Bishops of the worldwide Anglican Communion meet once a decade in Canterbury, England, for the Lambeth Conference.
Central Pennsylvania Episcopal Bishop Nathan Baxter and his wife, York native Mary Ellen Walker, attended the three-week event for the first time, joining 650 other bishops representing the world's third-largest Christian body. He kept an online journal while at Lambeth, and The Middle Pew blog reprinted excerpts.
(At right, Baxter, second from left, poses with Bishops Ronald Ferris, John Goddard, Andrew Nakamura and leaders of a they visited mosque in Burnley, England.)
Nearly 200 bishops, mostly from Africa, were missing from Lambeth.
They boycotted the conference, refusing to meet alongside bishops from North America who allow same-sex blessings or approved of the election of an openly gay man, V. Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
On the last day of the meeting, the spiritual leader of the Communion said the communion will be in "grave peril" if its North American churches ignore temporary bans on gay bishops and same-sex unions, according to Religion News Service.
He used some strong words:
"If the North American churches don't accept moratoria" on gay bishops and blessings, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said Aug. 3, "as a communion we are going to continue to be in grave peril."
But what does this mean? The moratoria isn't binding, and two California bishops have already said they'll continue to bless same-sex unions.
Reading coverage from the conference, I was left with more questions than answers. Could (should?) the Communion set penalties for churches that flaunt its wishes? If Episcopalians allow gay bishops and blessings, what's the next step for the Communion?
I'm eager for Bishop Baxter to return and tell us his thoughts.
Leave a comment