In commentary in The Daily Nation (Kenya), Charles Njonjo (former Cabinet minister and a member of the Anglican Church) calls upon Archbishop Nzimbi to attend Lambeth:
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s call has been taken positively by a number of those who had intended to boycott Lambeth, among them Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh Diocese in the US, who said he believes it is important that the diocese be represented throughout the Lambeth Conference, if for no other reason than to provide an alternative perspective on the situation in the Episcopal Church.
“Those who accuse us of abandoning the Anglican Communion will certainly be present and vocal. It is important for us to be able to respond directly to their claims about the situation in the Episcopal Church and our place in the Communion,” he added.
The split within the Anglican communion on account of actions by the Episcopal Church needs to be addressed head-on. This conference is important to those Anglicans who wish to remain with the larger communion.
Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone Province, who also had planned not to attend Lambeth, but has now changed his mind, said:
‘‘I think someone has got to go and show their face and speak on the situation… It is clear the division is final. Dialogue is the one thing that is lacking. I don’t think we are going to change people’s minds, but I think it would be wrong for us to get to a point where we acknowledge a division without coming together and talking about it.’’
The Church as an institution is bound to have its limits. I think we have just hit the limit on this.
The sad thing is that there seems to be no way the Anglican Communion can fully acknowledge that difference and find a way of gracefully dealing with it.
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We know that already, some bishops who do not take the same position as the Archbishop have courageously registered for the conference. Yet others, maybe from fear, are attending as observers.
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I find it impossible to keep quiet when people are frequently hounded, vilified, molested and even killed as targets of homophobia for something they did not choose — their sexual orientation.
Where is our Christian charity?
How sad it is that the Church should be so obsessed with this particular issue of human sexuality when God’s children are facing massive problems — poverty, disease, corruption and conflict!
Emphasis added.
Read it here.