Anglican Leader Visits L.A.

Decrying religious intolerance and fanaticism, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on his first visit to Los Angeles on Friday, called on the world’s faiths to overcome their failings and use their strengths to work for world peace.

At the same time, the Most Rev. George L. Carey--primate of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the 70-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion--warned the West to guard against a “secularism” so content with material prosperity that it fails to see its destructive effects on traditional values.

Speaking to an estimated 425 civic, business and religious leaders at the downtown Biltmore Hotel, Carey also spoke of his admiration for the British royal family, his opposition to proposals that call for disbanding the monarchy in favor of an English republic, and warned the church against rushing to ordain gay men and lesbians if the “vast majority” of church members are opposed.

But Carey, who became the 103rd archbishop of Canterbury in 1991 in a line of succession that began with St. Augustine in the year 597, focused his prepared remarks on issues of peace and religious intolerance.

Carey denounced “unspeakable atrocities against innocent people” in the name of religion.

“The question, therefore, facing all faith communities is: Have they the capacity to transcend the willful, negative and destructive features of religion and culture which have done so much damage to our world? Can they use the undoubted strength of religion to bring about a new world order of peace?”

Carey, who has traveled to Sudan to speak out against the persecution of the Christian minority in that predominately Islamic country, as well as to Bosnia, also said that challenges to peace cannot be met without faith.

“How else can momentum be found for combating the worst excesses of poverty and inequality around the world?” he asked. “How else can we find the self-restraint in the interest of future generations in order to save our environment? How else can we combat the malignant power of exclusive nationalism and racism? All this requires the dynamic power of commitment, faith and love. The privatized morality of ‘what works for me’ will not do,” he said.

In remarks that recalled the frequent exhortations of Pope John Paul II against materialism, Carey said few doubt that the West is a repository of some of the greatest values and achievements of human civilization.

But the archbishop said that some “wonder what kind of civilization it is which is content with material prosperity and which seems to be so casual about massive social decay represented by violent crimes, permissive sexual ethics, the breakup of family and community life and a widening gulf between rich and poor.”

Although most Episcopalians in the United States would probably not dispute Carey on most of his concerns, they are divided on issues of human sexuality.

Earlier this month, a court of eight Episcopal bishops dismissed heresy charges against retired Bishop Walter C. Righter for ordaining a noncelibate gay man in 1990 as a deacon. The court said there is no “core doctrine” that forbids such ordinations. But the court declined to rule on either the morality of committed, same-gender relationships or whether bishops should ordain individuals in such relationships.

Carey has spoken out against the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals in England. But on Friday he was more circumspect in responding to a question at the luncheon, sponsored jointly by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall.

“Christianity is more than talk about these things. Christianity is about the mission of God in his world,” Carey began. All other issues, he said, must be considered in that larger context.

“Homosexuals are loved by God and we should resist witch hunting, homophobia and all those things,” he said.

Still, he said, more dialogue is needed about ordinations. “As in many other human issues . . . you will not find 100% agreement.” But he cautioned against the ordination of homosexuals unless “the vast majority” of church members are supportive. “Be careful that we do not run into making rash decisions that can deeply divide the church and weaken its effectiveness,” he said.

Los Angeles Episcopal Bishop Frederick H. Borsch, with whom Carey will jointly celebrate Eucharist at a festival Sunday commemorating the Los Angeles diocese’s 100th anniversary, has approved of the ordination of noncelibate gays and lesbians in the Los Angeles diocese.

Carey drew laughter when he was asked during a question and answer period what he thought of the British monarchy. Holding up a glass of ice water in his hand, the archbishop quipped, “I’m beginning to think I ought to have something stronger than this!”

But the laughter quickly subsided as he responded. He called the monarchy “remarkable” and praised the royal family for its unselfish commitment and dedication to the nation. He called Queen Elizabeth “a wonderful person and I admire her deeply.”

Then, without directly referring to the pending divorce between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the archbishop said that royals were at once both an extraordinary family and an ordinary family.

“[It is] ordinary in the sense that they have pains and weakness, problems where relationships crumble and so on. My job, as a chaplain to some degree, is to stand alongside with other people who can also befriend and help them. They are of remarkable good heart and if you are interested in the royal family, remember them occasionally in your prayers. . . . That’s all I’m going to say.”