Affirming Catholicism has responded with disappointment to the list of invitations sent out by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 22 May 2007 to Anglican Bishops around the world to join him for the ten yearly Lambeth Conference due to take place at Canterbury in July next year. Invitations were sent out to 800 Bishops, including bishops from the Canadian and American Churches which have been at the centre of recent controversies in the Communion, but not to Americans Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire and first openly gay Bishop in the Anglican Communion, nor to Martyn Minns who was irregularly consecrated by the Archbishop of Nigeria to serve Episcopalian parishes who disagreed with Bishop Robinson’s appointment. The Bishop of Harare has also not been invited because of accusations of complicity in inciting violence against those opposed the oppressive regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

Canon Nerissa Jones, MBE Chair of Trustees for Affirming Catholicism, said:

Lambeth Conferences should reflect the diversity and range of theological opinions contained across the Anglican Communion and provide an opportunity for bishops to grow in their appreciation of others’ points of view through prayer, worship and study. Although Bishop Robinson is only one bishop, his being excluded because of his openness about his sexuality sends a damaging signal to faithful and honest lesbian and gay Christians world-wide, and undermines the integrity of the conference. The wholeness Affirming Catholics strive for requires every voice to be expressed and included, but yet again it looks as though Lambeth bishops will be talking about homosexuality without honestly acknowledging the presence of the gay people already in their midst. We call on the Archbishop of Canterbury to find ways for Bishop Gene Robinson to be included in the Conference so that his experience can be heard.

Cracks began to appear in the Communion after the previous Lambeth Conference in 1998 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, presided over a debate on homosexuality which ignored the findings of an official working party on the subject and instead produced a resolution rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture yet also committing Churches to listen to the experience of lesbian and gay people. In his invitation to the next conference, Dr Williams stressed that further invitations may be issued and that “the Lambeth Conference has no ‘constitution’ or formal powers; it is not a formal Synod or Council of the Communion’ and that the emphasis in 2008 would be on mutual sharing, study and reflection.

23/ 05/ 07