Tag Archives: Bishop Kevin Robertson

Bishop Kevin Robertson unhappy with Lambeth Call on Human Dignity

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Kevin Robertson is the area bishop of York-Scarborough in the Diocese of Toronto. He is also a homosexual who is married to another man. As a result, he was invited to attend Lambeth 2022 but his sexual partner was not, a decision that make little sense in my opinion, although it is representative of a typical wishy-washy Anglican compromise.

Kevin Robertson was a member of the group the drafted the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity. So far so good. The only problem is that the Call in its current incarnation includes this:

All human beings are made in the image of God. Therefore, Anglicans are committed to respect, protect, and acknowledge the dignity of all. There has been, however, a gap between rhetoric and reality. Historical exploitation, deepening poverty, and prejudice continue to threaten human dignity. Amidst these threats, and our own divisions and discernment, we call for: (i) an Archbishop’s Commission for Redemptive Action; (ii) the establishment of an Anglican Innovation Fund; and (iii) a reaffirmation of Lambeth I.10 that upholds marriage as between a man and a woman and requires deeper work to uphold the dignity and witness of LGBTQ Anglicans.

According to Robertson, including a reaffirmation that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman was not discussed by the group. As you can probably tell from this, he is upset:

Dear Facebook friends,

Like many of you, I have been shocked and dismayed by the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity which, in part, calls upon the bishops to reaffirm Lambeth Resolution I.10 (1998). That 24-year-old resolution, for which there was no consensus even then, limits the definition of marriage to a man and a woman in a lifelong union. I strongly oppose the proposal to reaffirm this resolution at the upcoming Lambeth Conference, and have conveyed this to the Archbishop of Canterbury. I believe it would significantly set back the pursuit of justice and the respect for the dignity of every human person to which we are called in baptism. Moreover, as a gay man married to another man, my understanding and experience of human dignity includes the blessing of two people joined together in holy marriage, regardless of gender.

What is more disturbing is that, as a member of the Human Dignity Call drafting group, I never agreed to this Call in its current form. At no point in our meetings did we discuss the reaffirmation of Lambeth I.10 at the Conference, and it never appeared in any of the early drafts of our work together. I can confidently say that the Human Dignity Call in its current form does not represent the mind of the drafting group, and I distance myself from the reaffirmation of Lambeth I.10 in the strongest possible ways. I also unequivocally reject the phrase within the Call, “It is the mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole that same gender marriage is not permissible.” This statement is simply not true.

With others, I am seeking to amend the Human Dignity Call over the coming hours and days. I am hopeful that this is possible. There are many things in the document that do reflect the good work of the drafting group and would be tremendously positive for the Church and the world, especially the call to protect human dignity with particular attention to sexuality and gender. So, I very much hope that the Human Dignity Call can be amended rather than rejected. Please pray for a positive outcome to this work.

To my siblings in the LGBTQ2S+ community: remember that you are deeply loved and cherished. Our place in this beloved Church is not dependent on any resolution or call. By virtue of the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by our loving Creator, and redeemed through Christ, this is our Church. And we belong – fully.

I agree with Bishop Kevin Robertson

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Toronto’s Bishop Kevin Robertson is married to another man and, as a result, even though he has been invited to Lambeth 2020, his spouse has not.

Robertson thinks that this decision was “driven by homophobia”. I don’t agree with him about that since the word “homophobia” is a meaningless insult hurled at anyone who believes homosexual practice is inconsistent with a Biblical understanding of marriage and human sexuality.

I do agree with the last thing Robertson said in this article, though: ”Keeping people away and excluding people is not the answer.”

Justin Welby is still trying to present the appearance of straddling the fence on homosexual clergy and same-sex marriage while, in unguarded moments, it is obvious he has no disagreement with either. Welby privately “attempted to comfort” Robertson after breaking the news to him; it’s quite clear where Welby’s sympathies lie.

Is it too much to expect an Archbishop of Canterbury to be honest and straightforward? It seems so.

It is time for Welby to come clean, openly admit he is in favour of same-sex marriage, tell us he is taking the Church of England in that direction, invite all bishops and all their spouses to Lambeth 2020 and let those who disagree take the action that their consciences dictate.

Read it all here:

ONE of the bishops who were told that they could not bring their same-sex spouse to next year’s Lambeth Conference has accused conservative Primates of homophobia in their opposition to his presence.

The Area Bishop of York-Scarborough, the Rt Revd Kevin Robertson, a suffragan in the diocese of Toronto, said that he was not convinced that archbishops from the global South who had insisted that his husband, Mohan Sharma, could not attend the Conference were motivated solely by theological conviction.

Bishop Robertson was told in person by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace earlier this year that Mr Sharma, unlike the husbands and wives of all other bishops, would not be invited to the Lambeth Conference in 2020.

“It was disappointing, absolutely, and I expressed that to the Archbishop,” Bishop Robertson said. He had been at Lambeth Palace for an induction event for new bishops from across the Ang­lican Communion.

[…..]

He said that in their private conversation at Lambeth Palace, Arch­bishop Welby attempted to comfort him by noting that, at the last Lambeth Conference, gay bishops themselves, let alone their partners, were not invited.

But this did not seem like much progress, Bishop Robertson said. “This is the great frustration of Lam­beth — by excluding spouses like Becki and Mohan it doesn’t allow for frank, even difficult, conversations.

“If they are not present, not seen, not known, how do we advance the conversation and build bridges through the disagreement? Keeping people away and excluding people is not the answer.”

Reaction from Bishop Kevin Robertson

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Bishop Kevin Robertson is married to another man; Justin Welby invited Robertson to Lambeth 2020 but not his spouse.

There’s an old story about a vicar who wanted to move a piano from one side of the church to the other. He knew that his congregation didn’t like change so, rather than move the piano all at once, he moved it two inches per week. No one noticed until it was too late and the piano had arrived at its final destination a year later.

What is clear from the article below is that Justin Welby is using the old piano tactic.

Welby told Robertson he was “willing to move beyond what happened in 2008 when Gene Robinson was not invited. He was willing to invite me and Mary, but that it was too much of a step to invite our spouses as well.” Rest assured, if there is a Lambeth 2030, same-sex spouses will be invited.

Bishop Robertson finds the disinvitation offensive but not so offensive that he will stay away. Robertson is certainly right about one thing: this whole fiasco is riddled with hypocrisy. Justin Welby, reconciler extraordinaire, by striving mightily to outdo the best self-parodying efforts of Rowan Williams the Druid has made Western Anglicanism a laughing stock – for those who can still be bothered to notice its ever-diminishing existence.

From here:

Diocese of Toronto Bishop Suffragan Kevin Robertson married Mohan Sharma on Dec. 28, 2018. The diocese congratulated him on his marriage, which was attended by Toronto Archbishop Colin Johnson and Toronto Bishop Diocesan Andrew Asbil.

Robertson said in a telephone interview with ENS Feb. 18 that Welby told him in person that Sharma would not be invited. Robertson was at Lambeth Palace, Welby’s official London residence, on Feb. 7 as part of an annual 10-day new-bishop orientation run by Canterbury Cathedral when he was summoned to Welby’s office. The conversation occurred two days before Brown’s election in Maine.

“He said to me there are only two of you in the communion in this situation, you and Mary, and he said if I invite your spouses to the Lambeth Conference, there won’t be a Lambeth Conference,” Robertson said.

Welby, Robertson said, seemed to be “willing to move beyond what happened in 2008 when Gene Robinson was not invited. He was willing to invite me and Mary, but that it was too much of a step to invite our spouses as well.”

Their conversation came on the same day that Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, the primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria and the chairman of the Global Anglican Future Conference, or GAFCON, issued a “warning” saying that he expected that Robertson “and his partner will be attending [Lambeth] and received in good standing.”

Okoh said, “With great sadness we therefore have to conclude that the Lambeth Conference of 2020 will itself be an obstacle to the gospel by embracing teaching and a pattern of life which are profoundly at odds with the biblical witness and the apostolic Christianity through the ages.”

Robertson said the refusal to invite his and Glasspool’s spouses is “hurtful.” He said he and Sharma, who have two children, have been together for 10 years.

“I actually find it quite offensive. I know that’s a strong word, but I’m aware the Anglican Communion is not of one mind around marriage,” he said. “However, the decision to invite all the other spouses without inviting ours, I think, sends a very clear message about the way that same-sex relationships are regarded in the communion. I think that’s a troubling sign.”

Robertson said his first instinct was not to go with Lambeth without his spouse. While he has not made a final decision, he said that, at the moment, he thinks it’s important for all of the bishops who will find themselves in this position to go so that their voices are at the table.

During his time with the 29 bishops who were part the orientation in Canterbury, Robertson said some of them discussed Okoh’s letter. While they all did not agree, those conversations “reminded me that it’s so important to be in conversation; it’s so important to being in the process of building relationships, that that is only way we are going to get through this,” Robertson said.

“Frankly, it’s why I am so disappointed about the spouses not being invited. If we’re going to get through this, it will be because people come to know bishops in same-sex relationships and realize that we’re people too. It’s not by keeping people away. I think that’s the worst thing to do.”

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is scheduled to vote in July 2019 on changing its marriage canon to allow same-sex marriage.

Bishop Kevin Robertson’s spouse will not be invited to Lambeth 2020

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The spouses of homosexual bishops will not be invited to attend Lambeth 2020 which means Toronto Bishop Kevin Robertson’s wife/husband, Mohan Sharma, will not receive an invitation.

I wonder whether Justin Welby has really thought this through. It’s only a matter of time before a male Anglican bishop marries another male Anglican bishop. I suspect the Anglican Church of Canada already has a matchmaking Task Force working strenuously to produce such a paradigm of proud diverse inclusion. What will Welby do when they succeed?

From here:

I need to clarify a misunderstanding that has arisen. Invitations have been sent to every active bishop. That is how it should be – we are recognising that all those consecrated into the office of bishop should be able to attend. But the invitation process has also needed to take account of the Anglican Communion’s position on marriage which is that it is the lifelong union of a man and a woman. That is the position as set out in Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference. Given this, it would be inappropriate for same-sex spouses to be invited to the conference. The Archbishop of Canterbury has had a series of private conversations by phone or by exchanges of letter with the few individuals to whom this applies.

Toronto Bishop Kevin Robertson invited to Canterbury

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The Diocese of Toronto’s Bishop Kevin Robertson married his same-sex partner in 2018.

On February 7th 2019, Justin Welby welcomed him and 29 other bishops to Lambeth Palace. He is in the second to last row fifth from the left wearing a similar grin to the one he sported in his wedding photo:

Not much confirmation is needed on where Justin Welby stands on same-sex marriage but, for those who remain unconvinced that he fully supports it, inviting a male bishop who is married to another man for a cosy chat at Lambeth Palace should do the trick.

From here:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will this afternoon (Thursday) welcome nearly 30 new Anglican bishops from around the world to his official London residence Lambeth Palace. This morning, the bishops are at the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) in west London. They are taking part in an annual 10-day course run by Canterbury Cathedral – the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion – to teach them about the role of a bishop and the Anglican Communion. This year’s cohort comes from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Melanesia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the US, and Zimbabwe.

GAFCON’s Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has already warned faithful bishops not to attend Lambeth 2020 because, among other things, Kevin Robertson and his spouse will probably be there. No need to speculate: it has already happened:

We have also learned with deep concern that the Assistant Bishop of Toronto, Kevin Robertson, entered into a same sex union using the marriage service in St James’ Cathedral, Toronto. This step by the Anglican Church of Canada underlines the urgency of our advice in the Jerusalem 2018 ‘Letter to the Churches’ warning against attending the 2020 Lambeth Conference as currently constituted. For the first time assistant bishops and their spouses will be invited, so we can expect that Bishop Robertson and his partner will be attending and received in good standing.

Toronto Bishop Kevin Robertson marries his same-sex partner

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Robertson was married at St. James Cathedral. The Diocese of Niagara’s Bishop Susan Bell presided, extinguishing any glimmer of hope that Bell would depart from the radically liberal agenda of her predecessor, Michael Bird.

The Anglican Church of Canada will not officially perform same-sex marriages until the final vote to change the marriage canon takes place at the 2019 general synod. The fact that Robertson has ignored that detail confirms that, whichever way it goes, the 2019 vote will be as far removed from meaning anything as the ACoC is from Christianity.

From here:

The Diocese of Toronto congratulates Bishop Kevin Robertson and Mr. Mohan Sharma, who were married today at St. James Cathedral in the presence of their two children, their families and many friends, including Archbishop Colin Johnson and Bishop Andrew Asbil.

(Bishop Kevin and Mohan, who have been a couple since 2009, had their relationship blessed in 2016 according to the Pastoral Guidelines of the Diocese of Toronto and are now married under the marriage provision of the same guidelines.)

We wish them much joy in their marriage.

Making the way less straight

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The Anglican Church, having given up on being “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord”, has opted instead for an alliance between the straight and less than straight:

This began at St. Paul’s when the teacher promoting it couldn’t drum up any support from students at her school. She knew Anglicans are willing to try anything so long as it is not Biblical.

From here:

Uxbridge church starts Gay/Straight Alliance

WHEN Kathleen Caroll, a member of St. Paul, Uxbridge and a teacher at a local school, proposed that the students at the school form a rainbow by wearing different coloured t-shirts in honour of Pride Week, she was met with a negative response. Out of that experience came the creation of the Uxbridge Gay/Straight Alliance, which meets at the church.

Toronto bishop Kevin Robertson leant his support:

Bishop of Toronto declares that the Holy Spirit is male

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Here is the homosexual bishop of Toronto, Kevin Robertson, clearly exhibiting a spasm of unrepentant patriarchy by holding up an offensive sign in the Toronto Pride Parade.

This is a slippery slope: if, today, a bishop can get away with saying the Holy Spirit is male, before long he’ll be calling God “Father”.

Where is the outrage from our feminist clergy? Has anyone reported this as a hate crime?

Rabbit’s ears and the bishop

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Kevin Robertson is a homosexual bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada. He is unapologetic about what would at one time seem to be an unlikely combination: a male Anglican bishop married to another man.

Perhaps this improbable juxtaposition has unhinged his sensibilities or possibly the photographing of oneself with faux rabbit’s ears has liturgical significance. Or perhaps this signals an arcane sexual invitation beyond the comprehension of those immersed in the mundane confines of heterosexual mores. We may never know, but here is Kevin in multiple poses with rabbit’s ears:

Politics and the Bishop

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Bishop Kevin Robertson, in this case, the newly minted Bishop in the Diocese of Toronto who happens to be a practising homosexual.

Here, he uses Lent to lecture us about the evil of walls:

Lent is an invitation to tear down walls

It is vital that this work of tearing down walls continues. Over the past few months, the world has witnessed an increase of suspicion and mistrust of “the other.” The proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico threatens the further separation of two peoples that, though divided by citizenship, are united in so many other ways. In a speech in Berlin 30 years ago, American President Ronald Reagan famously challenged his Russian counterpart, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” But now, a new president is threatening to erect new walls with the aim of keeping people apart. The recent executive order to restrict entry into the U.S for people of seven Muslim-majority countries is another kind of wall. It paints entire nations and peoples with a single brush, and heightens a sense of xenophobia around the world. Even here in our own country, we were shocked and saddened by the murder of six Muslim men at a Quebec City mosque in late January. Again, a reminder of the wall s that divide us.

None of this is surprising, of course. It is worth pointing out that the Mexico wall is designed to keep illegal immigrants out of the US while the Berlin Wall was used to imprison East Berliners in their communist paradise by their own government; that doesn’t matter much to Robertson. Robertson’s article is quite clearly one that aligns with a liberal-left view of immigration and national sovereignty; it has nothing to do with the Gospel and is likely to alienate people whose politics don’t match Roberson’s.

Now, had Robertson been in favour of the US-Mexico wall, he probably wouldn’t have got his new job in the first place, but if by some miracle he had, I’m sure there would be howls of righteous indignation from our clerical elite denouncing his opinions and demanding that he be prevented from speaking from any pulpit in Canada. Just as they have done for Franklin Graham.

Here is the bishop smiling happily within the walls of one of his churches: