The Sydney Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies has proudly boasted that he makes “no apology” for the diocese’s decision to spend $1 million supporting the ‘no’ campaign in the upcoming marriage equality survey.
“The standing committee has … taken the bold step of drawing down $1 million from the Diocesan Endowment to promote the ‘no’ case,” Archbishop Davies told his Sydney followers on Monday.
In fact, the Archbishop has a lot of apologising to do – not only to the LGBTQI Australians whose human rights will be undermined if the ‘no’ vote prevails.
The Archbishop should also apologise to the marginalised, traumatised and impoverished – here and overseas – who the Church claims to support through its charity efforts, all of whom missed out on a much-needed $1 million so the Archbishop could fund a morality crusade instead.
The Archbishop should apologise to volcano refugees in Vanuatu. The Sydney diocese’s own website explains that Anglican relief efforts in the volcano-ravaged island of Ambae are “stretched to breaking point”. They’ve launched an “emergency appeal” aimed at ordinary parishioners in an attempt to raise $100,000 for food and other aid to 3000 displaced people. $100,0000 that the Archbishop could have spared without blinking an eye.
The Archbishop should apologise to victims of violence and famine in East Africa. A donation of just $150 to his own charitable arm Anglican Aid would have provided 50kg of maize to one South Sudanese family fleeing violence and war for an entire month. $1 million would have saved thousands.
Anglican priest Fr Rod Bower, Archdeacon of the Central Coast in NSW, has condemned the actions of his Sydney Anglican counterparts.
The Archbishop should apologise to the 3.12 million Australians living in poverty, who his own church recognises need help with housing, food, electricity and other expenses. $1 million could have helped thousands forge a better life.
The Archbishop should apologise to its entire Anglican Aid arm, the part of its own mission set up to help the poor and needy worldwide. In 2016, it spent just over $1 million on international aid spread across dozens of worthy projects. The Archbishop could have doubled that amount in 2017 with a stroke of his pen.
Lives could have been changed, and even saved with that $1 million. But Sydney Archbishop Glenn Davies chose to spend the Church’s money on a petty, outdated grievance that will damage lives instead.
Perhaps the Archbishop’s final apology will happen at the pearly gates, if he’s forced to defend his unChristian actions to the God whose values he claims to represent.
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