Those in North America who feel obliged to object to developments in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church or the Diocese of New Westminster are still to be regarded as faithful, and should be afforded sufficient support to feel their place within [the] Anglican family is secure, as long as these dissenting groups do not initiate schism in their own churches, according to the Most Rev. Robin Eames, Primate of Ireland and chairman of the Lambeth Commission.

Archbishop Eames released a public letter to the primates in which he expressed gratitude for their continued forbearance and pleaded for space to allow the commission to complete its work.

The Lambeth Commission was established in October by the Archbishop of Canterbury in part to address the state of impaired communion which occurred among more than half of the 38 provinces last summer after the General Convention of the Episcopal Church permitted same-sex liturgical blessings and the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual person as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire.

Until the commission has published proposals for the way in which the Anglican Communion can come to terms with division, Archbishop Eames cautioned against dissenting groups initiating a definitive break with their denomination and urged the primates not to support or encourage the development of other provinces or dioceses which he said would further damage trust and mutual life.