Gay bishop reaches out to conservatives

NEW YORK — The first openly gay Episcopal bishop said Wednesday he regretted that his groundbreaking elevation to the church leadership created turmoil in the Anglican Communion, but he said he was not personally responsible for the rift and was not sorry he was elected.

Bishop V. Gene Robinson made the comments in an Associated Press interview two days after an Anglican commission said the U.S. Episcopal Church should apologize for consecrating him without consulting more with other Anglicans, many of whom believe the Bible bans gay sex.

"We regret how difficult this made things in many parts of the Communion," said Robinson, who leads the Diocese of New Hampshire. "Certainly, I do not regret that my becoming a bishop has been a real blessing to me and my diocese. I don't think any of us regret the decision that we made."

The commission also asked for a moratorium on electing non-celibate gays as bishop, while leaders of the global fellowship of churches spend the next several months studying how they can remain unified.

Robinson, who lives with his longtime partner, said he anticipated many gay clergy would not seek to become bishops for now, but he did not think they should be required to withdraw from consideration.

"If they feel called, I think they should put their names forward," he said. "I had hoped not to be sitting in the hot seat all alone."

The Episcopal Church, with 2.4 million members, is the U.S. province of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion, which traces its roots to the Church of England.

The report, released Monday in London, did not ask Robinson to resign or recommend punishment for the Episcopal Church, as some conservatives had demanded. Instead, it called for a long-term process of reconciliation and an end to bishops' meddling in one another's dioceses.

The report also sought to temporarily halt the growing acceptance of same-sex blessing ceremonies in Anglican churches. However, it is unclear whether U.S. dioceses will comply. Episcopalians already have competing interpretations of the scope of the commission's request, with Robinson and others contending that blessing ceremonies are still acceptable under the moratorium. Conservatives disagree.

The Diocese of New Hampshire has authorized the blessing ceremonies for years, and Robinson said he would not stop clergy who wished to perform them. Robinson said he has not led a same-sex blessing ceremony since becoming bishop last November.