Archbishop of Canterbury rejects politicking over Anglican covenant
-11/07/06
In a care
Archbishop of Canterbury rejects politicking over Anglican covenant
-11/07/06
In a careful but passionately argued opening address to the Church of Englandís General Synod meeting in York this week, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams pleaded with the Anglican Communion to keep its options ñ and its mind ñ open on the ëcovenantí idea he has put forward to hold the worldwide church together in the midst of widespread disagreement on sexual ethics and the role of women.
Dr Williams noted with some irony the ìinteresting reportingî of his letter to the Communion reflecting on the outcome of the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA.
ECUSA recommended to its consecrating districts a moratorium on the election and installation of lesbian and gay bishops ñ but did not apologise or ërepentí of its actions so far, as some had been demanding.
The Archbishop, who is spiritual head of the 77-million Anglican Communion, said that this was ìless than completely clear resultî but was in some measure a ìrecognisable response to the recommendations of the Windsor Report.î He has asked the other Primates to respond with their views of the situation in the run-up to a further meeting in February 2007.
Stressing that ìI do not have authority to dictate policy to the provinces of the Communionî, Dr Williams expressed dismay at a breakaway Anglican Church in Sudan and ìconcernî at an announcement of the election by the Nigerian House of Bishops of an American cleric as a bishop to serve the Convocation of Nigerian Anglican congregations in the USA.
This, together with requests for ìalternative primatorial oversightî from several conservative ECUSA dioceses, following the election of a woman ñ Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of Nevada ñ as the new Presiding Bishop, is being seen as an attempt by those vehemently opposed to change to force their view ahead of further agreed meetings.
Regarding his own position, the Archbishop of Canterbury stressed that ìin spite of some interesting reporting and some slightly intemperate reactionî his letter to the Communion ìcontained no directives Ö and no foreclosing of the character and contentî of an Anglican covenant ñ ëcovenantí being a biblical concept for mutual recognition and relationship before God, as distinct from a legal pact or contract.
He continued: ìThe proposal has already been dismissed in some quarters as a capitulation to fundamentalism and in others as a cunning plan to entrench total doctrinal indifferentism. Both characterisations are nonsense.î
Dr Williams said that his own concern was the dissipation of the Communion into ìcompeting and fragmenting ecclesial bodies in many contexts across the worldî, leaving some churches ñ and not just those in Africa ñ vulnerable.
Repudiating the ëtwin trackí interpretation of the covenant idea, the Archbishop said that the consent which binds the Anglican church together ìmay now need a more tangible form than it has hitherto hadî, that ìthe logical implication is that particular churches are free to say yes or noî to what is agreed internationally, and that ìa no has consequences, not as ëpunishmentí but simply as a statement of what can and cannot be taken for granted in a relationship between two particular churches.î
He went on: ìWhen I spoke as I did of ëchurches in associationí, I was trying to envisage what such a relation might be if it was less than full Eucharistic communion and more than mutual repudiation.î
ìIn other words, I can envisage ñ though I donít in the least want to see ñ a situation in which there may be more divisions than at present within the churches that claim an Anglican heritage. But I want there to be some rationale for this other than pure localism or arbitrary and ad hoc definitions of who and what is acceptable.î
Dr Williams then called on Anglicans to reflect harder on both their underlying and intentional ecclesiology (understanding of the nature of the church). This, he suggested, was of more central importance than the politicking which has accompanied the current disputes in the Communion.
He concluded: ìI make no secret of the fact that my commitment and conviction are given to the ideal of the Church Catholic. I know that its embodiment in Anglicanism has always been debated, yet I believe that the vision of Catholic sacramental unity without centralisation or coercion is one that we have witnessed to at our best and still need to work at. That is why a concern for unity ñ for unity (I must repeat this yet again) as a means to living in the truth ñ is not about placing the survival of an institution above the demands of conscience. God forbid. It is a question of how we work out, faithfully, attentively, obediently what we need to do and say in order to remain within sight and sound of each other in the fellowship to which Christ has called us. It has never been easy and it isn’t now. But it is the call that matters and that sustains us together in the task.î
[Also on Ekklesia: Black Archbishop calls for magnanimity in Anglican row 09/07/06; First female Anglican leader prepares to weather the storm 28/06/06; Archbishop sees covenant not contract as Anglican way forward 27/06/06; Ecumenism not hit by woman presiding bishop, say observers 23/06/06; US Episcopal Church turns down ban on gay bishops 21/06/06; Joy greets the first-ever Anglican woman leader 19/06/06; Don’t practice divisive religion, UN man tells Episcopalians 18/06/06; Worrying new Anglican dispute about David Beckham 19/06/06 Inclusive Church reports on key US Episcopal gathering 16/06/06; Episcopal Church USA faces pressure on Anglican gay split; Lord Carey says ordaining a gay bishop verges on heresy; Conservative Episcopalians break away ahead of Eames report; African bishops say Windsor Report is offensive; Windsor Report does not call for apology; Episcopal bishop rejects Nigerian criticism on gays]
Archbishop of Canterbury rejects politicking over Anglican covenant
-11/07/06
In a careful but passionately argued opening address to the Church of Englandís General Synod meeting in York this week, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams pleaded with the Anglican Communion to keep its options ñ and its mind ñ open on the ëcovenantí idea he has put forward to hold the worldwide church together in the midst of widespread disagreement on sexual ethics and the role of women.
Dr Williams noted with some irony the ìinteresting reportingî of his letter to the Communion reflecting on the outcome of the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA.
ECUSA recommended to its consecrating districts a moratorium on the election and installation of lesbian and gay bishops ñ but did not apologise or ërepentí of its actions so far, as some had been demanding.
The Archbishop, who is spiritual head of the 77-million Anglican Communion, said that this was ìless than completely clear resultî but was in some measure a ìrecognisable response to the recommendations of the Windsor Report.î He has asked the other Primates to respond with their views of the situation in the run-up to a further meeting in February 2007.
Stressing that ìI do not have authority to dictate policy to the provinces of the Communionî, Dr Williams expressed dismay at a breakaway Anglican Church in Sudan and ìconcernî at an announcement of the election by the Nigerian House of Bishops of an American cleric as a bishop to serve the Convocation of Nigerian Anglican congregations in the USA.
This, together with requests for ìalternative primatorial oversightî from several conservative ECUSA dioceses, following the election of a woman ñ Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of Nevada ñ as the new Presiding Bishop, is being seen as an attempt by those vehemently opposed to change to force their view ahead of further agreed meetings.
Regarding his own position, the Archbishop of Canterbury stressed that ìin spite of some interesting reporting and some slightly intemperate reactionî his letter to the Communion ìcontained no directives Ö and no foreclosing of the character and contentî of an Anglican covenant ñ ëcovenantí being a biblical concept for mutual recognition and relationship before God, as distinct from a legal pact or contract.
He continued: ìThe proposal has already been dismissed in some quarters as a capitulation to fundamentalism and in others as a cunning plan to entrench total doctrinal indifferentism. Both characterisations are nonsense.î
Dr Williams said that his own concern was the dissipation of the Communion into ìcompeting and fragmenting ecclesial bodies in many contexts across the worldî, leaving some churches ñ and not just those in Africa ñ vulnerable.
Repudiating the ëtwin trackí interpretation of the covenant idea, the Archbishop said that the consent which binds the Anglican church together ìmay now need a more tangible form than it has hitherto hadî, that ìthe logical implication is that particular churches are free to say yes or noî to what is agreed internationally, and that ìa no has consequences, not as ëpunishmentí but simply as a statement of what can and cannot be taken for granted in a relationship between two particular churches.î
He went on: ìWhen I spoke as I did of ëchurches in associationí, I was trying to envisage what such a relation might be if it was less than full Eucharistic communion and more than mutual repudiation.î
ìIn other words, I can envisage ñ though I donít in the least want to see ñ a situation in which there may be more divisions than at present within the churches that claim an Anglican heritage. But I want there to be some rationale for this other than pure localism or arbitrary and ad hoc definitions of who and what is acceptable.î
Dr Williams then called on Anglicans to reflect harder on both their underlying and intentional ecclesiology (understanding of the nature of the church). This, he suggested, was of more central importance than the politicking which has accompanied the current disputes in the Communion.
He concluded: ìI make no secret of the fact that my commitment and conviction are given to the ideal of the Church Catholic. I know that its embodiment in Anglicanism has always been debated, yet I believe that the vision of Catholic sacramental unity without centralisation or coercion is one that we have witnessed to at our best and still need to work at. That is why a concern for unity ñ for unity (I must repeat this yet again) as a means to living in the truth ñ is not about placing the survival of an institution above the demands of conscience. God forbid. It is a question of how we work out, faithfully, attentively, obediently what we need to do and say in order to remain within sight and sound of each other in the fellowship to which Christ has called us. It has never been easy and it isn’t now. But it is the call that matters and that sustains us together in the task.î
[Also on Ekklesia: Black Archbishop calls for magnanimity in Anglican row 09/07/06; First female Anglican leader prepares to weather the storm 28/06/06; Archbishop sees covenant not contract as Anglican way forward 27/06/06; Ecumenism not hit by woman presiding bishop, say observers 23/06/06; US Episcopal Church turns down ban on gay bishops 21/06/06; Joy greets the first-ever Anglican woman leader 19/06/06; Don’t practice divisive religion, UN man tells Episcopalians 18/06/06; Worrying new Anglican dispute about David Beckham 19/06/06 Inclusive Church reports on key US Episcopal gathering 16/06/06; Episcopal Church USA faces pressure on Anglican gay split; Lord Carey says ordaining a gay bishop verges on heresy; Conservative Episcopalians break away ahead of Eames report; African bishops say Windsor Report is offensive; Windsor Report does not call for apology; Episcopal bishop rejects Nigerian criticism on gays]