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Episcopal News Service “We had honest and frank conversations that confronted the depth of the conflicts that we face. We recognized the need to provide sufficient space, but were unable to come to common agreement on the way forward. We could not come to consensus on a common plan to move forward to meet the needs of the dioceses that issued the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight. The level of openness and charity in this conference allow us to pledge to hold one another in prayer and to work together until we have reached the solution God holds out for us.” ACNS 4188 | LAMBETH | 13 SEPTEMBER 2006 ”It's a positive sign that these difficult conversations have been taking place in a frank and honest way. There is clearly a process at work and although it hasn't yet come to fruition, the openness and charity in which views are being shared and options discussed are nevertheless signs of hope for the future. Our prayers continue.” NPR transcript “Well, I think that we may Well be at that point where there are irreconcilable differences in theology And church discipline and so on. Then perhaps the best thing to do is say, how can we have an amicable divorce?” BISHOP IKER COMMENTS ON THE NEW YORK SUMMIT Another meeting has come and gone, with no clear results or final
resolutions. Another "conversation" has taken place, where diverse
views were exchanged, but no unified way forward could be discerned.
So where does that leave us? Well, it does not leave us in the same
place as where we began! We have moved further along the path to the
difficult decisions that ultimately must be faced, in every diocese
and in every parish. Certain options have been discarded; others
remain open.
I am grateful that the New York summit provided an opportunity to
"clear the air" in face-to-face encounters among bishops who stand on
opposite sides of the issues that so deeply divide us. It was
helpful to say what was on my heart and mind and to hear directly
from the other side as to how they see things. It was not always a
pleasant exchange of views. At times the conversations were blunt
and even confrontational. Nonetheless, what needed to be said was
said and heard, in a spirit of honesty and love. That being said, it
is my sense that the time for endless conversations is coming to a
close and that the time for action is upon us. I am not interested
in having more meetings to plan to have more meetings.
Our appeal for Alternative Primatial Oversight is still before the
church, and provision must be made for the pastoral need we have
expressed. The initial appeal from this diocese was made to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates and the Panel of Reference.
(We soon withdrew our request for consideration by the Panel of
Reference due to its apparent inability to act on any of the
petitions that have been placed before it over the past year or
so.) When six other dioceses made very similar appeals, we
consolidated them into one joint appeal and submitted it to the
Archbishop of Canterbury in late July.
After prayerful consideration and consultation, the Archbishop called
for the New York summit, which took place on September 11-13, 2006,
in hopes of finding an American church solution to an American church
problem, but to no avail. We could not come to a consensus as to how
to recognize and respond to the needs expressed in the appeal. So
back to Canterbury it goes, as the principal Instrument of Unity in
the Anglican Communion, but this time with a renewed emphasis on
appealing also to the Primates of the Communion as a whole and not to
Canterbury alone. The Primates Meeting is a second, very important
Instrument of Unity in the life of worldwide Anglicanism. We ask for
their intervention and assistance when they meet in February.
Some have balked at the terminology of our appeal requesting
Alternative Primatial Oversight, pointing out that the Presiding
Bishop of the Episcopal Church does not really have canonical
oversight of any of our dioceses in the first place. While I can see
their point, nonetheless the official job description for the PB is
"Chief Pastor and Primate," and it is this role that we seek to have
exercised on our behalf by an orthodox Primate of the Communion, and
not just someone other than the Presiding Bishop-elect of ECUSA. We
require a Primate who upholds the historic faith and order of the
catholic church and is fully compliant with the recommendations of
the Windsor Report as the way forward for the Anglican Communion.
Only in this way will we have an unclouded primatial relationship
with the rest of the Communion.
Thank you all who prayed so fervently for us in our deliberations in
New York City this past week. I am sincerely grateful for your
encouragement and support. Your prayers were indeed answered - and
are being answered still, in ways that are yet to be revealed.
Please note that a very important gathering of "Windsor Bishops" will
be held at Camp Allen in Houston next week, from September 19-22, and
that I will be present for those discussions. This is a much larger
consultation that includes all Bishops who fully support the
recommendations of the Windsor Report and believe that General
Convention made an inadequate response to what the Report requested
of ECUSA. The Archbishop of Canterbury is fully aware of the purpose
of this meeting, and two Church of England Bishops will be present to
share in our deliberations and then report back to the Archbishop on
what took place. Please do pray daily for us as we consider next
steps to be taken in pursuit of the unity and mission of the church.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker Another Episcopal voice: Dear Friends:
As you know I have just completed a three-day meeting which I
co-convened with Bishop John Lipscomb of the Diocese of Southwestern
Florida at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The purpose of
our meeting was to address the many complex issues that face our church
as one of the 38 autonomous provinces of the Anglican Communion and of
the Communion itself.
You no doubt will have read the statement we adopted this morning which
says, in effect, we have not reached a conclusion. I feel as though I am
writing you with that sentiment an awful lot these days. While each of
us in that meeting and many church observers are finding this process
frustrating, especially as we operate in a culture which desires quick,
decisive action, I am reminded of the lesson from the Epistle of James
this past Sunday and the call to us to be quick to listen and slow to
action.
In that spirit, I want to share with you my sense of hope coming out of
this meeting. While it is true we did not reach a conclusion, the level
of candor and charity shared in our meeting was remarkable. I am hopeful
that as we continue to meet, the Church will reclaim its historic
generous orthodoxy and its respect for diversity and offer the Anglican
Communion an example of faithfulness in unity and mission.
I am grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for his care for our
Church at this time and the sensitivity with which he has asked leaders
of our province to assemble to address the complex issues within our
Church. I look forward to our next meeting.
Faithfully,
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