We got back from the Lambeth Conference in the early hours yesterday.  There was a closing Eucharist at Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday at 6.00 pm.  The Archbishop of Melanesia presided with the Archbishop of Canterbury preaching and on this occasion the bishops and their spouses all sat together in the nave.  This immediately followed the final two hour plenary session in the big top, at which the Archbishop gave his third and final Presidential Address.  Earlier on Sunday we had our last bible study and indaba sessions.  The eight of us in my bible study – from America, Malawi, Zimbabwe and here – are determined to keep in touch, probably on line.  Even in the much larger indaba group a great depth of trust has been established, something characteristic of most of the other indaba groups too, and which appears to be the most signal achievement of the Conference.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for three moratoria on the area of greatest division across the Communion.  These call for no further consecrations of bishops who are in same sex partnerships, the cessation of same sex blessings where these have been already authorised, and the cessation of incursions into provinces and dioceses by bishops elsewhere.  The final session also saw the formal reception of the Reflections document, seeking to bring together the fruits of our session in the indaba groups.  It’s remarkable that such a document has been produced in a matter of a few days.  What it lacks in depth it gains in immediacy.  It’s certainly true that the majority of the people at the Conference supported the establishment of a Pastoral Forum to deal with some of the contentious issues in  worldwide Anglicanism.  Perhaps it could be a means of continuing the spirit of this Lambeth Conference in the intervening years between now and the next one.

What is striking is that almost everyone left the Lambeth Conference determined to walk together in the future, and to do everything possible to stay in communion with each other, while recognising that our interdependence is essential to our understanding of Anglicanism as a part of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  A loose federation of churches with some recognisably common origin (which is what Anglicanism could become) would be a poor substitute for what we aspire to be under God.

The Reflections document  (and the Archbishop’s Presidential Addresses) are all available on the Lambeth Conference website.  Since we’ve returned from this Lambeth Conference without a huge number of resolutions and documents, it’s hard to know how to convey what it has achieved.  It will also be easier for the critics who stayed away to claim that little has been done.  Bishop James, Bishop David and I are thinking about how to present the outcome of the Lambeth Conference to the diocese in ways additional to this blog.  Concentrating simply on the experience for us might be the equivalent of an evening watching somebody’s holiday video – recalling a great experience for them but rather tedious for everyone else.

All three of us, however, have come away from Lambeth much more hopeful for the future of the Anglican Communion than when we arrived.  A great deal of this is due to the face to face encounters which the design of the Conference enabled.  A great deal is also due to the patient and intelligent leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury.  We are a very blessed Communion to have someone of such spectacular quality in the Chair of St. Augustine.

+Graham

It’s late on Saturday night and tomorrow is the last day.  I’ve just got in from sharing a glass (or rather plastic cup) of amber liquid with the Bishop of Wakefield (one Stephen Platten).  Before that it was Night Prayer with the Chaplaincy Team.  That team has been a praying and listening presence at the heart of this conference and has also (along with musicians who got a huge ovation this evening) supported the daily pattern of services.  The team consists of religious sisters and brothers drawn from around the Communion.  It is led by Brother Sam (an English Franciscan who led a mission in the Nar Valley parishes last year) and also includes Sister Pamela from our own diocese.  A substantial proportion of the team is made up of Melanesian Brothers from Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (some of whom I had met in PNG) and Sisters of the Church whose mother house is in the UK and also have a strong presence in Melanesia.  It’s impossible to quantify the contribution of these people, but it has been very significant.

Earlier this evening we had an unusual plenary when four of the Conference Stewards gave us their perspective on what we have been doing.  There are 50 stewards who have been gently and graciously shepherding us around from place to place and generally making sure that we are where we need to be.  They are all young people (mostly in their 20s), again drawn from around the Communion.  The four who were up front (from UK, South Africa, USA and Seychelles) were very impressive; they each spoke in turn and then responded to questions which kept coming.  They communicated a passion for the gospel, a love for the Anglican Church, and a strong desire that we involve their generation and use their gifts to the full.  If they are in any way typical of young people across our Communion, then the future may be more secure than we sometimes think.

Meanwhile of course we’ve been continuing our work.  I’ve realised that our indaba groups vary a lot, depending in part on the confidence of the leader.  Mine has become better and better and we have in the last few days had very strong but respectful exchanges on the presenting issues of same-sex blessings and consecration of actively gay homosexuals as bishops.  We’ve also been looking at the possible structural and institutional means for taking us forward – the Anglican Covenant etc.

One clear outcome is that people of differing views have met each other in the flesh, heard each other’s viewpoints clearly and fully expressed, prayed together, studied the bible together, eaten and laughed together.  Out of that has come, I believe, a genuine sense of fellowship and shared identity as Anglican Christians, and a real desire to hold together as fully as possible.  That said, the Covenant may or may not hold us all together in the end.  We’ve been debating the text but it won’t be finally agreed here – our contributions will now be picked up by the Covenant Design Group who will continue to work on the text.  At some point it will have to be voted on in every Province and then we’ll see where we are: it is clear that most provinces are very likely to sign but with a few it is not at all clear.

We’ve also been feeding ideas into the group that is working in parallel on the institutions and structures of the Communion.  A concern for them is what happens between now and whenever the Covenant is (or is not) agreed and put in place.  For this interim period they are calling for a moratorium on same-sex blessings, on ordinations of actively gay bishops and on incursions by one province into the life of another – an example of the latter being US and Canadian parishes opting to move under the oversight of the Archbishops of Nigeria or Rwanda.  There’s a lot more detail to all of that but there is, I think, a gathering sense that such a move is necessary for the immediate future.  Again, some are not happy and we’ll have to wait and see how things go.

In all of this, the balance is between giving sufficient reassurance to the Africans and others who have to return to places where homosexuality is illegal, and helping the more progressive/liberal places (mainly in the USA and Canada) also to stay on board.  A complication is that, while all bishops may look as if they are the same thing, their powers vary hugely from place to place.  Thus even if, for example, the US bishops all agreed to these things, that agreement could be negated by their General Convention as well as their individual dioceses.  It’s not easy!!

The media (and some others) would like a clear answer at the end: resolution or dissolution.  But that was never going to happen.  The final communiqué will say some clear things (not least about poverty, environment and violence) and my hunch is (people are still working on it) that it will also give some pretty clear steers on where we go next in terms of Covenant and related matters.  In due course all of that will come to each Province for decision and then we’ll know whether the desire to hold together can be expressed in institutional form.  Will some be unable to stay?  Will some who did not come to Lambeth feel able to come back on board?  That’s for our continued prayers.

So tomorrow we draw it together and say our farewells.  I shall miss the members of my bible-study group; I shall miss both the rhythm and the variety of the daily worship; I shall not miss the stifling heat or the queues for meals.  Final service in the Cathedral on Sunday evening then home and interviews on Monday for a new vicar of Gressenhall – life goes on.

+James

It's hard to believe we're now only 48 hours from the end of this conference. There's so much still to do.   In our indaba groups we're all re-drafting the text of the proposed Anglican Covenant while in the hearings the final document reflecting on the conference and what we've agreed is being amended.   Quite how a statement of depth and quality will be produced under such intense time constraints, I'm not sure.   At the first Lambeth Conference in 1867 they sent a group of trusted bishops away for six weeks to work on the documents which were then agreed later.  I recognize that it's probably impossible now. The media want to know what we've decided immediately.   So do those not here.  And the internet means people in Nigeria will have commented on what we say before I even get back to Norwich.   We're all more captive to our culture than we like to admit.

Yesterday we focussed in our indaba groups on human sexuality.   It was the conversation for which many had been waiting.   People heard each other with remarkable courtesy.   Bishops from Zimbabwe and the Sudan reminded us that homosexuality was illegal in their country and that they are characterised as belonging to "The Homosexual Church" by Muslims and other Christians alike.  (See +James' earlier blog.)    It's not hard to understand why they feel so betrayed by the Episcopal Church in the United States.   Our bishop in Angola - yes Anglicanism is found everywhere - said the media there covered Gene Robinson's election in a big way and wanted to interview him.   He said he'd hardly thought about homosexuality so felt catapulted into a controversy outside his culture or control.   It's only six years now   since Angola opened up to the world at all after the civil war so he then had other pressing concerns.

So it's not hard to see how in our global world what seems a mission imperative in one place - the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of the Church - plays very differently elsewhere.   What is liberating in one culture can unintentionally enslave people elsewhere.   I'm sure the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire scarcely knew what the consequences would be when they elected Gene Robinson in 2003.

So what's the way forward?   There's a matter of truth here.   What is or is not an authentic development in our tradition?   And how much freedom should provinces be given in their struggles to address the specific issues in their culture?  (Think of the imaginative and generous provisions made about polygamy at the 1988 Lambeth Conference, for example.)   The only solution on offer is the Covenant - an agreed statement on our understanding of the Christian faith accompanied by a protocol for resolving disagreements.   I think we'll manage the former without too much difficulty but the protocol is more testing.   And while we're working on the text here, this is no quick fix.   It would need to be agreed by every province.   The exercise in itself might be valuable, though.

Last night Julie and I went to the Papua New Guinea evening.   A video of life in the diocese of Port Moresby was accompanied by PNG songs and dancing and the Melanesian brothers and sisters providing excellent musical entertainment.   It was a happy evening and our link has been deepened by extended contact here.  Bishop James and I met with Archbishop James (too many Jameses here!) to think through some ways the link might develop.   More of that later.

Now I'm off to my second indaba of the day.   I wonder if the Council of Nicaea was like this?

+Graham

Bishop Graham's last blog mentioned the stunning address by the Chief Rabbi. I think we all witnessed a very historic moment when the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi embraced on the stage in front of us all. With all the years of mistrust and worse (and Sir Jonathan Sacks did not hide the fact that he spoke 'as a Jew'  -  with the tears of his ancestors very much in his mind;  tears prompted by the shameful treatment Jews have too often received over the centuries at the hands of Christians),  it was a fine testimony to the  place that Jewish - Christian relationships have come to in recent days. 

Sir Jonathan argued that the dominant concerns of our society are politics (the creation and distribution of power) and economics (the creation and distribution of wealth):   the state and the market, both marked by competitiveness.  What is lacking for the well being of society is another dimension - that of covenant, which is not about competition but about cooperation.  Covenant is rooted in generous love and friendship – which exist only by being shared.  Healthy societies need groups, cooperation - that is covenant, and this is the domain of religion. Its gift is a way of being gracious.   Loss of religion and spiritual poverty leads of loss of graciousness, and loss of social cohesion.   He drew on the Hebrew scriptures' notions of covenant:  what he called the covenants of faith which God made with Abraham, Israel and so on.  But behind this he spoke of a covenant of 'fate' -  exemplified in the story of Noah,  in which humanity's wellbeing depends on its being held together in covenant, whether they would choose it or not.   And the marks of the Noachic covenant are, he argued from Genesis 9:  the sanctity of human life; the integrity of the environment; and respect for human diversity (the theme of his book The Dignity of Difference)  -  all three of which are priority concerns of Christian people.

The Chief Rabbi appealed to the Anglican Communion to draw closer together - almost a unique witness to unity within diversity across the world, and a sign of hope for a fragmented world.   He spoke with passion, eloquence and humour - it was an extraordinarily powerful address, only some of which I have noted here.  He received a standing ovation both at the end of his talk and after answering questions.  He spoke movingly about the tensions in Israel/Palestine;  affectionately about his own upbringing in a Church of England primary school;  his growing appreciation  for deepening Jewish-Christian relations;   and the tears of his own history and that of his people,  which identifies him with suffering peoples around the world. It was a major affirmation of faith, as well as a stimulating analysis of the place of religion in contemporary society.

Today the indaba groups have been struggling with our diverse approaches to the interpretation and use of the Bible as God's word.   I think I realised afresh today that the Anglican pastoral approach to using Scripture, especially in our preaching, the Anglican liturgical use of the Bible in our daily readings and in the Sunday lectionary, and the Anglican holding of Word and Sacrament together in the Eucharist leads straight to a Christological hermeneutic  -  in other words, to a way of interpreting the Bible through the spectacles of the Gospel centred in Jesus Christ and the mission of God in  the world. If we stay with the words of Scripture and do not hear the living Word through them we are on the high road to fundamentalism and often legalism.  If we try to detach the Word from the words of scripture, we are setting loose into a relativism or a liberalism which may become cut off from its roots in the biblical Gospel.  The Anglican trio which begins with Scripture, interpreted through the ages through the work of the Holy Spirit in the church (tradition),  and in a way which is in  touch with contemporary reasoned reflection on experience, holds much wisdom.

In these last few days we are particularly focussing on the question of human sexuality and of an Anglican Covenant, though these have been part of informal conversations for the whole time.  Please pray especially for Archbishop Rowan as he leads us forwards.

+David

An interesting couple of days.  The sun continues to shine and many of the venues are hot and stuffy – perhaps not the best encouragement to clarity of thought.  The rabbits that are omnipresent on the campus carry on munching oblivious to all our comings and goings.
 
I share some of Bp Graham’s thoughts on the corporate bible study on power.  It wasn’t easy because of the subject matter, the method and also the logistics – I found myself in a small group of four, two of whom only spoke Burmese; this rather limited the extent of the conversation, my Burmese being even less fluent than my almost non-existent Portuguese (see an earlier blog)!  However, it was clearly important to look at the issue both for those who come from cultures where violence within the family is sadly almost routine (of which Papua New Guinea is one), and for those of us who like to think it is not while we know that it is actually all too common.  It was very interesting also to get the sense that there is some frustration on the part of the spouses with the bishops’ focus on same-sex relationships as the only area of relationships to be considered.  There were some very powerful contributions from bishops’ wives from Latin America for whom this is clearly a very live issue.  One thing is certain - that I won’t read the story of Tamar in quite the same way again.

The Bible Study group continues to be a highlight of each day for me.  Our five Indian members are a real joy: their perspectives bring new insights to John’s Gospel coming as they do from a context where Christians are a tiny minority and subject in some places to persecution – burning of churches by Hindu fundamentalists is quite common.  The churches of North and South India are ‘united churches’ incorporating Methodists, Presbyterians and others as well as Anglicans, but these bishops see themselves very clearly as part of the Anglican Communion and are fiercely loyal to it in a way that most English Anglicans are not.  The big public divisions are tending to be between places where the church is relatively strong (USA, Nigeria, Uganda etc); the people who will suffer if the Communion fractures are the smaller and more vulnerable provinces (India, Myanmar, PNG, Latin America and the like) – for these the Communion is a vital support and for their sake we must work at unity.

And so to those matters of unity which are now coming to the fore in various settings.  The nature of the Conference – most discussion in smaller groups – makes it quite hard to know how the ‘mind’ of the Conference as a whole will emerge and how people will sign up to that or not. A group with one member from each Indaba is working on a statement of which we now have a draft which is being revised through open discussion.  This document needs to trumpet the issues on which we do agree (which are many) as well as finding a positive way in which to handle that on which we do not all agree.  What we say about human sexuality in general and about the episcopal ordination of Gene Robinson in particular does matter (not least because we’re talking about real people here not just an ‘issue’), but many would be deeply frustrated if that is all we are heard to talk about.  Meanwhile other discussions are going on about the more structural issues of how the Communion is organised and led, and what form an Anglican Covenant might take – more of that over the next few days.

Will we arrive somewhere sensible and up-building by Sunday? It’s hard to tell but pray God we will.  And, just in case you think I am linguistically totally useless (see above), I have had a lengthy conversation with a francophone bishop from Madagascar – another fragile church.

+James

We've had a joint day with the Spouses Conference on the theme of the abuse of power.   We've focussed on 2 Samuel 13 - the story of the rape of Tamar.   We were first asked if we'd heard the story read in church.   I have - though only I think at the daily office.   Apparently it's not in the Sunday lectionary anywhere in the Anglican Communion.   Read it and you may understand why.

Doing bible study for three hours on such a theme with around 1300 people (or more) in a Big Top rates as one of the riskier ventures of the conference. That nearly everyone stayed with the task says something about our growing loyalty to the process, each other and to ++Rowan and Jane.   If that can be translated into a fresh loyalty to each other in the Anglican Communion then it will all have been worthwhile.

There were two odd things about today.  We did the bible study without any intervening hermeneutic which meant all sorts of contemporary assumptions were read into the text.  That seems one of our problems.    The way the Bible is used on all sides seems to mask its voice since our own voices are so pronounced.   The other odd thing is that this morning was the first time (outside worship) that all the bishops had been together.   The spouses by contrast have built up great solidarity.   It felt as if we were being done to - not always a helpful learning technique.   But it was challenging and good nonetheless.

After lunch we were told to spend time with our spouses - a bit difficult for those whose spouses aren't here!   Julie and I spent a couple of hours at Reculver, which is where the Romans may have first landed and where they certainly built a huge fort.   The huge twin towers of the ruined medieval church stand at the cliff edge as a visible warning to ships.  The old church was pulled down in 1809 when the sea got too close (shades of Happisburgh).   Apparently there was a vestry meeting about demolition and building a new church further inland.   The vote was tied, and the vicar gave his casting vote in favour of demolition.   I bet he took some stick!   But he had the consolation of an almost complete lack of planning authorities and no DAC!

We returned refreshed for further bible study at 4.30pm (back to John's gospel) and then off to Evening Prayer, led by the wonderful Anglican Province of Myanmawr (Burma).   Their gentle and courageous witness in the face of poverty, a military dictatorship and the effects of the destruction of the recent cyclone makes you proud to be in communion with them.   Following the service ++Rowan gave another masterly presidential address analyzing quite brilliantly (as is his wont) the respective views in the debate on human sexuality and same-sex relationships.   We're now able to face such debate in a more mature way (I believe) than two weeks ago.   Whether we can come to a generous agreement on all sides which will strengthen our communion is what we now have to consider.   Please pray for us very hard over these next days.

Julie and I were glad of a brief outing this afternoon.   On Sunday we had a little free time.   We set off for Sissinghurst but the car broke down so we spent the day with the AA.   I know our own diocesan conference was about engaging with the world but I didn't want to do it just then!

A final comment.   Yesterday evening the Chief Rabbi gave a stunning lecture which concluded with some questions.   He was asked about Jesus and told us that the first words uttered in the synagogue on Yom Kippur are "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do".   Perhaps you knew that.   I didn't despite a lifetime's association with the Council of Christians and Jews.   He also said there are 183 Christians in the world for every Jew and that if it weren't for Christians this message would go largely unheard since Jews had been so bad at spreading it.   It was a special moment - one of many.

+Graham

I’ve just read what both Bishop David and Bishop Graham wrote about the London day last week and the issues arising out of that, especially the Millennium Development Goals.  It occurs to me that we haven’t given these much publicity within our diocese and perhaps we should think about that.  If you don’t know much about them you can find out more at www.dfid.gov.uk/mdg or www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

This is an area where the Anglican Communion has huge potential for good.  We are able to relate to national governments and international institutions at many levels and at the same time (and this has been very evident here at the Lambeth Conference) we are a grassroots network of relationships that criss-cross the entire globe.  What, for example, might we be doing alongside our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea to support them in their role as one of the most effective aid and development organisations in their own country?

By the way, please treat with appropriate disdain the comments of some journalists about us ‘feasting’ at Lambeth and Buckingham Palace on the back of appealing on behalf of the world’s poor. The meal wasn’t that lavish and we were hardly going to refuse the Queen’s invitation.  Being concerned about the poor surely doesn’t mean that we can’t show proper hospitality to our guests from around the world, does it?

Following the visit to London my indaba group seemed to move into a different gear.  There was a moving sense of shared commitment about combating global poverty and environmental degradation, and a desire to make sure that those things feature strongly in whatever emerges from this Conference.  At the same time, however, we have begun to talk openly about the differences over human sexuality – the focus being blessings for same-sex unions and ordination/consecration of those in such unions.  People have begun to speak from their own experience and deep-held convictions, but I’m not going to pass on any of what individuals have said about themselves.

The issue is, however, starkly illustrated if I tell you that the group includes those from the US and Canada who have some congregations where the majority of members are gay or lesbian, and also others from countries in Africa and Asia where homosexuality is illegal and severely punished.  In some of the latter places the Anglican Church is apparently being portrayed as ‘The Homosexual Church’.  The cultural divides on this are huge.  There is also lots of misinformation coming to light: for example, a number of African bishops have come here thinking that we in the CofE have officially agreed to homosexual marriage – we haven’t, though of course the story about two priests recently being ‘married’ in a London church has gone all round the world.  That brings me to what is a real issue for some: whatever the Conference may or may not decide, information is now communicated instantly all across the world and people will react to those reports whether they are accurate or not.  That can mean real physical danger for Christians if the Communion is, for example, portrayed as condoning something seen as illegal and abhorrent in a particular culture.

Another interesting thing emerging out of all our discussions is the very different role of bishops in different countries.  It comes as something of a surprise to some that English bishops cannot simply move or remove clergy more or less at will; it comes as even more of a surprise that we have to be conscious of the provisions of the law in relation to employment, human rights and the like.  Another example of how we have to hold together people with hugely differing perspectives.

The nature of the Anglican Communion is such that (unlike some other denominations and traditions) the only means we have of handling difficult and contentious issues is in semi-public discussion as here at Lambeth.  In a way that’s the down-side of the nature of our Communion, just as our potential for response to global poverty is the up-side.  There is really no other organisation that I can think of that seeks to hold in unity such a range of peoples and cultures through the relatively loose links of mutual interdependence, friendship and dispersed authority.  For some (including some of those who have stayed away) that is deeply frustrating.  It certainly makes life difficult, but in the longer run it might also be our greatest strength.

+James

I have three very puzzled American bishops in my bible study group.  They heard Gordon Brown speak with eloquence, passion, clarity and authority about world poverty at Lambeth Palace and were bowled over by him.   (They're quite bowled over by Obama too.)   It was an amazing performance, and easily the best speech I've heard Gordon Brown deliver (I've heard him twice in person before). But I had to share the news with my American friends that he might not be in office for much longer.   And then we had the Glasgow East result as if to prove my point.

Three reflections on this:

1.  Americans love orators with a moral compass, while the Zimbabweans in my group seemed less keen on the oratory - they've had too much of it.

2.  The press were at Lambeth in huge numbers but the PMs passionate speech hardly received any coverage as far as I could see.   His chances of recovery are limited when the media has made up its mind.  (Equally the media has decided that Anglicanism is divided and/or dead, and there's little chance of changing that script.)

3.  A slightly depressing thought is that the PMs speech wouldn't cut much ice even if widely heard.   Combating absolute poverty in our world - something within our grasp if the powerful nations fulfilled their MDG promises - isn't a vote winner in this country.   Our anxieties are focussed on whether our standard of living will fall rather than whether the poorest in the world might have a meal a day, shelter and a basic education.   We are not yet truly global in our sympathies.

+David's report rightly describes an exhilarating day in London.  On Friday bishops seemed very tired.   The singing at the 7.15am service didn't quite have the usual up-beat character.   Yet Archbishop Rowan was there and his stamina (and that of Jane) is enormous.  I said to Julie on Saturday that I hoped he'd take Sunday off and have a long sleep but I heard him on a live service on Radio 4 at 8.10am from a Canterbury church, preaching another fine sermon.

His theme in that sermon reflected a feature of John's gospel that we've commented upon in our bible study.   Jesus doesn't immediately make the blind man see or rush to raise Lazarus.   There's first the assurance of his presence.   That brings new life in itself.   Healing or recovery comes as part of a process.  There's scarcely any display.    Even when the water is turned into wine, most people present don't even realise a miracle has happened.   They simply think the best wine has been kept for the end of the festivities.

We're part of a process here, one in which united worship, prayer, bible study, meals, conversation and relationship building may yet yield Christ-centred dividends for our communion.   It may well be that the best wine here has been kept until last (rather than the vinegar some predict) and if most people leave not knowing that a miracle has taken place, then that would be in remarkable keeping with the gospel we've been studying.

+Graham

Yesterday we were in London for a very hot, but very significant day.  It may prove to be one of the high points of this whole Conference.   It was not only the generosity of the Queen to make herself and her lovely gardens available to us, greatly appreciated though that was.   It was not only the wonderful lunch provided at Lambeth Palace  -  in a huge marquee, with tables of eight and a two course meal,  beautifully served;   this spoke of generous hospitality from Archbishop Rowan and Mrs Jane Williams and the huge importance of eating and speaking informally together.   The major significance of the day was the Walk of Witness from Whitehall to Lambeth - "a poignant public act of commitment by the Anglican Communion and other faith groups to continue to put pressure on those who have the power and resources to help end extreme poverty across the globe."   To see bishops and others from so many countries united in the common cause identified by the Micah Challenge  "Do justly,  love mercy and walk humbly with your God", was a moving and powerful thing. 

But this was just the preliminary to a profoundly important rally inside the gates of Lambeth Palace when Archbishop Rowan presented the Prime Minister with a letter urging him to continue to make the Millennium Development Goals a priority.   The response from the Prime Minister Gordon Brown was truly remarkable.   He spoke with passion and eloquence of the huge importance of the Millennium Development Goals, and the scourge of poverty;  he thanked the faith communities for the enormous impact they make in changing public opinion;   he acknowledged how far short we are already falling in the aim of halving extreme poverty by the year 2015;  and he pledged the UK government to make the MDG a priority concern at the forthcoming UN meeting in September,  and urged church leaders from around the world to put pressure on their own governments to do the same.  His speech  -  almost a sermon  -  ended with Amos's vision of justice rolling down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.   It was amazing and powerful  -  and though some of the media reporting today is  a bit feeble,  it is clear that a significant impact was made.    Here was the Anglican Communion united in a common goal  -  with many bishops from among the poorest countries of the world present,  and supported by leaders of other churches and other faith communities.

Two conversations during the day were poignant.  A bishop in the Democratic Republic of the Congo told me of the great difficulty they have of finding enough money to buy cement to help build a church centre;   a bishop from Papua New Guinea sometimes has to walk for many hours over the mountains to reach outlying churches in his diocese.  Then we heard on the news of fears of another growing famine in central Africa.   Issues of poverty, hunger and thirst are so powerfully real to many of our colleagues here.  Our Archbishop has provided very significant leadership in inviting us to walk with him through London in protest against injustice - and in modelling the generous grace of God through his own gracious hospitality. I know the cynics will want to make an issue of the conjunction of the Walk on behalf of the poor, and then tea at Buckingham Palace.   I can only say that both felt real, and I was grateful to be part of it.

Today we returned to the pattern of Bible Studies in John's Gospel, and the indaba group of 40 of us discussing together.  Tonight there was a major presentation on the environment by Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the Science Museum and a world expert on climate change.   I am particularly interested because my own book "Renewing the Face of the Earth" has just been published by Canterbury Press.  I was able to introduce some of its themes at a "Self-Select session" with the Bishop of Liverpool a couple of days ago.  Present then was the Bishop of the Arctic, for whom climate change is a very present reality - but he also spoke of the ways in which his people honour and bless the land - a recognition of the sacredness of God's creation which in our consumerist Western culture so easily gets ignored. Tonight's lecture was complemented by a presentation from the Bishop of Canberra who acknowledged that the average Australian emits 26 tonnes of CO2 a year, whereas in many African countries the per capita emission is less than 1 tonne.   'The rest of the world is being asked to pay for our carbon emissions', he said, ' and it is immoral.'    We also heard from the Bishop of Mozambique for whom climate change means - now  -  growth in malaria which is killing children at an alarming rate, destabilising the cashew nut production which is basic to the rural economy, and increasing difficulty in providing sufficient water.   Tomorrow we continue to discuss the role of the bishop in relation to the environment -  we Christian  people were urged to take the moral lead that is needed  -  change cannot come through science or business without a moral imperative.

This Conference continues to be a very good experience.  The Bible studies in John's Gospel are very challenging when approached from a variety of cultures.   The indaba discussions are providing a forum for some extremely valuable conversations which probably could not take place in another format, and though there is some frustration among some people about the amount of ground we are trying to cover, many of us believe it is modelling a healthily different way of doing business than passing resolutions and asking for majority votes.  This weekend we move into our final week.   Please continue to pray for all of us here, and everyone who is reporting what is happening  -  or at least what they think is happening or want to happen -  sometimes we are not really following the script which the media were expecting.    Thankfully the headlines about the demise of the Anglican Communion seem to have stopped  -  there is much here which is wonderfully alive.

+David

We're now at the end of the third day of the conference proper, the first three days spent in retreat and Sunday mostly in church.

The Canterbury Cathedral service was magnificent.   It surpassed by far my memories of both 1988 and 1998.   (I realize I'm now one of the Lambeth veterans here though a few were at 1978 too!)   What made Sunday special was that it was essentially quite simple - the Archbishop of Canterbury gathering us around the table of the Lord but with a rich variety of languages, music and customs from this world communion.   Rather than a series of 'turns' applauded patronizingly, each had integrity within the liturgy as a whole.   For example, the Melanesian dance at the gospel procession was a risk but turned out to be a triumph.   In a small canoe they carried the gospel book from the high altar to the nave.   It sounds cornier than it was to experience.

The fact that these Melanesians in native dress are more often seen on campus in their habits as members of the chaplaincy team added to it.   They were no imports but an integral part of the conference.   We have a large contingent of members of religious communities from across the world as the praying heart of the conference.   Our own Sister Pamela CAH is the Conference Sacristan assisted by two young Tanzanian sisters.

Would the high point of Sunday be ruined when we started talking and squabbling on Monday?   Clearly that's what the press expects - and seems to want.   I feared it might happen but much of the heat and noise is on the fringe of the conference itself.   Bishop Gene Robinson is the most interviewed non-participant at the conference.   I saw him twice the other day, each time doing a television interview and I suspect this caused the usually temperate Sudanese bishops to voice their concern.   They are the ones who have to suffer attacks from Muslims who accuse them of promoting Western immorality.   (I put it mildly.)   What we do and say has consequences, even physical consequences, for people far away in this interconnected world.   Our care for our sisters and brothers includes those whom we have never seen in cultures very different from our own.   It's no good luxuriating in a wonderful Eucharist like Sunday's if we do not appreciate this.

The conference is not for the faint-hearted.   16 hour days of relentless activity are going to test even the most robust bishops.   The bible studies remain a highlight, not least because the material we're using to study John's gospel is so well judged, with good insights and helpfully framed questions - a model to be followed at parish level too.

The indaba groups (forty of us) have taken longer to settle.   They were sold as open discussions but they've felt over-organized and restrictive so people have been suspicious that there's some hidden agenda.

Since Monday I've been hosting Metropolitan Anastasios of the Orthodox Church of Albania and Bishop Andon Merdani, another of the six bishops of that church.   They've joined my bible study and accompanied me throughout the day - another mind-widening experience.   Albania is unique since it's the only country ever to have atheism written into the state constitution under communism.   Religion was obliterated.   The Orthodox Church has been founded again from scratch since the fall of communism.   140 churches have been built, monasteries and a seminary built too.  People with no knowledge of the Christian faith or only the dimmest memory of it are coming to church in substantial numbers.   It is the Apostolic Age again in Albania.   What's even more heartening is that there are good relations with the much smaller Catholic Church and with Islam too - a model for the Balkans and the rest of the world.

We're all off to London on Thursday at the crack of dawn to walk from Whitehall to Lambeth Palace in support of the Millenium Development Goals (to eradicate absolute poverty) and then on to Buckingham Palace for tea and cucumber sandwiches with the Queen.   I believe the Prime Minister is due to join us at Lambeth.   More about that anon.

+Graham

Day six and we’re now into the main programme.  You may have seen coverage of the opening service at Canterbury Cathedral: links to the Bishop of Colombo’s sermon and to Archbishop Rowan’s opening address are below.

We’ve now been joined by ecumenical observers from all over the world.  One has joined my bible study group: not as exotic as some of his colleagues but really nice nonetheless – a Baptist from Milton Keynes.  His presence does balance up the group a bit which otherwise is me, one US bishop and five bishops from India.  Among the Indians are some who are deeply thoughtful and studying John’s Gospel with them is a rare privilege.

We have now also formed our ‘Indaba’ groups – 40 bishops meeting to consider a series of topics.  The method is based around a Zulu model of decision-making which relies on extended conversation and building of relationships.  The model seems excellent but I’m not sure we’re using to best effect yet.  We seem to be trying to get through too much in each 2-hour session: the conversations are good, but we’re not able to go deep enough.  A groundswell is growing in my group to focus on fewer items but follow them in more depth – hopefully we’ll have the courage to do so.

Afternoons from today have a range of ‘Self-Select Sessions’ – seminars, talks and workshops on a huge range of topics.  And on some evenings we now have plenary sessions: last night on models of evangelism for our changing contexts, and tonight Cardinal Dias from the Vatican on ‘Mission, Social Justice and Evangelisation’.

All very interesting and good, but for me the real value is the shared worship: where else will one have such a range of people worshipping together with a shared family identity?  Already we’ve had worship offered by the churches of Korea, Central Africa and Brazil.  And alongside the worship, the opportunities to meet and talk informally with people from all over the world.  My good intention is to sit at meals with people I don’t know: the beginning was not good (I managed to pick a bishop and wife from Brazil who spoke no English at all and my Portuguese is very, very restricted!), but things have improved with highlights so far being conversations with bishops from Ghana and Madagascar.

Apparently some bits of the press continue to report that we’re all falling out with each other.  We certainly have lots of different views and insights being expressed but (unless I’m being more than usually imperceptive) we still seem to be talking to each other very happily.

+James

The Bishop of Colombo’s sermon: http://www.lambethconference.org/daily/news.cfm/2008/7/20/ACNS4438.

Archbishop Rowan’s opening address: http://www.lambethconference.org/daily/news.cfm/2008/7/20/ACNS4440 (report)
http://www.aco.org/vault/Lambeth opening address.pdf (full text)

Listen to Bishop Graham speaking on Radio 4's Beyond Belief programme today at 4.30pm, discussing the future of the Anglican Communion.

Download the podcast or listen again at www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/beyond_belief/

I am writing this at the end of our three day retreat.    Archbishop Rowan has been at his best in giving five addresses - the first four of which were in the awesome space of the Cathedral, and were surrounded by wonderful worship.   The acoustics of the Cathedral are ideal for hundreds of voices joining in worship, and the music and prayers have been inspiring.    There is a good spirit around - noticed also in our daily Bible study groups.     In mine there are three bishops from Pakistan, very exercised about Christian ministry and mission in a predominantly Muslim country; there is one from North India, two from the USA and two of us from UK.    We all speak English which is a help - though some of the main sessions are translated into eight languages, and we all have headphones.      It has been good to meet bishops from Japan and Iceland,   Borneo and the Caribbean, Myanmar and Tanzania.     One is immediately reminded of HIV/AIDS in Africa, and cyclones in the Far East.   It is one thing to read of these things in our Western press, quite another to talk with people for whom these are pressing personal and pastoral questions. 

We are now moving into the main Conference.   If the mood of prayerful respect and hopefulness continues, this will be an excellent time.     Of course people (and the press) want to know 'what is going to happen?',   'what decisions will be made?'.      Archbishop Rowan has started somewhere else, inviting us to think about Christian ministry not in terms of institutional structures, but in terms of obedience to Christ and following his way.   He has reminded us that St Paul talks about Christian people as those in whom Christ is revealed, as those who have been 'taken hold of' by Christ - and that must infuse the quality of our lives and ministries.  Discipleship is costly - learning the language of others, and learning from others, entering into their pains and hopes.    He urged us to be 'biblical persons' (that is those caught in the spotlight of God's attention, obedient to Christ and open to God) rather than ’religious persons' caught up primarily into institutional concerns.

++Rowan took us back to St Benedict,  and his followers, who were rigorous in seeking the truth in relation to themselves, in self-examination,   but 'looked on each other with a deep and principled reluctance'  to condemn.   We Christians are in communion with each other because we are all part of the body of Christ.   We are also called to show Jesus' sort of leadership -   he goes before us to show us, by way of the Cross, the Father's heart.   Leadership is 'clearing the way' to the Father,   revealing the hope-filled news of a new and living way, which Jesus has opened for us.    Our church's mission is to discern and to go where he has cleared the way before us.

There is much here which is of great relevance to a gathering of bishops -   there is much here for all of us who are learning how to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for Rowan our Archbishop and for all 630 bishops here from around the world.

+David

James Tengatenga from Southern Malawi has had good news today.   His wife has been given a visa to come to Lambeth but now there's the difficulty of getting a flight from Malawi.   She's got to drive 300 kilometres to the airport and fly via Johannesburg so she's on stand-by at the moment.   The troubles some of my colleagues and their wives experience even to be here puts our pathetic grumbles into perspective.

We've had our second day of retreat for bishops in the Cathedral.  ++Rowan has been on excellent form about the role and character of a bishop's ministry.  Most of us know our own weaknesses in that regard but it's good to be reminded of the truth.

The overall impression of this conference is one of graciousness.   I read that the Anglican Communion is at loggerheads.   Odd, then, that everyone gets to church for the Eucharist at 7.15am every morning and breaks bread together.  The overwhelming impression here is of a worldwide communion of churches bravely witnessing to Christ and struggling to do so.   Our problem in England is that we have things too easy so it makes us spiritually lazy.   The strange thing is that there's so much gratitude for the Church of England.   As I said the other day, it's very humbling.

+Graham

Here's my first Lambeth blog!

36 hours into the Lambeth Conference, inculturation is taking place.   Queueing is a major feature - for registration (let no-one complain about the clergy conference!), meals, coaches etc.   There seem to be more people here than they expected and quite what would have happened if all the Nigerians, Ugandans and Rwandans had come, I'm not sure.

I've had my first bible study - on the Prologue to John's Gospel - along with three Americans, two bishops from Zimbabwe, one from Malawi (whose wife has not yet joined him since she's been refused a British visa - apparently we think she'll stay here illegally since she has a daughter studying in this country) and the Assistant Bishop of Newcastle (UK).

My new Malawian friend (it seems a good deal is being done to right the scandalous wrong being done to his wife) also tells me he has three children of his own but another six he has had to adopt as a result of premature deaths of brothers and sisters on both sides of his family through HIV-Aids.   It's a vivid reminder of that scourge of the African continent.

The first three days of the conference are being spent by the bishops in retreat at Canterbury Cathedral.  ++Rowan is giving a series of addresses and there's space to wander, pray, and reflect in the Precincts.   The atmosphere is wonderful in many ways though 630 bishops together don't do silence very well.

Perhaps this conference will prove to be a much more personal encounter with episcopal colleagues and so build communion that way rather than through resolutions.   Thus far I've already renewed acquaintance with bishops from Brazil, Canada, the US, Asia and South America, and had some fascinating conversations with bishops from Ghana, the Sudan and Pakistan.   As a way of broadening vision, widening horizons and realizing just how privileged we are, there's nothing more humbling and revealing than a Lambeth Conference.

The Spouses Conference is under way too.   Jane Williams is presiding very gracefully over that and Julie (like other spouses) is already enjoying it.  On Thursday evening we were allowed to venture into their territory since Jane was Launching her new book - Marriage, Mitres and Being Myself.   Recommended reading for all clergy spouses, I guess.

+Graham