From the Lambeth Conference Canterbury: July 21st, 2008

From www.forwardinfaith.com

FiF International News
Lambeth Conference - 2
Jul 22, 2008

“NOT BY COERCION, BUT BY CONSENT”

Meeting with the press at their daily conference today, a relaxed Archbishop of Canterbury reiterated his vision of a “unity achieved not by coercion but by consent”.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Williams spoke of Sunday evening’s plenary session as a “moment of gear change”, as the bishops moved from gathering and praying and deliberately not engaging an agenda into the work of the Conference.

The Archbishop had introduced the indaba process in his address. He observed that the methods employed at earlier Conferences hadn’t been successful in addressing tough issues; this process was worth trying, and would allow every single bishop’s voice to be heard.

In turn, the bishops’ voices will inform the two groups which are dealing directly with those tough issues, the Covenant Working Group and the Windsor Continuation Group, whose members had been introduced at the plenary.

The Archbishop stated that the issue of women’s ordination is not going to go away, especially in ecumenical discussions, but pointed to the ARCIC statements on ministry as a common resource. He recognized that the decision of the General Synod regarding the ordination of women as bishops has given rise to “alienation and grief” as well as elation, and leaves the Church of England with “a huge bit of unfinished business”. But in his opinion the decision has not hurt the Conference.

The Archbishop was asked directly what counted for him as wrong in sexual behaviour. He replied that he considered any relationship outside a public covenant of mutual support to be wrong – in other words, he said, “sex outside marriage” – and reaffirmed his acceptance of the standard set at Lambeth 1998.

Archbishop Williams was asked why ecumenical participants had been invited “to provoke and deepen the journey”, but the Bishop of New Hampshire had not. He responded that the ecumenical participants are here to represent their churches. But Anglican bishops represent both their dioceses and the worldwide fellowship of Anglicans, he continued: Bp. Robinson was not invited because of questions raised with respect to that fellowship.

Why, then, were Bishop Robinson’s consecrators invited when the CAPA bishops and others had indicated they would not come if they were? The Archbishop noted that some of the consecrators had retired, others had expressed a wish that they hadn’t taken part. More important, the American House of Bishops had asked forgiveness for the offense they had caused, and both the Joint Standing Committee and more than fifty per cent of the Provinces had said they considered that satisfactory. The constitution of the Communion is such that all primates and Provinces have an equal voice: decisions cannot be weighted for their size.

Asked what message he would like to send to those bishops who have absented themselves, Archbishop Williams, observing that it would be “helpful and healing” to have heard their voices, responded, “We’re sorry you’re not here”.

The Archbishop said that he had put to the bishops who have chosen to absent themselves the issue of how that would affect the “legitimacy” of the Conference. People will have to judge if these bishops have “a coherent alternative” to offer, the Archbishop said. But the grave disquiet and serious criticism they have expressed must be responded to.

Reflecting on the first days of the Conference, the Archbishop suggested that the bishops had achieved “a level of spiritual cohesion” by praying and talking “off agenda”, providing “a common base, a common culture” which will serve as a “building block” for what happens at the rest of the Conference.

Several questions focused on the proposed Anglican Covenant. Asked about GAFCON’s accusation that the structures of the Communion are “colonial”, the Archbishop noted that the process of framing the Covenant is still underway: “we argue...we continue to make the case”. With respect to the mutual recognition of ministries, the Archbishop observed that while some “still have questions about the nature” of women’s priesthood, they nonetheless recognize that a ministry is being exercised – a”low level recognition”.

The Archbishop asserted that conflicts based in religion were intensified by ignorance and prejudice, the failure to get into one’s own religion and others’. Speaking specifically to the Bishop of Harare’s break with the Communion, the Archbishop saw this as an “extreme example” of the way in which “unscrupulous people” in the church had used an alliance with government against other parts of the church.

Mrs. Melinda Whelan appeared with the Archbishop to talk about the spouses’ conference. She noted that most had little opportunity to interact with other bishops’ spouses, or to be formed for their ministry. Thus, the spouses’ conference is providing opportunities to learn about such subjects as management skills, microfinance, and starting prayer-groups and other ministries.

The plenary sessions offer an opportunity to hear other spouses’ stories – “remarkable stories, incredible, heartrending, fabulous stories”.

Mrs Whelan herself said that the best thing about being a bishop’s wife was the privilege of being with people at significant times in their lives and the lives of their communities, such as confirmations. The worst thing, she said, is that she never gets to see her husband.

Today the bishops met for the first time in their indaba groups; in fact, the groups met twice to talk about the bishop and Anglican identity. This topic came out of reflections on the formation of bishops by the working party set up by the primates to deliver real excellence in theological education worldwide.


In the evening plenary session, Dr Brian McClaren introduced tomorrow’s theme, the bishop and evangelism, with a presentation on what evangelism looks like “in modern, post modern, colonial and post colonial contexts”.