The Covenant Design Group publish today the Lambeth Commentary [PDF], which sets out the responses of the bishops at the Lambeth Conference in their discussions of the St Andrew’s Draft for an Anglican Covenant.
The Commentary was complied by the Covenant Design Group at their recent meeting in Singapore and also sets out some of the initial thinking of the CDG in response to the comments of the bishops.
The Commentary has already been sent out to all Provinces to assist in their discernment and response to the St Andrew’s Draft, and encourages Provinces to submit their responses to the St Andrew’s Draft, while contributing to the ongoing thinking on the development of the text.
ACNS spoke to the Chairman of the Design Group, Archbishop Drexel Gomez about the Covenant Process.The full transcript is available here.
The Anglican Covenant section of the ACO website can be found here.
The statistical report can be found here [PDF].
I have previously described the entire Covenant process as a Primatial power grab – and I have yet to see any reason for me to re-evaluate this conclusion. As such, it is interesting to note the breadth of concern among our bishops about the past effect of the Primates on the health of the Communion. The question asked is: “How well do you feel that the formal Instruments of Communion have served our common life so far?” The question is asked regaring each of the Instruments (Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Conference, Anglican Consultative Council, Primates Meeting). The data following refers… Read more »
Very useful Malcolm, and the answers from the CDG to objections are long and ponderous and sometimes don’t answer the objection directly.
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com
See pages 4, 8,9,10 for stats on the other sections of the question about Instruments. The questionnaire was not the best set of questions to have asked. For example, various concerns about any of the instruments could be about ‘how they have been working’ or ‘how they might work’ or ‘how this one (Lambeth) has worked’ or ‘how previous ones’ (Lambeth 98 for example) had worked. Given that the mandate of the CDG for this meeting was to focus on reporting what the questions were, and not actually yet to work on redrafting or working up answers that would be… Read more »
FWIW, a bishop fresh from Lambeth told:
1. There will definitely be a Covenant &
2. It will be punitive
(implied is that GAFCON won’t accept it & that it is pretty much a meaningless failure, but the deck chairs on the Titanic must be arranged).
OOPS — I left out “NOT” — it will NOT be punitive (alas spell check was no help in omitting a negative adjective)
I still see no recognition of the two basic problems for drumming up a covenant. One, if we follow Jesus and do love one another across our hot button differences, what will a new punishing covenant do that we do not already have as a blessing? Two, if we do not already follow Jesus and love one another across our hot button differences, then what will any new policing sort of covenant do to really heal or change that failure? Another lasting problem I have with the process is (A) it is being rushed, raising suspicions that we are putting… Read more »
“peroration of pompous Pinochets.”
What IS the collective noun for conservative power hungry prelates? A ‘realignment’?
“What IS the collective noun for conservative power hungry prelates? A ‘realignment’?”
While that appeals to me, I think there are also several other possibilities.
Since they prowl about like lions waiting to devour, they might be a pride of prelates.
Since they do go on about how humble they are, they might be an exultation of exarchs.
Since they all seem to travel quite a bit they might be a perigrination of primates – or possibly a peripatetic of prince-bishops.
“What IS the collective noun for conservative power hungry prelates? A ‘realignment’?” –
Ford Elms
Perhaps, Ford, ‘a Propinquity of Prelates’ might fit the bill – as this derives from the word *nearness*. The Prelates you are referring to – those of the GAFCON stripe – appear to live in one another’s pockets on most issues.
– Although this *nearness* may not much longer apply to them – with the Sydney Diocese preparing for Diaconal, and ultimately Lay Presidency at the Eucharist.