The Anglican Archbishop of Perth has rejected calls to recognise same-sex civil unions and a diversity of sexualities in his diocese, saying that “sexual identity and theological diversity that permits abuse, promiscuity and exploitation is abhorrent”.
Archbishop Roger Herft made the comments in a letter to members of the Church’s Synod dated October 28, in response to a motion put forward at last month’s Synod.
Reverend Chris Bedding of the Darlington-Bellevue Anglican parish presented the motion, which was supported by two-thirds of both the clergy and laity houses.
The motion requested that the synod “recognise diversity within the diocese of Perth, both in our sexual identities and in our theologies of human sexuality”.
It also wanted the Anglican Church in Perth to “acknowledge that legal recognition of committed same-sex relationships may coexist with legal recognition of marriage between a man and a woman”.
But Archbishop Herft, who has led the Anglican Church in Perth since 2005 and rejected the same motion last year, said he could not accept its requests.
“The recognition of diversity in identity and theologies can lead to a view that all sexual identity and theologies, however diverse they are, are acceptable,” the Sri Lankan-born Archbishop wrote. “The Church cannot formally accept certain behaviours.”
Legal recognition of same-sex relationships, Archbishop Herft said, would have “unintended consequences in terms of the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Anglican Church in Australia regarding the Sacrament of Marriage”.
In his address to the Synod on October 5, Archbishop Herft said changing the definition of marriage would have far-reaching effects.
“The architecture of society itself is changed,” he said. “It changes the grammar of basic relationships. Already the terms husband and wife, mother and father, have become gender neutral and interchangeable.”
While the Archbishop’s decision puts an end to media speculation that he would approve the motion, it will now go to the Anglican Provincial Council of WA for a final vote.
Earlier in October, the newly-appointed Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, described same-sex marriage as an “unholy matrimony”, saying it was contrary to God’s law.
According to the 2011 Census, there are more than 420,000 Anglicans in WA, and almost 3.7 million Australian Anglicans.