Crunch time for the Communion as Welby summons Primates to Canterbury summit [ChurchTimes]

Crunch time for the Communion as Welby summons Primates to Canterbury summit

by Madeleine Davies
Posted: 16 Sep 2015 @ 03:47


Primates: Archbishop Welby with the Archbishop of Kenya, the Most Revd Eliud Wabukala (to his left) and members of the choir at All Saints Cathedral in
Nairobi, in 2013. Archbishop Wabukala chairs GAFCON, which has warned of "the drift of many from the biblical faith" within the Church of England


IN WHAT has been described as a “high-risk” attempt to hold the Anglican Communion together, the Archbishop of Canterbury has invited all 37 Primates to a summit in Canterbury next January.

In a letter sent to the Primates on Wednesday, Archbishop Welby proposes that they “consider recent developments, but also look afresh at our ways of working as a Communion”.

One of the most contentious aspects of the meeting is the decision to invite the Rt Revd Foley Beach, head of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), for part of the time.

ACNA was formed in 2008, by a group that split from the Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Church of Canada, after the consecration of the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, a partnered gay bishop (News, 12 December, 2008). ACNA is not officially part of the Anglican Communion; nor is it in communion with Canterbury; but it is recognised by seven Primates who represent millions in the Global South (News, 24 October).

The existence of ACNA is a example of the scale of the task Archbishop Welby faces. A source said that the Archbishop had deployed “a high-risk strategy deliberately”. The meeting was expected to be “very difficult”, with a “25-30 per cent chance” that it would go wrong. “Lots of people will be trying to stop this from happening.”

A formal Primates’ Meeting in Dromantine, Northern Ireland, in 2005 was attended by 35 out of 38 Primates (News, 1 July, 2005). At the end of the meeting, the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada were asked to withdrew their representatives on the Anglican Consultative Council. The GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem shortly before the 2008 Lambeth Conference preceded a large-scale boycott by bishops from the Global South (News, 4 July, 2008). The group has since held a second meeting, in Nairobi (News, 25 October, 2013)

Thirteen Primates were absent from the last meeting, in Dublin, four years ago (News, 2 February, 2011). An attempt by the former Archbishop, Lord Williams, to unite the Communion around the Anglican Covenant was unsuccessful (News, 30 November, 2012).

Archbishop Welby has seen little improvement in relationships, despite an extensive programme of visits during his first 18 months as Archbishop. In June, he expressed “deep concern about the stress for the Anglican Communion”, after US Bishops voted to enable its clergy to solemnise same-sex marriages (News, 10 July). But he has also spoken out against those Bishops that support the criminalisation of gay people (News, 31 January, 2014).

In an attempt to persuade Primates to attend the January meeting, which will run from 11 to 16 January, Archbishop Welby is inviting them to set the agenda. Sexuality is expected to appear, but also religiously motivated violence and the environment.

It is understood that all options for reshaping the Communion will be on the table. The Archbishop is said to have reached the conclusion that the present status quo is unsustainable. He is said to favour moving to a structure in which the Provinces could be in communion with Canterbury but not, necessarily, one another. This would give more “wriggle room” to Provinces, enabling them to be faithful to their own culture without launching salvos across the Communion at one another.

The plan was likened by one source to “moving into separate bedrooms” rather than divorcing. It is said to be part inspired by the structure of the Orthodox Church, and is understood to have been discussed with Lord Williams.

A statement from Archbishop Welby issued on Wednesday is carefully balanced. It states: "Our way forward must respect the decisions of Lambeth 1998, and of the various ACC and Primates’ meetings since then” — a nod to Lambeth 1.10, which rejects homosexual practice as “incompatible with scripture”.


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interesting times....

 

So is this a last ditch attempt to prevent schism between ECUSA and the Communion or an attempt at reconciliation with ACNA and other groups? Maybe both?

 

The Anglican Communion for some time has seemed like a rubber band, with several parts see how far they could stretch it one way or tither. I think Welby sees there is a need to have some of us working to try and keep it together. I, for one, think he is right. I think it requires honest speaking, deep listening, no yelling and lots of prayer. I think we owe it to each other, I think we owe it to the world in need of the Gospel, I think we owe it to God in Christ Jesus as this was one of the things he prayed for.

 

I agree Philip. God hates divorce. We
need to work our way through our differences and see, if at all possible, the opportunities for union and communion together in that part of Christ's church that is Anglican. I'm praying for Archbishop Welby and all the primates that we find a way to live in charity with one another because the Anglican Communion is worth saving. I pray they her Our Lord's promise: "blessed are the peacemakers."

 

I agree as well. Christianity is being assaulted from all directions, the last thing we need is to fight amongst ourselves. However, I am fearful of the attitude that ECUSA will carry into the conference. In 2005 they were asked to withdraw because of ECUSA's attitude toward homosexuality. This caused four primates from Africa to boycott the 2008 Lambeth conference, and was at least partially responsible for the 2008 GAFCON, which was seen as possibly schismatic by some.

It seems, to me at least, that a large portion of ECUSA is willing to sacrifice its relationship with the Communion in order to favor homosexuals. I truly hope and pray that ECUSA won't ride this atomic bomb all the way to the ground. It would be very sad to see such a large schism over an issue that St. Paul settled 2000 years ago.