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Lambeth Machinations
Abstract: Five primates to boycott Lambeth Conference.
Lambeth Conferences are periodic (roughly once a decade), invitation-only assemblies of bishops of the Anglican Communion hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The conferences, begun in 1867, are recognized as the most influential of Anglicanism's four "Instruments of Communion" and represent the 'mind of the communion' on issues such as the ordination of women (1968, 1978) and homosexual behavior (1998).
The 14th Lambeth Conference will take place between 16 July and 4 August 2008. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has invited more than 880 bishops to attend. Notably absent from the invitees are the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson and the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns. Robinson is the first Anglican bishop to exercise the office while in an acknowledged same-sex relationship. Minns is the head of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, and is regarded by the Church of Nigeria as a missionary bishop to the United States, despite protest from Canterbury and the U.S. Episcopal Church.
On February 15, 5 of the 38 primates of the Anglican church announced that they (and their bishops) would boycott the conference: Archbishops Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Henry Orombi of Uganda, and Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone.
In a letter declaring their intention to boycott, the five primates acknowledged that some of them "have not been able to take communion with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church since February 2005" because of the 2003 consecration of Robinson, an openly gay partnered man, as bishop of New Hampshire. "The consecrators of Gene Robinson have all been invited to Lambeth, contrary to the statement of the Windsor Report (para 134) that members of the Episcopal Church should 'consider in all conscience whether they should withdraw themselves from representative functions in the Anglican Communion,'" the primates said.
The five primates also noted that some of their bishops who objected to Robinson's consecration have "been charged with abandonment of communion" for "making arrangements for orthodox oversight" of congregations in other provinces. According to the primates, these congregations "have either forfeited or are being sued for their properties by the very bishops with whom you wish us to share Christian family fellowship for three weeks," at Lambeth.
"To do this is an assault on our consciences and our hearts. Further, how can we explain to our church members, that while we and they are formally out of communion with the Episcopal Church, and provide oversight to these orthodox colleagues, we at the same time live with them at the Lambeth Conference as though nothing had happened? This would be hypocrisy."
The five primates noted that their action was "not intended to signal that we are walking out of the Communion."
