The Church Times has this report by Bill Bowder on its website (not in the paper), Primates face up to rift.
Anglicans Online has this report by me, Primates acknowledge reality.
1 CommentSimon Taylor, a member of the Modern Churchpeople’s Union council, has posted an initial reaction to the Primates’ Statement on their website. In it he outlines what the task seems to be from a liberal perspective, and asks some searching questions about how liberal thinking might make a positive, constructive contribution to the debate within the Communion. However, he wryly points out that “the question must be asked whether any women would yet have been ordained anywhere in the Anglican Communion if the whole Communion had to agree before it happened.”
0 CommentsMore comments now from outside the press and media.
The American Anglican Council broadly welcomes the outcome of the Primates meeting and ‘praised the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury’.
On the other hand Forward in Faith in England, referring obliquely to Canon Gene Robinson as ‘a married man’ ‘profoundly regrets the corporate failure’ of the meeting and awaits the action of groups which had ‘threatened substantive action’.
0 CommentsRowan Williams this morning gave his first “news programme interview” since becoming Archbishop of Canterbury to the BBC Today radio programme. Here is the audio link.
He states that he personally opposes the consecration of Gene Robinson going ahead, because of the difficulties it is causing to other provinces, and that he would not be able to ‘license’ Gene Robinson to function as a bishop in England (all visiting Anglican clergy from overseas have to obtain prior archiepiscopal approval to ‘minister’ in either York or Canterbury provinces).
Update the full transcript of the interview, as broadcast is now on ACNS.
For the bit that wasn’t broadcast, see here.
Earlier this morning, the programme covered the Primates Meeting and related matters in this discussion between John Humphrys and Robert Piggott, listen here (Real Audio required).
At the end of the programme there was a further interview with Njongonlulu Ndungane and with Peter Jensen (who is not a primate). Link to audio of this.
Update
The BBC has published this report of the interview ‘Huge crisis’ over gay bishop with substantial quotes. I hope the full text becomes available later. There is a link on that page to a further video report from Robert Pigott which also includes quotes from the radio interview and a short clip of Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times.
Update (added by Simon Kershaw, Monday 20 October 2003)
Monday’s Guardian carries this letter from Jonathan Jennings, press secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in which he simultaneously denies that Lambeth Palace asked for the interview to be edited or parts to be cut, and that ‘representations were made’ to the BBC. He also says that he wants to ‘clarify’ the situation. The story is further reported in the Sunday Telegraph and in today’s Guardian
Here is the statement issued by the Diocese of New Hampshire, yesterday, after the Primates Meeting.
The Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire met today in response to the London meeting of the Primates from the 38 autonomous Provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion for prayer, bible study and discussion….
STATEMENT FROM THE DIOCESE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
And here is the one from the Diocese of New Westminster
Bishop Michael Ingham’s response to the statement of the Primates of the Anglican Communion
0 CommentsThe Primates’ statement from Lambeth today should be welcomed by members of the Diocese of New Westminster….
The BBC reports Church split over gay bishop election including the news that the Diocese of New Hampshire will proceed with the consecration of Gene Robinson.
TV report (needs Real Player), Robert Pigott, watch here
Alex Kirby, BBC News Online religious affairs correspondent. has filed Is the Church too timid to act? in which he says
The Church of England and the other Anglican churches around the globe are sometimes unfairly caricatured as vague and unworldly.
This time, though, it really is hard to think they share the same planet as most of humanity.
Whichever side of the debate about homosexuality and the church you find yourself on, this meeting has actually solved nothing.
The threat of a split remains as potent as it ever was, and the crisis will come very soon.
The Times says Church heads for schism over gay bishop and All sides claim victory over gay priests . . . for now.
The Independent has Clergy avert schism but say gay bishop will damage church
The Telegraph has Anglican Church at breaking point over gay bishop
The Guardian says Church heads for schism
The Daily Mail, 17 days to save the Anglican Church
Press Association report via the Scotsman, Anglicans ‘Agree to Disagree’ over Gay Clergy
Reuters:Anglican leaders fear split
Update: the Financial Times, Anglican leaders defer action over gay clergy
The Primates meeting has now finished and the Archbishop of Canterbury and others have appeared at a press conference.
Their joint statement can be read at the ACNS website.
Note added on 29 October by Simon Sarmiento
It’s come to my attention that the ACNS copy of the press release omits the footnote that was included in the paper original. This footnote is included in the copy on the Lambeth Palace website. This footnote contains the text of the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution IV.13 b which is referred to in the statement.
Update
Rowan Williams’ introductory remarks
Update
The remarks of Frank Griswold and Drexel Gomez are now here on ACNS.
The press has been quick to react:
the Guardian has Anglican leaders warned that US
Episcopalians will put the group ‘in jeopardy’
the Telegraph has Anglican bishops have warned that the appointment of a homosexual bishop may ‘tear the fabric’ of the Church
the BBC: Anglicans ‘regret’ gay bishop election
Update
The Guardian now has more comment in Anglican Leaders Warn Against Gay Bishop (an AP story).
British press reports:
The Times, Meeting on gay bishops shows no sign of deal
The Telegraph, Anglicans hopeful that summit has prevented split
The Independent, Hardline preaching greets crisis summit on gay clergy
The Guardian, Church leaders struggle to agree
BBC, Hopes high for church summit and Today radio programme excerpt here (needs Real Audio)
Later additions another Times article What Anglican primates can learn from hairy primates
Reuters latest report
Some letters, in the Guardian, including a very interesting one from Andrew Deuchar, former Lambeth Palace staffer.
The world press is present at Lambeth in huge numbers. Some reports from abroad this morning:
A press conference was held at short notice at Lambeth Palace, this afternoon at 4.00 pm BST. Here is the BBC report of that, Church leaders ‘moving to consensus’.
Later
Here is the full text of what Robin Eames said, as published by ACNS.
ACNS also has some pictures of primates.
Reuters latest report here.
Press Association latest report here.
1 CommentTwo reports of the services held this morning:
St Matthew’s Westminster, the Press Association filed Church Exclusion of Gays ‘Like Apartheid’, reporting the sermon given by Walter Makhulu, the former Archbishop of Central Africa. The service was also mentioned in this earlier filing.
Later addition: Here is a longer account via Associated Press, with additional comments, as published in South Africa.
St John’s Waterloo, the local press reports Waterloo prayers for Lambeth primates summit. I was present at this service and can report that the church was full.
0 CommentsUpdate (added by Simon Kershaw)
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme broadcast this interview (Real Audio required) with the Archbishop of Cape Town, Giles Fraser, and Andrew Carey.
Further update
Later in the morning, the BBC published this news report, and this survey Q&A: Anglican gay summit. And, this head to head with Philip Giddings versus Gareth Williams of St Michael’s College, Llandaff.
The British press this morning is remarkably united in its views on this.
Stephen Bates reports in the Guardian, Church in need of a saviour.
The Guardian also has a leader, A church divided.
Ruth Gledhill in The Times has Anglicans should love gays as Jesus would, African primate says about what Njongonkulu Ndungane says.
The Times also has an opinion column by Mary Ann Sieghart, Certainty is so unnerving and another one by Magnus Linklater, Thank God for Henry VIII: Anglican doubt is better than Catholic hypocrisy.
The Independent has an analysis by Paul Vallely, Talk of schism is rife as bishops debate homosexuality which states the five point plan as follows:
1 CommentUpdate
This press release from ACNS, Anglicans call for inclusive church and a new call to mission, reports that the primates meeting has prompted many lobbying groups and organisations to draft statements in support of an inclusive church.
Some later reports from UK and elsewhere can be found here.
Today, the following British press items:
In The Times Ruth Gledhill reports, in Bishops’ five-point plan to heal Church gay rift, that Philip Giddings has proposed this 5-point plan for the primates to save the communion:
Generally, I post near-daily News updates to my personal blog rather than on here. But really major events (NEAC was a recent example) are reported here on TA.
Clearly the upcoming Primates Meeting is also a really major event. So during this week, I will post about that on here, but any other routine news stories will still be on my personal blog.
Simon Sarmiento
The Church Times has a splendid 12 page pull-out section of articles relevant to the forthcoming Primates Meeting next week. Most of these are not on the web, so it is well worth buying or borrowing a copy. Not online are articles by David Edwards, Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia, and a major piece on Homosexuality in Africa by Kevin Ward, plus four other items.
Update for several more of these items online see newer entry here
Major items online are:
A primer for the Primates: Reflections on the choices that will face Anglican leaders editorial overview
1 Commentwww.inclusivechurch.net Surround them with prayer
Leading anti-apartheid Archbishop to preside at inclusivechurch service.
1 CommentLambeth vigil supported by 6000 Anglicans prays for inclusive church
PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, October 7, 2003 For immediate release
The leaders of the Anglican Church will be literally surrounded by prayer as a network of over 6000 Anglicans organizes a vigil in churches around Lambeth Palace on 15th October. At 11 am, grassroots church-goers will assemble at the parish churches of St Matthew’s Westminster, St John’s Waterloo and St Peter’s Lambeth – the three parishes that immediately surround Lambeth Palace – to pray for the future of the church. The vigil has been organised by Inclusivechurch.net.
1 CommentStephen Bates has an article in the Guardian this morning, Church’s gay activists beg to be heard reporting on a letter (about which more anon) that LGCM (not named in the article) has sent to all those coming to the Primates Meeting.
But later in the article he also mentions that “in a stern counterblast in the religious journal New Directions, the leading evangelical Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, insisted that the time for listening was over”.
For more from Australia about Jensen’s article, see also News from Melbourne, and Expel US, Canadian Anglicans, says Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Additional note: Also this, Gay issue a ‘contest for soul of the west’, says Jensen published later from the same paper.
Also, Australia’s ABC radio has transcribed this interview with Jensen.
It’s a pity that Sydney diocese’s normally splendid website Anglican Media Sydney has been unable to update since 24 September. I expect the full text of this article will be available from FiF soon.
Update: it is now available in full, but in PDF format, download from here. FiF press release is here.
Friday 3 October update: AMS website came back to life and here is the full text of the article as a web page.
Oh yes, and another set of advice from Church Society can be found here.
0 CommentsThe Archbishop of Armagh and Senior Primate of the Anglican Communion, the Most Revd Robin Eames, examines some of the questions currently facing the worldwide Anglican Communion prior to the forthcoming special meeting of Primates at Lambeth Palace.
Read What Price Unity from the Church of Ireland Gazette.
Part of what he says:
In the blitz of opinion and counter argument over the election to New Hampshire I believe we need to be clear what we are talking about.
This election undoubtedly challenges the Resolution 1.10 of the last Lambeth Conference. It is clearly in breach of the majority opinion of the bishops in 1998. It is clearly contrary to the view of a large number of Anglicans. But the question still remains: Is there a tangible manner within the structures of our Communion as present constituted to do more than express concern and criticism and adopt attitudes within our own Provinces towards those others with whom we disagree?
To put it plainly – if no constitutional or legal rules exist for what constitutes membership of the Anglican Communion there are no rules for expulsion of a member Church.
0 CommentsSome news about INCLUSIVECHURCH.NET is available on this page.
Key points from this release:
ACNS has published the full text of a letter, released on 22 September, from Archbishop Akinola to Archbishop Ndungane. The letter is in response to the report in the Guardian dated 8 September, which included an interview with Archbishop Ndungane.
0 Comments