Archbishop of Canterbury spotlights challenges, priorities of 'imperfect' communion
Episcopal News Service -- London. February 10, 2009 [021009-01]
Matthew Davies
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has told members of the Church of England's General Synod that while the Anglican Communion may be "imperfect … we unmistakably want to find a way of holding on to what we have and 'intensifying' it."
Williams' message came as part of his February 10 presidential address as the Church of England's main legislative body convened for a five-day meeting at Church House in Westminster, London.
Underscoring "the significance of a climate in which every participant is guaranteed a hearing," Williams opened his address with some reflections about last summer's Lambeth Conference and last week's primates meeting.
He noted that one important thing to emerge from the Lambeth Conference of bishops was "a strong sense of what might be lost if the communion fragmented further or found itself gathering around more than one center."
The bishops at Lambeth, he said, "developed new relationships and commitments of mutual support, formal and informal. For churches that live in very vulnerable settings … communion is not a luxury, either materially or spiritually."
Williams said that the church's response to Zimbabwe and support of other churches in need is "one example of what people do not want to lose in the life of the communion."
A statement from the primates at their February 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, committed the whole communion "to continue and extend its practical support for the Church in Zimbabwe," said Williams, who with Archbishop of York John Sentamu will be launching an Ash Wednesday (February 25) appeal in the context of a Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe. "We hope that this will be part of a communion-wide project for Lent, and that every diocese represented here will play its part, responding to the urgent calls for help with medical supplies, food and clean water which come daily from Zimbabwe."
Williams described the communion at present as "a very imperfect thing," and called it "a tragedy … that not every primate feels able to communicate at the Lord's table alongside every other." He was referring to previous primates meetings, particularly those in Dromantine, Ireland in 2005 and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2007, where conservative Anglican leaders had made public their decisions not to attend Eucharist with their North American counterparts.
All the primates who had boycotted the 2008 Lambeth Conference were present at the Alexandria meeting, "every one of them took part in daily prayer and Bible study alongside the primates of North America and every one of them spoke in discussion," Williams said. "Somehow, the biblical call to be involved with one another at a level deeper than that of mere affinity and good will is still heard loud and clear."
Williams noted that "common Bible study would not be possible if we did not see in one another at least some of the same habits of attention and devotion to Scripture, whatever the diversity of interpretation."
Among issues being addressed at the February 9-13 synod are the proposed Anglican covenant and the first consideration of draft legislation that would allow women bishops in the Church of England.
In his synod address, Williams spoke of some of the challenges the church will face if women are ordained to the episcopate. He recognized that while some who are opposed to the decision will seek a new spiritual home, many will not.
"I think we are already asking in this synod what we can do in a church where the others are not going to go away," he said. "Traditionalist opponents of women in the episcopate have long since acknowledged that it is likely to come and that they must find ways of living with the results; and those who passionately believe it to be right and good for the church's health have acknowledged that opponents are not going to disappear."
Williams suggested that as synod members debate the proposed motion on women in the episcopate, it is important to ask the question: "What is the form of legislation best adapted to the good of the church as a body where the others do not simply go away and become invisible?"
In his concluding remarks, Williams issued a challenge for the church as he mentioned the global economy and "human dignity affronted" in Gaza, Sudan and Zimbabwe. "At least we can try to act with one another in our church as though we really believed all were really indispensable for God to do his will in us and through us," he said. "May God help us to act in such a way in the days and months ahead."
The full text of Williams' address is available here. A video stream, produced by Episcopal Life Media, is available here.