The consecration of a person sexually active outside the bonds of Holy Matrimony – specifically, a homosexual in a long-term relationship with another man – as a Bishop of The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of New Hampshire has fractured the unity of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and betrayed the Christian Faith.

By this action, those bishops who voted their consent to the consecration, those who took part in it (including the Presiding Bishop), and those who remain in communion with the Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire have removed themselves from the fellowship and faith of the Anglican Communion.

Forward in Faith North America has consistently affirmed its loyal submission to the Word of God and the Tradition of the Church catholic, as affirmed by the instruments of unity of the Anglican Communion.  The Council of Forward in Faith North America therefore declares that it cannot in any way recognize the authority of the bishops in question, until or unless they repent of their schismatic and apostate actions.

The Council will collaborate and cooperate with the American Anglican Council and other classical Anglican organizations to secure the immediate needs of those who are committed to maintaining the historic discipline concerning ordination.  The Council is pressing with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates as a matter of urgency the implementation of its previous plan for the consecration of bishops to minister to our constituency.

The Council of Forward in Faith North America: 

• declares that this departure impairs communion to such a degree that fellowship at the Lord’s Table is inappropriate;
• urges Forward in Faith parishes in dioceses whose bishops supported the consecration of V. Gene Robinson to request adequate episcopal oversight through the organization’s office;
• urges Forward in Faith parishes in such dioceses to redirect funds from their diocese to bodies which stand firmly within the boundaries of Anglican diversity;  and
• calls for the creation of new, orthodox congregations in dioceses whose bishops supported the consecration.

At the same time, the Council of Forward in Faith declares its solidarity with those bishops and dioceses, and with those primates and provinces, both within and outside the structures of the Communion, that will now move forward in a realignment of the Church in North America, and of the Anglican Communion as a whole.