July 23rd, 2003: The Archbishop of Nigeria, Archbishop of the West Indies, Archbishop of Rwanda, Archbishop of Central Africa, Archbishop of the Southern Cone, Archbishop of Southeast Asia, (primates) and the Archbishop of Sydney and others, claiming to be the mainstream Anglican leaders from Provinces around the world comprising a majority of the world's 75 million Anglicans, put pressure on the Episcopal Church to not ordain Gene Robinson.
July 31st, 2003: The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, publish a document entitled "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons". It was signed by Cardinal Ratzinger, with the approval of the Pope.
USA June 7th, 2003: The Revd Canon Gene Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.
He was the first openly gay man in the Episcopal Church to be elected as a bishop. The father of two grown daughters, Jamee and Ella, he lives with his partner of 16 years, Mark Andrew.
August 3rd, 2003: At the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Minneapolis (July 29 — August 8, 2003) the House of Deputies voted to approve the election as follows: Lay deputations voted 63 yes, 32 no, and 13 divided; Clergy deputations voted 65 yes, 31 no, and |2 divided.
August 4th, 2003: Last minute, surprise allegations of indecent behaviour are raised against Canon Robinson, which make the bishops postpone voting to ratify the election bythe House of Deputies.
August 5th, 2003: With allegations proving to be spurious and without foundation, the House of Bishops voted to ratify the election, with 62 voting in favour and 43 opposed. Two bishops did not vote. Robinson needed only a simple majority to win consent. He took his seat in the House of Bishops. Among those who voted against the election, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said he felt a "grief too deep for words" and that he with several other bishops would be calling on the other primates of the Anglican Communion "to intervene in the pastoral emergency that has overtaken us." August 6th, 2003: A day after confirming the election of an openly gay man as bishop, the House of Bishops agreed to a compromise and decided not to move forward with the development of same-sex blessing liturgies. The compromise resolution, passed on 8th August, is that while it will not authorise rites for what has already been taking place, it recognises that "local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience l'turgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions." Lambeth Palace Friday August 8, 2003: The Archbishop of Canterbury announced a special summit of the world leaders of the Anglican Communion of churches, in an attempt to heal divisions over the appointment of gay clergy in the UK and US.