Episcopal bishop says 'no' to limited role in global meeting of Anglican leaders

The first openly gay Episcopal bishop announced he will have no official role in a meeting this summer of world Anglican leaders, saying restrictions that organizers wanted to place on his involvement had caused him ''considerable pain.''

New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson had been told last year that he could not fully participate in the once-a-decade gathering in England, called the Lambeth Conference, as the world Anglican Communion sat on the brink of schism over his 2003 election.

Still, Episcopal leaders had been negotiating with the Anglican Communion Office to allow him to join the event in some capacity. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.

At a Texas meeting Monday night of the Episcopal House of Bishops, Robinson said that the final offer to include him was in effect a ''non-offer,'' and he had declined it.

Anglican leaders said Robinson could ''be present'' in the conference Marketplace, or convention hall, where exhibitors and church agencies set up stalls, and that he could participate in one ''high profile'' event, such as a news conference, at the 20-day summit. The exhibit hall is open to the public, while the Lambeth discussions are private.

Robinson told the bishops in Texas that ever since he got word of the proposal late last Friday, ''I have been in considerable pain.'' He said he had hoped to participate in Bible study and small group discussions with other bishops.

''I am dismayed and sickhearted that we can't sit around a table, as brothers and sisters in Christ, and study Scripture together,'' he said. ''It makes me wonder, if we can't sit around a table and study the Bible together, what kind of Communion do we have and what are we trying to save?''

A spokesman for the Anglican Communion did not respond to a request for comment.
The spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, didn't invite Robinson to Lambeth, partly to appease theological conservatives, who believe the Bible bars gay relationships. Some had threatened to boycott the meeting if he attended.