The Anglican realignment is a movement among some
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
s to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and oth ...
. This movement is primarily active in parts of the
Episcopal Church in the
United States and the
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...
. Two of the major events that contributed to the movement were the 2002 decision of the
Diocese of New Westminster in Canada to authorise a rite of blessing for
same-sex unions, and the nomination of two openly gay priests in 2003 to become bishops.
Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest with a long-time partner, was appointed to be the next
Bishop of Reading in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
and the
General Convention of the Episcopal Church ratified the election of
Gene Robinson, an openly gay non-celibate man, as
Bishop of New Hampshire
The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire U.S. state, state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Diocese of Ma ...
. Jeffrey John ultimately declined the appointment due to pressure.
The current realignment movement differs from previous ones in that some Anglicans are seeking to establish different