Alternative oversight.

Dear editor,

I am writing to express the deep regret I feel at the decision of the National Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to overturn the Eastern Synod's adoption of the "local option" for the blessing of same-sex unions. I had hoped that this local option would allow Anglicans in Eastern Canada living in same-sex unions to have these unions blessed in a liturgical context, according to the Waterloo Declaration.

Instead, it seems that homophile Anglicans and Lutherans are once again left with the Psalmist's refrain: "How long, O Lord?" We live in a church which readily accepts the "integrity and sanctity of committed adult same-sex relationships" but is too timid to take that acceptance to its logical conclusion. We live in a church that is comfortable enough with same-sex blessings to remain in full communion with the Old Catholic Churches of Europe--some of which authorize such rites--but we cannot bring ourselves to adopt them for our own community. It seems that our full communion partners in the ELCIC are similarly finding that their courage fails them.

Eventually, homophile Anglicans may have to take a tack from our conservative opponents and request alternative episcopal oversight--perhaps Bishop Gene Robinson in New Hampshire will take us.

Geoffrey McLarney

Guelph, Ont.