Two of the major events that contributed to the movement were the 2002 decision of the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada to authorise a rite of blessing for same-sex unions, and the nomination of two openly gay priests in 2003 to become bishops.
Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest with a long-time partner, was appointed to be the next Bishop of Reading in the Church of England and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church ratified the election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay non-celibate[note 1] man,[2] as Bishop of New Hampshire.
Some Anglican provinces, particularly in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and the Southern Cone of South America, are seeking to accommodate them.
The concept of alternative episcopal oversight first arose a generation ago with the debate over the ordination of women.
The most thoroughly developed example of this involved the appointment of provincial episcopal visitors in the Church of England, beginning in 1994, who attend to the pastoral needs of parishes and clergy who do not recognise that holy orders can or should be conferred on women.
Beginning with the Lambeth Conferences, international Anglicanism has wrestled with matters of doctrine, polity, and liturgy in order to achieve consensus, or at least tolerance, between diverse viewpoints.
Throughout the twentieth century, this led to Lambeth resolutions allowing for contraception and divorce, denouncing capital punishment, and recognising the autonomy of provinces in the ordination of women to the diaconate and priesthood.
The ordination of women priests in the United States in 1976 led to the founding of the Continuing Anglican Movement in 1977.
2005 2013 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2022 2023 2024 The Anglican Communion Network currently lists ten dioceses of The Episcopal Church as members.
They joined the Anglican Church in North America as founding dioceses in June 2009[142] The Diocese of South Carolina disassociated itself from the national Episcopal Church on October 17, 2012, and called a diocesan convention for November 17 to "iron out the necessary changes to our Canons and Constitution, and begin to discern the best way forward into a new Anglican future.