwong Kong-kit, Archibishop of the Hong Kong Anglican Province presided over the conference. Last November, the reverend was appointed as the president of the Reception Reference Group for the Windsor Report.
On the evening of January 14th, the Most Reverend Kwong encouraged attendees to speak freely. Since the purpose of the conference was only to gather opinions, there were no debates or criticism amongst the speakers.
However, as the Anglican Press Issue reported yesterday, the members from each diocese came to an agreement on the stand of the Province towards Windsor Report.
The Most Reverend Kwong announced what the participants with two points:
First, the Hong Kong Anglican Province agrees with the Windsor Report, and that the action of the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada did not take other member-church's opinion -- therefore, meriting condemnation.
Second, the Hong Kong Anglican Province suggests that the Anglican Church should set up a common action under permission from the Archbishop of Canterbury for all provinces to follow.
Almost all the speakers in the conference supported the Hong Kong Anglican Church and visibly expressed their dissatisfaction towards the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada. In addition, most of the participants openly agreed with the response given by the Most Reverend Kwon.
Some speakers mentioned that the report has actually given a material plan to emphasizing the importance of reconciliation and dialogue, and has asked the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada to explain their action to members churches in three aspects: the teaching of Bible, the tradition of apostle, and the reflection of logos. However, just like what the the Archbishop said, they ignored it.
And one speaker suggested to have a committee to handle the rules and instructions, and the provinces that were willing to follow them could be members of the Anglican Church. He also said that the committee should consider about the balance between the independence of provinces and the unity of the whole church.
Though the report avoided to comment on the ordainment of homosexual pastors directly, the atendees still agree with the "ton of criticism" towards such actions in the report.
The Most Reverend Kwong will collect and summarize the opinions of councilors, and hand copies of the collection to the Reception Reference Group of the Anglican Church.
The Windsor Report was issued in Oct, 2004 as a responce to the internal conflict within the Anglican Church arising from the ordainment of actively homosexual bishops in the ECUSA, and the Anglican Church of Canada's blessing homosexual "couples."
The report has met with some criticism, however. A number of conservative Anglicans have openly criticized the report for being apparently being too week in condemning the action of accepting homosexuality. Other critics point out that the Windsor report does not achknowledge homosexual ordinations as being the key reason for the African, South American, and South East Asian Anglicans' split from the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada.
The first open debate of the Windsor Report with Anglicans from all over the world is set for February 2005.
