More from Archbishop Aspinall

I have found the full transcript of ++Aspinall's interview on ABC radio. This part interests me most

MONICA ATTARD: Justice Kirby of the High Court; an openly gay man has said in the past that he feels let down by the Anglican Church, I mean is that something that you feel deeply about?

PHILLIP ASPINALL: Yes it is, I feel a degree of sympathy for the hurt that Justice Kirby expresses and I guess at a personal level that's really what's at stake in this debate.

Quite a number of homosexual people have said that they are people of faith, that they are committed to Jesus Christ and believe they are faithful members of the church and they want to have a home in the church and they want their contributions to be received and valued and welcomed.

The question the church is struggling with is, is an active homosexual lifestyle compatible with the gospel?

And there is no clear cut answer to that question, people feel it very deeply and the feelings run deep and I guess that's part of the nature of human sexuality. It goes to the very core of our being and sometimes it's hard to get rational discussion about it but we have to keep at it until we can.

MONICA ATTARD: Would you not be able to put this debate down once and for all if you expressed your view?

PHILLIP ASPINALL: Monica what happens in the Anglican Church is people often cry out for the leaders to speak out strongly on one issue or another.

And whenever a bishop does, another group of people will shout out, why doesn't that renegade bishop keep his opinions to himself?

So me expressing a strong view one way or the other is not going to settle the debate, I can assure you of that.

MONICA ATTARD: But it might in Australia?

PHILLIP ASPINALL: Ah no, it wouldn't even in Australia. Archbishop Jensen expressing a strong view on it has not settled the debate in Australia.

A number of others have expressed a strong view one way or another and that has not settled the debate in Australia and Australia is not going to settle it in isolation from the debate going on it the rest of the world.

I guess I personally want him to speak out more clearly in opposition to Jensen but at least he shows more sympathy to the situation of gay members of the church.