NSW: Anglican Archbishop in row over church website
SYDNEY, Aug 7 AAP - Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen is seeking the retractionof an article accusing him of planning to further wind back women's rights in the church,labelling it grossly inaccurate.
The article, which appears on Anglicans Together's website, cites comments made byDr Jensen at a meeting during which he indicated he did not approve of women preachingin the church.
Anglicans Together is a Sydney diocese-based organisation who advocate the inclusionof all groups in the Anglican church.
The article, which is still on the site, claims Dr Jensen would wind back women's rightsin the Church by denying women licences to preach and discouraging them from enteringthe deaconate.
Dr Jensen allegedly outlined these plans in a meeting with Movement for the Ordinationof Women (MOW) representatives several weeks ago.
But a spokeswoman for Dr Jensen said he was seeking a retraction of the article.
"It's inaccurate when it says he's not giving permission for women to preach, he isdoing so," she said.
"It gives the impression that there's no encouragement for women ... to be ordained as deacons.
"There are women in training who are ordination candidates."
Dr Jensen was committed to upholding women's rights in the church, his spokeswoman said.
"When the Archbishop was elected archbishop he committed himself to following the policiesof his predecessors, Archbishop Donald Robinson and Archbishop Harry Goodhew," she said.
"This article, by saying he is not doing those things, actually questions his integritybecause it implies he's not doing what he said he would do.
"He's giving permission for women to do it (preach in the church), he said he wouldand he's giving permission for women, that's a major inaccuracy (to say he was not)."
Dr Jensen is today attending a conference for clergy in south Sydney.
AAP kn/arb/mg/de
KEYWORD: JENSEN LEAD
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