Wednesday, July 09, 2008

New Venezuelan Church has Anglican Ties

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/7/8/new-venezuelan-church-has-anglican-ties

[The Living Church] 9 Jul 2008--A newly created church that openly supports Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was founded by former Anglicans and is said to combine elements of the Book of Common Prayer with liberation theology.
Although its first three bishops were consecrated just last month, the Reformist Catholic Church of Venezuela had its start several years ago under the leadership of a group of dissident Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran clergy, a spokeman told the Associated Press. Enrique Albornoz, a former Lutheran minister who helped start the church, said the organization doesn’t “side with any political banner, but we cannot fail to recognize and support the socialist achievements…of this revolutionary government.”
The new church has described itself as “Bolivarian,” in reference to Simon Bolivar, the nationalist hero who founded the country in the 19th century. The church is said to have made clerical celibacy optional, permits divorce and remarriage, and contends that homosexual conduct is not immoral.
Mr. Albornoz claims the group has some 2,000 adherents meeting in five groups, mostly in the western state of Zulia.

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