GAFCON/Lambeth Update

(Ed: Interesting comparison of three speeches.)

Normally, Sunday is a sleepy news day in the Anglican communion. Not today, as several Anglican leaders put down markers about the future of the Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury writes to his home Diocese about his hopes for the upcoming Lambeth Conference:

[...]
But what we can say a bit about is the way in which the business is going to be done. The programme, devised by a very gifted and dedicated international team, responds to the widely felt concerns that we ought to get away from too 'parliamentary' and formal a style. It's going to be important that no-one goes home feeling they haven't ever been listened to. So it's important to devise structures that guarantee everyone has a chance to be heard. It's also crucial to build the sort of trust that allows deep and passionate differences to be stated and explored together, with time allowed for getting past the slogans and the surface emotions.

Read it all here.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, there were two notable addresses to the GAFCON conference. First, the Right Rev’d Suheil S. Dawani, Bishop of Jerusalem, urged the participants to act with humility toward unity in Anglican Communion:

I look forward to the Lambeth Conference which is so important to our ongoing life together and for the mission of the Church. Since its inception in 1867, the Lambeth Conference has been the setting for invaluable dialogue about many aspects of our Church’s life, particularly in relation to the changes in the world around us. Together, we have dialogued at Lambeth about war and peace, about industrialization and ecumenism, about poverty and disease, about the faith and order of the Church, and about how together we can overcome the injustices of our world. Throughout its history, the Lambeth Conference has dealt with many difficult issues. At times these issues looked as if they might divide us, but they did not because we persevered in prayer and fellowship, together, with respect and patience.

Read the full text here.

Finally, the Right Rev'd Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Nigeria, gave opening remarks at GAFCON that took on the Archbishop of Caterbury, as well as the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada:

The last major meeting that considered this issue was the Primates' Meeting in Tanzania in February 2007. After long and painful hours of deliberations the primates gave TEC a last chance to clarify unequivocally and adequately their stand by 30th September, 2007.

Strangely, before the deadline, and before the Primates could get the opportunity of meeting to assess the adequacy of the response of TEC and in a clear demonstration of unwillingness to follow through our collective decisions which for many of us was an apparent lack of regard for the Primates, Lambeth Palace in July 2007 issued invitations to TEC bishops including those who consecrated Gene Robinson to attend the Lambeth 2008 conference.

At this point, it dawned upon us, regrettably, that the Archbishop of Canterbury was not interested in what matters to us, in what we think or in what we say.

Go to Episcopal Cafe here.

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