Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Lambeth and Rome

With all of the brewing controversy in the Anglican Communion on display at Lambeth this week, one might think that the Vatican would welcome schism in our church. Not so fast. British newspapers report today that the Pope is working behind the scenes to bolster Archbishop Rowan Williams, and has called upon Anglicans to find a "mature" way to avoid schism. The Pope has sent three cardinals as official observers at Lambeth. The reason? The Vatican suspects that those who are divisive within one branch of the Christian Church will remain divisive if they come to another. To read about it click here: The Independent. The Daily Telegraph has a similar report, which you can read by clicking here: The Daily Telegraph.

The Diocese of Virginia is maintaining a very good website with several resources on the Lambeth conference. You access it by clicking here: Lambeth/Virginia. Also, the Archbishop of Canterbury has an official Lambeth website with the daily schedule which you can access by clicking here: Lambeth Daily Schedule. Let me suggest bookmarking all these sites, along with those listed below for the blogging bishops, for the duration.

Meanwhile, our bishops -- some 600 of them -- are cloistered inside of Canterbury Cathedral and its "precincts" in the once-a-decade Lambeth conference. Please keep the bishops -- all of the bishops -- in your prayers. 

4 comments:

Antonio said...

Damian Thompson has written an article in his blog (I just don't know how to link it).
He says something very different.

The Rev. James Richardson said...

That is why I am posting mainstream press articles. David Anderson and the AAC/GAFCON folks do, indeed, have a different take. Not sure who Damian Thompson is. Thanks for your comment.

johnstephen60 said...

Jim,

Several other websites I am watching include:

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/
http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/
http://www.kendallharmon.net/t19/

A cycle of apt and brief prayers for those at Lambeth can be found several places, including here:

http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/
files/Lambeth-Conference-Prayer-Cycle.pdf

And I recommend everyone read this essay by Stephen Bates on the Archbishop of Canterbury.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world
/2008/jul/15/anglicanism.religion

At St. Paul's Memorial, we are planning at least one adult education session on Lambeth in September.

Bill

Betsy said...

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson

says...

"Damian Thompson is a leader writer for the Daily Telegraph and editor-in-chief of a major Catholic newspaper. He is the author of Counterknowledge: How we surrendered to conspiracy theories, quack medicine, bogus science and fake history."