Lambeth Digest, Day 5
Episcopal News Service, Canterbury. July 25, 2008 [072508-04]
Pat McCaughan and Mary Frances Schjonberg
Much happens each day at the Lambeth Conference. In addition to Episcopal Life Media's other coverage, here's some of what else happened on July 25, the fifth day of the conference.
Public witness, and tea with the Queen highlight London Day
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said that the July 24 Lambeth Conference Walk of Witness, designed to prod the wealthier nations to keep their pledges to achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 target year, was a "watershed moment" for the 2008 gathering.
Calling the walk through Westminster along the Thames to Lambeth Palace, and the rally that followed, a "rather remarkable occasion," Williams said at a July 25 media briefing that "we were able to say something which I hope was clear and straightforward to our government, and actually hear something which was clear and straightforward in response."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown addressed the rally that was held in the courtyard of what Williams had jokingly told the crowd was his "modest home."
After the rally, the participants, including ecumenical and interfaith representatives as well as the bishops and their spouses, sat down to a lunch of chicken, asparagus, tomatoes, rolls and a chocolate mousse-like pie with berry ice cream. Karen Albright, wife of Diocese of Washington Bishop John Chane, said the lunch was a time to relax after the morning's events.
During a garden party at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II later in the afternoon, the participants had tea and sweets, or apple juice made from the fruit of the Queen's own apple orchard. While the garden party must have seemed large to some, the 650 bishops and their spouses plus other guests numbered much fewer than two garden parties earlier in the week during which the Queen hosted 3,000 and 7,500. Queen Elizabeth has reportedly been a part of the most Lambeth Conferences of anyone in attendance this year. She attended her first in 1948 before she became Queen and has hosted an event for the conference at every gathering since.
Not everyone got a chance to meet the Queen during this year's party; Chane was among those who did not. Instead, she said, she sat back and watched the Anglican Communion visitors mingle, some wearing their colorful native dress and most women in elaborate hats.
Diocese of Rhode Island Bishop Geralyn Wolf was introduced to the Queen, making this the second time in successive Lambeth Conferences that Wolf has talked with the British sovereign. This time, however, was special, because Wolf was with her husband of 15 months, Thomas Bair.
"I felt a little guilty" being able to talk with Queen Elizabeth for the second time, Wolf said, but it was Bair's "first and probably only time." She said they told the Queen that they had recently been married and she asked where they were from and what Bair did for a living. The conversation "seemed fairly long considering we were expecting 15 seconds," Wolf said.
On the way back to Canterbury on the bus, she said, they called her mother and eight of Bair's brothers and sisters to tell them of their encounter.
Wolf said she never would have imagined in the summer of 2006 when she met Bair during her episcopal visit to St. John the Evangelist Church in Newport that two years later they would be married and talking to Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. She credited the day to "God's generosity" and propensity for surprise.
Visible signs, recyclable signs?
During the walk of witness many bishops and spouses carried placards reminding governments of their vow to halve poverty by 2015. Before the rally in the Lambeth Palace Courtyard, the signs were unceremoniously dumped just inside the palace gate.
At a July 25 morning media briefing, a reporter wanted to know if the marchers would be helped to keep their promise to be environmentally aware. "Are they going to be recycled?" he asked. Last word was: We’ll get back to you on that.
A list of which bishops are here -- sort of
The issue of a list of bishops who are attending the 2008 Lambeth Conference has hovered over the gathering ever since it began with the retreat July 17. Up until July 25, conference officials had refused to release a list, first citing "security reasons" and then "privacy reasons."
Archbishop Phillip Aspinall of Brisbane, the primate of Australia and principal spokesman for the bishops, said on July 22 that a list was not being released because if it became known that a specific group of bishops are here "pressures might be put on them" and they would be "unduly bombarded" by the media.
However, Aspinall had told reporters on more that one occasion that he had heard their request for a list, and a partial list was released July 25. The list includes the names of 148 of the 670 bishops attending who agreed to have their names made public. The list is not yet posted on the Lambeth Conference's website.
Emergent evangelist blogs about his time at Lambeth
Brian D. McLaren, who addressed the Lambeth Conference on July 21, has written about his experiences on his blog:
"I know that most people think the 'news story here is about divisive controversies over sexuality, but my sense is that the real news story is very different," he wrote in part. "There is a humble spirit here, a loving atmosphere, a deep spirituality centered in Bible study, worship, and prayer, and a strong desire to move beyond internal-institutional matters to substantive mission in our needy world.
"In every conversation and gathering I've participated in, the spirit has been kind and holy and positive. That sort of good news doesn't attract the media the way a salacious or pugilistic story does…It will be interesting to see whether the press reports what is actually happening here, or if they need to rewrite the narrative to fit the shape of war-tales they are more accustomed to telling."
"It feels like the bishops gathered here are turning a corner together," McLaren continued. "I feel that I'm witnessing the emergence of something good, beautiful, true, and blessed."
Ackerman calls for General Convention money to fund MDGs
Diocese of Quincy Bishop Keith Ackerman has suggested that "there should be no General Convention this year" and all the money for the convention should be sent to fund the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The 76th General Convention will meet July 8-17, 2009, in Anaheim, California.
Ackerman made his suggestion after the July 24 Lambeth Conference Walk of Witness designed to bring attention to the fact that the wealthier nations are not moving fast enough to meet the development goals by the target year of 2015.
Ackerman also called for the Episcopal Church to cancel all meetings that require face-to-face contact "and conduct nothing but video conferencing." He said that the Episcopal Church should "donate its money to churches that would be positively affected."
Next up
The daily schedules for the bishops and spouses conferences, as well as each evening's official "fringe events" are here.