Senior bishops from Anglican churches worldwide are in Dublin and “needed to assume their responsibilities in tackling homophobia and the churches collusion in it”. Henry Orombi of the Church of the Province of Uganda is among the primates of the Anglican Communion who have boycotted the meeting because punishment of the gay-friendly Episcopal Church is not on the agenda.
The length of primatial service varies across the Communion between two years renewable, and serving until retirement. Whereas in some Provinces the Primate can veto a synodical decision (after consultation with the Council/House of Bishops), in other Provinces the Primate needs permission from the bishop before even travelling to that bishop’s diocese.
Speaking of the bishop’s visit, the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Revd Dermot Dunne said “It is truly a delight and a historic moment for the cathedral to welcome Dr Jefferts Schori who has done so much for the Anglican Communion in areas of minority inclusion”.
“This strife within the third largest family of Christian churches worldwide will not conclude in decisive schism.”
Topics shared in plenary included those of mission—how to best share the gospel with the world; of diversity—how Communion members could hold different positions but still work together; of the implications and expectations brought about by different models of primatial leadership; and of the need to better address HIV infection; anti-conversion and blasphemy laws; persecution of minorities and situations of national division.
The Anglican Communion needs to give the Lambeth Conference and the Primates’ Meeting a Conciliar authority in matters of faith and order, including the area of interpretation of the Scriptures. ~ ++Anis
In reporting on a boycott that he helped organize, Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstrain makes a claim that I hope he can substantiate. It is
The Global South Primates are blaming the Archbishop of Canterbury for their boycott of the Primates Meeting next week. They are claiming that the agenda is not transparent enough and that there won’t be enough useful dialogue to make it worthwhile to spend all that money to fly to Dublin.
“On the subject of primacy, each of us received a number of documents, ancient and modern, Anglican and ecumenical addressing the role, function and authority of this ministry within the Province and within the Communion as a whole. There is a real need for clarity with respect to the place and influence of the Primates’ Meetings and the nature of their service as one of the Instruments of Communion.” – Hiltz, on next week’s meeting of the primates.
Over at No Anglican Covenant there’s a new blog post by Ronald Stevenson, QC, the former Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Canada, entitled “Some