Anglican Mainstream

Notes from the Final Press Conference of the Primates Meeting 11.30 p.m.

These are rough notes of the final press conference. They could not be posted earlier because the internet at the White Sands was inoperative on Monday and Tuesday.

In attendance.

Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi (Burundi), Archbishop Drexel Gomez (West Indies) Archbishop Mtetemela (Tanzania) , Archbishop Philip Aspinall (Australia), Archbishop Rowan Williams (Canterbury) and Gregory Cameron (Deputy Secretary General).

PA May I underline Jim Rosenthal’s thanks to you for your patience, may I explain that the Primates have needed to be patient with each other. We finished at 2300 and intervening time copying documents.

They have listened to each other carefully. They have accommodated each others views. That slow respectful process took more time than we had anticipated. The ABC will speak to the outcomes.

Bernard Ntahoturi – one of 14 new primates. Came for the first time. First experience of a primates’ meeting.

I would like to say one or two words. The communion we share covers the whole world. My presence here coming from country the neighbour of Tanzania. We appreciated the hospitality of Tanzania. Anglican Communion not for those countries that speak English only, it has the wealth, richness and diversity of countries that speak French, Portugueses and Asian countries. We have the same vision of serving the kingdom of God.

PA. Archbishop Mtetemela has been our host this week – Gracious and generous – Gift to all primates of headgear. What has it been like to have been invaded by this army of primates.

Archbishop Mtetemela. My 10th year as a primate. An honour to be hosting this primates meeting of the Anglican Church worldwide. An opportunity of our people to have the ministry of our people in the midst of them. People have something they have a taste of. A way of exposing the leadership of these people to our country. I introduced him to the President, to hear the issues we grapple with. I introduced him to the President of Zanzibar. It has been a privilege to host this meeting. AB Drexel Gomez spoke of the Document. It has been made available.

ABC gives account of the issues we have tackled.

Archbishop Rowan Williams: We are late and we are all tired. I went to my room to check some details and saw the TV news of the bombing of the train in India. I know the primates will want to put on record their grief about the bombing of the church in India.

Issues in the final communiqué.

There are a number pieces of narrative. The commissioning of our new representative at the United Nations and the work to be done on the Millennium Development Goals. We have also received the report on Theological Education.

The Business of following through the Windsor Process. We had a good deal of information from Philip Groves on the Listening Process, and the challenges of equitable and patient pastoral work among them.

Para 17 contains the meat of our concerns on the Windsor Process.

The response of the GC of TEC to the Windsor Report represented steps in an encouraging direction but not yet business as usual. We are still as a Communion have a doctrinal position in Lambeth 1.10 which has been reiterated.

There are two factors we need to take seriously.

The response of TEC represented a willingness to engage and the cost. How do we best engage with that willingness and desire to remain with the communion?

A substantial group have spelt out their willingness to abide by Windsor but also a carefully worked through system of pastoral oversight for those not content with the decisions of the GC.

Is there an interim solution that will provide a way forward of moving with pastoral integrity. Also a way of beginning to negotiate, and way of coping with interventions in life of the Episcopal church. That can only be a temporary solution and there is a need for a settlement within the USA.

The proposal is to establish a pastoral council, to ask those bishops to provide pastoral care for those who conscientiously object – a challenge for those who have intervened from elsewhere to accept an equitable settlement. There is a cease fire with regards to litigation. None of us believe that litigation and counter litigation are responsible for a Christian body.

In the context of the covenant process – the package is a way of encouraging and nurturing the Episcopal church.

Questions

Tim Morgan. CT. Concerning homosexuality is it a gift from God or a sin?

ABC The teaching of the Anglican Communion is that activity is not compatible.

SB. Was cost of keeping the communion together allowing other provinces to trespass?

ABC We will get that to end, but not tomorrow.

KC Is the Anglican Communion going to join up with the RC Church?

ABC I think what you hear is a remarkably garbled version of a document that states where we are practically, agreed by RC and AC bishops and what may be done in pastoral practice.

JP Would you want a 100% response from TEC and what are the consequences?

ABC The PB is not in a position to deliver the whole of the HoB. The consequences – The statement of bare fact is that if in good conscience these assurances cannot be given, that has to affect organs of communion would have to be under consideration.

AB Akinola has declared that he is prepared to support this document.

What message to the people in the pews? What would you say to them?

ABC The end goal of the kingdom of God and that takes a while. First of all the gospel remains the gospel, love of God, and the challenge of God requiring change. It seems to me that it is difficult to persuade people we have good news when we are focused on internal divisions.

BBC. How much about the problems of Africa, HIV/Aids. Have you abandoned Africa?

ABC Discussion on Africa focused on many of these issues. We heard about the challenge of corruption and debt. I discussed some of these things with the presidents of Tanzania and Zanzibar. We have tried to emphasise the capacity of the church at grass roots level which no other group can.

David Virtue. Will the Primatial Vicar have authority?

ABC The PB has expressed willingness to entertain a Primatial Vicar. Bishops have been given the right to nominate a person. To that person the PB will delegate certain powers but that person will be responsible to a Pastoral Council. You should not have any bishop operating outside any canons and constitutions. Challenge is to work out proper links to Primates Meeting. It is an experiment, pray for it.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.