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CNN LIVE SATURDAY
Interview With Rev. Gene Robinson
Aired November 1, 2003 - 12:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: The Episcopal Church consecrates the first openly gay bishop, tomorrow. The elevation of Reverend Gene Robinson is threatening to split the U.S. church and the wider Angleton community. Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, joins us now from Manchester, New Hampshire.
Susan, you got an interview.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Jonathan, yes I do. It's been a long journey for Reverend Gene Robinson that started with a search for a new bishop for the dioceses of New Hampshire about a year and a half ago, and now tomorrow he will be consecrated as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.
You are joining us now for an exclusive interview; we thank you very much for your time...
REVEREND EUGENE ROBINSON, BISHOP-ELECT, N.H. DIOCESE: You've very welcome.
CANDIOTTI: ...on this important occasion. Do you have any mixed emotions this day?
ROBINSON: No. I'm actually feeling very calm about this. The only thing that is sort of weighing on my heart is knowing this is very difficult for many people in our church, and for those people for whom this is confusing or disturbing, and I'm very sorry about that. But, I am feeling very calm about moving forward, that this is, in fact, what god wants for me.
CANDIOTTI: Now, because you have been open about your homosexuality and acknowledging that you are in a committed relationship with another man and have been for a long time, your critics charge your consecration in their words, is "tragic." And, as one person told us, that if you step aside, in their words, "it will be the first sign of repentance." Strong words.
ROBINSON: Strong words and not terribly helpful, in the sense that, surely these people don't believe that if I were to step aside that all of this would stop, that we would go back to being the nice pretty picture that some have supposed us to be in the past. There are extraordinarily gifted gay and lesbian people in serious positions of leadership throughout our church and they are going to be nominated and elected, as well. So, my stepping aside would not stop this one bit.
CANDIOTTI: Well, you have -- if there is a split and people continue to predict this, because quite frankly, the majority of the worldwide Anglican community disagrees with this, and is opposed to it, what will happen?
ROBINSON: Well, you know, it's very interesting. The worldwide Anglican community, the vast majority of it, still disagrees with us about the ordination of women. Our women bishops, women priests, would not be recognized around most of the world and would not be allowed to function there as bishops or priests. And yet, we've not come apart over that and I believe that there's no reason for us to come apart over this. I so hope that that will not happen.
CANDIOTTI: There is going to be a commission formed to study this matter for a year. Do you think that some dioceses will break away before that commission completes its study?
ROBINSON: Well, I think it will be almost impossible for an entire diocese to break away. There is nothing to keep individuals from leaving, but there -- you can't just remove a diocese from the Episcopal Church and I think efforts to do that will be soundly defeated because we are still a church. If there are people who want to leave it, then a new bishop or new priest and standing committees will be elected, but you can't just wholesale take a diocese out of the Episcopal Church.
CANDIOTTI: You said before, if people choose to leave the Episcopal Church, because of what happened or the Anglican community, you won't feel responsible. Do you still feel that way?
ROBINSON: Well yes, I do, because I can't make them not leave, or conversely, I could not make them leave. I have no control over what they do, so they have to make a decision about whether to stay or go. I desperately want them to stay, I don't want them to leave, I don't believe that we are making them do anything that makes that necessary.
CANDIOTTI: Some have said that the church will never be the same after this. Critics take that in a negative way. What about you?
ROBINSON: You know, the church has faced many crises over its life, in fact, I would say that we have -- we've probably grown the most when we've been in some sort of crisis. Just this last weekend we were celebrating reformation weekend, there's another huge crisis in the church, and God has a way of bringing Easter out of all kinds of good Fridays, so of course, we will never be the same again. And I would like to say 10 years from now we will be different again, and 10 years later -- 10 years, will be different still. So, you know, the church is a living breathing organism and we worship a god that is alive and well and living among us. So why shouldn't we be changing?
CANDIOTTI: Bishop-elect Gene Robinson. Thank you very much for joining us. It will be an historic day tomorrow, and quite possibly historic occasion and event in the history of the worldwide Anglican community.
Back to you, Jonathan.
KARL: And, certainly a controversy that probably won't end, tomorrow either. Thank you very much, Susan Candiotti.
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