Thinking Anglicans

Lambeth: Covenant or bust

Yesterday’s press conference was about the proposed Covenant. Here are the reports of that:

ENS Mary Frances Schjonberg Lambeth Conference begins two-day covenant discussion

Anglican Journal Marites Sison Lambeth seeks common ground in proposed covenant

ACNS Press Conference on Anglican Covenant: ‘We are on a pilgrimage together’ and the full audio recording of the press conference is here.

Jim Naughton has some background links and commentary at Live: softpeddaling the appendix.

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Lambeth: sexuality draft and Mouneer Anis

Updated Saturday evening

The Bishop of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and presiding bishop of Jerusalem & the Middle East,Mouneer Anis, has held a press conference and issued a written statement.

You can read the written statement in full here.

Update For a full video record of this press conference, go to this ENS page, and navigate by date to to the two videos dated 08/01/08

You can read Jim Naughton’s take on this at Live: Mouneer Anis forgets his lines.

Ruth Gledhill also reports on it, in Endless debate on sexuality ‘is exposing Anglicans to ridicule as the Gay Church’.

The First draft of the Lambeth reflection on the bishop and human sexuality can be found at Episcopal Café under Live: Lambeth bishops reflecting on sexual ethics.

It is also discussed here on ENS and at “No idea” consecration of gay bishop would cause such a stir on Anglican Journal.

Martin Beckford has this in the Telegraph Liberal agenda of Western churches a ‘new form of colonisation’

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News from the Big Blue Tent (16)

… or more accurately today it’s news from the big white train, as I head back north and west ready for tomorrow’s Three Choirs Festival opening service.

We took photos in our bible study group this morning and I handed round Celtic style cards with knot patterns on like the ones I have at times designed and fabricated into rugs, cushion covers and jumpers. I inscribed in each a Franciscan tau cross and Latin greeting and then appended my email address. Put together that says quite a lot about my spiritual wells. Yesterday a colleague had given each member a copy of the TEC Book of Common Prayer which brought back happy memories of when I used the rite to say matins each morning whilst staying with a Texan priest in Peru.

The indaba groups are moving from direct discussion of sexuality to matters of covenant. I guess there’s a general recognition that we’re not, in two or three weeks, going to build levels of agreement (or agreement to differ) the whole way, but there’s a sense of having made enormous progress in terms of mutual understanding, love and (dare I say it) trust in each other and each other’s integrity. Whilst nothing will satisfy Orombi and Akinola, nor the shady figures from North American behind them, there’s been good solid evidence on campus that archiepiscopal bullying has its limits and that there is a more representative voice of southern conservatism which will listen to those of its neighbours who have been at Lambeth and are able to share the seriousness with which we are working at our unity and respond to such visible signs of progress as can be signed off by Sunday night.

Highlight of the day: (actually last night at the Old Palace reception) yet more conversations with amazing people such as Sebastian Bakare of Harare and Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Lowlight of the day: Train struck a tree so we limped to the next station before being decamped onto the following stopper. Reached Charing Cross 30 minutes late to find Bakerloo line closed.

Last word: Thanks everyone for your comments.

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Lambeth: news about Canada

Two reports from Anglican Journal by Marites Sison

Primate expresses ‘frustration’ that Canadian church’s voice hasn’t been heard at Lambeth hearings

Proposed ‘retrospective’ moratorium means New Westminster will be asked to withdraw all same-sex blessings, says Windsor Continuation Group member

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Lambeth: Church Times news reports

Updated 5.30 pm with items from Friday:

Covenant is ‘future-directed’ says Gomez by Paul Handley

The sexuality section of the draft ‘Reflections’ document

Feeling stuffed before the final meal

Ugandan Primate criticises Dr Williams

In the paper today:
Many of these are subscriber-only, but here is what you can read now:

Group proposes standstill to ease Anglican tensions

Surmise, frustration, and interest greet proposals

Chief Rabbi pleads with Communion to stay one despite differences

Bishops given frank talk on rape and beatings

See also this list here.

And the CT blog has The indaba groups talk about sex

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Lambeth: other news reports

Other that is than the opinion article in The Times by Archbishop Henry Orombi which is here.

BBC Robert Pigott Lambeth Diary updated again on 1 August, read No Changing of Minds.

The Times Joanna Sugden Hazy deliberation brings no resolution, just reflection

Guardian Riazat Butt ‘Mini Lambeth’ would be the way forward, say dissatisfied bishops and also Lost property, naked bishops, and the mark of the beast.

Telegraph Martin Beckford Archbishop of Canterbury ‘betrayed churches over gay bishops’ (this covers other topics besides Orombi).

And there are numerous stories about what Bishop Cathy Roskam wrote. See here, here, and here.

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Lambeth: Thursday press conference

Updated Friday morning

Today the press conference on sexuality occurred. Jim Naughton has captured the event well in Live: talking sex successfully, and see also his earlier, Live: talking sex.

Listen to the press conference here.

Anglican Journal Marites Sison No consensus yet on sexuality, but bishops make ‘significant step forward’

ENS Mary Frances Schjonberg Sexuality discussions bring Lambeth bishops to frank conversation and videos of both the presentations are also available, Archbishop Ian Ernest here, and Bishop Colin Johnson here.

Sorry, it has been pointed out to me that these videos do not have individual Permalinks, you have to locate them from here, by date. The date for these two items is 07/31/08.

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Lambeth: Orombi attacks Williams

Updated Friday morning
The full article in The Times by Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi can be read at The Church cannot heal this crisis of betrayal.

And Ruth Gledhill writes about it: Rowan Williams betrayed churches over gay bishop, says African leader

Ruth Gledhill reports: Lambeth Diary: Rowan accused of ‘betrayal’

In a comment piece in tomorrow’s Times, the Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Orombi, will accuse the Arcbishop of Canterbury of a betrayal at the very deepest level. He will argue that even the Pope is elected by his peers, but Dr Williams in his office is little better than a remnant of colonialism.

Also, in The Times Cardinal Kasper is reported to have been very negative, see Catholic-Anglican relations reach new low over women bishops

The full text of this is now available in English at Zenit Cardinal Kasper to Anglican Communion

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Lambeth: Tom Wright's talk

Fulcrum has the full text over here.

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Lambeth: Church Times blog reports

Pat Ashworth has Rowan Williams: a call for mutual generosity

and also Windsor: mixed responses

Ed Beavan has Bishops talk about Windsor Continuation Group’s proposals

and Greg Venables: We’re still not addressing the basic issue

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Lambeth: BBC reports

Robert Pigott has updated his diary, see the 30 July entry at Lambeth diary: Anglicans in turmoil

Hear what coverage the Today programme had this morning by going here. And also here. 0735 and 0855.

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in other news

Riazat Butt has a Lambeth Diary in the Guardian. Today it is titled Group meetings to resolve conflicts mocked by bishops.

It also mentions the use of diplomatic passports by archbishops. Here’s some more background from Uganda. It’s an inter-faith issue as you can see.

Kampala Monitor Uganda: Religious Leaders Holding Diplomatic Passports Illegally

…Religious leaders who hold diplomatic passports include the Archbishop the Church Of Uganda, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, the Archbishop Of Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Uganda.

When contacted, Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi said; “I can’t comment on a matter which I have not heard. I will give a comment later.”

However, the Muslim Supreme Council Publicist, Hajji Nsereko Mutumba, defended the religious leaders’ right to possess diplomatic passports. “Did they get these passports through the window?

Religious leaders are sacred people. They are bigger than even ministers. They should hold these passports,” he said. Mr Kasaija, who was defending his Shs290 billion 2008/9 budget said Ugandan diplomatic passports have been abused by criminals who masquerade as diplomats.

He said officials who are supposed to access diplomatic passports include; government ministers and their spouses, foreign service officers, their spouses and children below the age of 18, the head of public service, the chief justice, justices of the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, chancellors and vice chancellors of public universities, the governor and deputy governor of Bank of Uganda, recognised traditional and cultural leaders, the speaker and deputy speaker of Parliament, permanent secretaries, chairpersons and vice chairpersons of permanent commissions…

Red Pepper State Probes Mufti, Orombi over Diplomatic Passports.

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Lambeth Voices

Times Online has a roundup Lambeth Voices: a panel of Anglican bishops share their views with Faith Online. Mouneer Anis is forthright in his views.

Other Blogging Bishops are rounded up regularly by Episcopal Café and the most recent articles in this series are Bishops blogging, July 30, and Blogging bishops, July 29.

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Lambeth: Wednesday press conference reports

Today, the press conference was concerned with the interpretation of the Bible. The speakers were Archbishop David Moxon and Professor Gerald West from South Africa.

Jim Naughton has this: Live: the Bible press conference

Anglican Journal Marites Sison Bishops share common commitment to remain biblical

Episcopal News Service has a report by Mary Frances Schjonberg Lambeth bishops wrestle with Scripture and there is also video of Professor Gerald West addresses media at Lambeth News Conference Search for this video on date 07/30/08.

There are no reports of this in the British newspapers so far.

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Africa speaks

Yesterday, Dr Maria Akrofi of Ghana addressed the daily press conference.

Watch it all here.

Read the report by Pat Ashworth Rape and the abuse of power: bringing it home to the bishops.

ENS had Bishops, spouses discuss power abuses in joint session

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Tuesday on the lawns at Canterbury

I’ve no idea what a “cage match” is, but Jim Naughton described one that didn’t happen here yesterday.

See Live: the cage match that wasn’t.

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Lambeth: Wednesday news reports

Guardian Riazat Butt Gay clergy: Archbishop urges Anglican factions to ‘show generosity’

The Times Ruth Gledhill Archbishop of Canterbury’s unity plea to Lambeth Conference and also Lambeth Diary: Rowan begs, ‘Choose Life’

Telegraph Martin Beckford Archbishop of Canterbury accuses Anglicans of threatening ‘death to each other’

Anglican Journal Marites Sison Rowan attempts to bridge sides in human sexuality debate

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Anglicanism's Wizard of Oz

See this comment article by Stephen Bates on Comment is free about Davis MacIyalla.

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Lambeth: Second Presidential Address

The full text of this has just been released and can be read at ACNS:

The Archbishop of Canterbury Second Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference 2008

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Lambeth: more on the WCG documents

Telegraph George Pitcher Anglicans struggle to find a safe place for sex

Times Ruth Gledhill’s blog Lambeth Diary: ‘Pastoral Forum’ proposed

The Bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham and the Bishop of Mississippi, Duncan Gray gave statements to the WCG hearing. Both can be read by scrolling down at this page.

ENS has video of last night’s news conference about the document, here.

Integrity issued a press release, LGBT Anglicans Back on Chopping Block

The Inclusive Communion response is available as a PDF here.

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