LONDON – Archbishop Fred Hiltz, who will resign as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada in July 2019, says his biggest regret is that the Church’s debate over same-sex marriage has led it to neglect other issues.
“If I have one big, single regret, it is that in my time as Primate we have spent so much time on human sexuality that we haven’t given other important matters the kind of attention that is due,” Archbishop Hiltz said in an interview. “I’m always reminded of that when I go to an international gathering where the picture is big, and the world is huge and complex. Some of the stuff we think is so important, so crucial to the life of the Church, to the unity of the Church – all of a sudden you see them in a different perspective.”
Archbishop Hiltz was elected Primate in 2007, at the same General Synod that declared that blessing rites for same-sex couples are not in conflict with core doctrine. In 2013, General Synod approved a resolution to bring the issue of same-sex marriage to a vote. A resolution to amend the marriage canon to allow for same-sex marriages passed its first reading at General Synod in 2016, and its second reading is slated for the synod’s next meeting in July 2019.
Archbishop Hiltz also reflected on other issues, including his decision to resign, the advice he would have for his successor and what the Canadian church might learn from other Anglican churches around the world.
Huron Church News
