Church suspended

The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, was suspended from participating in the life and work of the communion during a meeting in Canterbury, England, in mid-January. The vote passed by a two-thirds margin and included prominent voices among African bishops who have condemned the U.S. church for its liberal stance on gays. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said the sanction would be painful for many in the Episcopal Church to receive. “Many of us have committed ourselves and our church to being ‘a house of prayer for all people,’ as the Bible says, when all are truly welcome,” he said.