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Behind the Lines at the Primates' Meeting
By Greg Venables
24th March 2005
The sad and much publicised process of the breakdown of the Anglican Communion has been worked through slowly and gradually in many venues across the Communion, but nowhere more poignantly than in the Primates' meetings of recent years. It is critical therefore that the rest of the church and the public be aware of what has been said and done in these gatherings.
The communiqués and pastoral letters which have been carefully prepared over recent years are clear. The language as would be expected is cautious, graceful and measured. Such carefully crafted documents merit careful study and consideration, but their basic tone and content is unmistakable: The "same-sex" agenda most notably of ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada represent a departure from Biblical faith and established Anglican teaching.
Archbishop Andrew Hutchison of Canada has made it clear in his recent statements that the Communion is indeed broken. A dramatic demonstration of this, possibly confusing cause with effect, was the joint refusal of what he counted as 14, (that is 40% of the primates present), to share at the Lord's table at the recent meeting in Northern Ireland.
Archbishop Yong Ping Church of South East Asia referred to this in a pastoral letter to his diocese and province, "....all these polite and gracious words could not hide the plain reality that there is severe impairment and fractured relationship in our Anglican Communion. Throughout the week, the Primates prayed and worshiped together in Morning and Evening Prayers. The Chaplain of the Archbishop of Armagh celebrated the Eucharist for those who needed it. But this Eucharist was not regarded as part of the official and corporate worship of this Primates' Meeting because many Primates needed to honour the decision of their own Provinces which have broken/fractured Communion with ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada. These Primates could not share the Eucharist with the Primates of ECUSA and Anglican Church of Canada."
Even though Archbishop Rowan himself presided at a final service on Friday, a group of us had already told him with pain and sadness that we would not be able to take part.
A noteworthy factor in the meeting in Northern Ireland was Archbishop Rowan's positive approach to the meeting. Deeply significant was the time dedicated to retreat, prayer and reflection, his insistence that we own the agenda and a style which was more comprehensible and acceptable to those not accustomed to agenda driven western style encounters.
The brokenness and division within our Anglican community is neither north-south nor based on cultural differences. It is not comparable to the debate over the ordination of women and it cannot be resolved by an attempt at synthesis.
At its root is the whole question of the authority of scripture and centuries of understanding of what comprises sinful/immoral behaviour.
The Dromantine meeting was clear in its reaffirmation of the historical, biblical and Anglican position on human sexuality. Any suggestion that ongoing conversations or discussions could represent a reversal of that position would be misinformed.
Many Primates are very concerned, moreover, about reports of alleged harassment of orthodox clergy and parishes by "liberal" bishops in the USA and Canada. We had word of numerous and specific cases. The discussions in Ireland openly recognized that the brokenness of the communion is also manifest by many of us feeling it is necessary to provide protection and oversight in ECUSA and Canada.
We are holding back on new cross-boundary initiatives, not because we have changed our minds about their necessity, but in order to give the Anglican Communion authorities who have been given responsibility through the Panel of Reference the opportunity to show that they mean business. If they fail, we will not.
Presiding Bishop Greg Venables is Archbishop of the Southern Cone
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