Drexel Gomez, Mr. Unity

Perhaps the most interesting element of this story about next February’s meeting of the Anglican Churches of the Americas is that Archbisop Drexel Gomez, who would have us believe he is working to unite the Anglican Communion has thus far refused to participate.

“Even though [representatives from the Southern Cone and West Indies] haven’t participated in our design team conference calls, they have communicated with me and continue to receive progress reports about the design of the conference,” [Bonnie] Anderson, [president of the House of Deputies and one of the organizer’s of the conference] said. “We continue to hope that they will participate in the conference.”

That the Southern Cone isn’t coming is no surprise. Bishop Gregory Venables has raided three of the other provinces in the Americas, but Gomez, as chair of the Anglican Covenant Design Group, has a responsibility to work toward reconcilation with the communion–a responsiblity he embraces when it includes preaching at the ordinations of bishops whose mission is to lead people (and property) out of the Episcopal Church, but avoids when it involves meeting with people who favor the blessing of same-sex relationships.

At the recent conference on the Anglican Covenant held at General Seminary in New York, an FOTB (friend of this blog) asked Gomez why his province had yet to make its intentions regarding the conference clear.

Here is the report:

I said something like, “What I want to ask you is a question about a MOST encouraging gathering which I understand is being planned for June in Costa Rica to bring together not only primates but other constituent members of different provinces … it seems to me exactly what I’ve heard you talking about in terms of finding ways to bring the communion together and I wonder if you can say more about your hopes for this meeting and whether you think it will set a hopeful tone coming so close before the Lambeth Conference.” (Or something like that.)

He did NOT look amused … said that the organizers of the meeting had “gotten ahead of themselves” by indicating his province would be represented and that they were meeting in provincial synod (I think that’s what he called it … anyway) and they would be discussing it then.

I then asked if I could ask a follow up … and asked it before I got permission: Could the Archbishop then comment on whether or not he was hopeful that his province would be persuaded to be part of this important gathering as I understood his was one of only two which had not yet committed to be there.

He allowed as it would be “difficult” because there were many who did not want to have those conversations. I told him we’d pray for them while they met. He said thank you.

Surely someone in the Anglican Communion Office or Lambeth Palace is bright enough to realize that this man’s behavior makes the covenant a bitter pill for the provinces in the Western Hemisphere, and one they may well balk at swallowing.

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