Now that the Feb. 15-19 primates’ meeting is over, the next step is for The Episcopal Church to receive the communiqué and for the House of Bishops to respond in the ways in which they have been asked, said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The House of Bishops’ spring retreat takes place March 16-21, and Bishop Jefferts Schori said that meeting will provide an opportunity to begin to “engage and discuss the possibilities.”

“It was a challenging meeting,” the Presiding Bishop said in an interview with Episcopal News Service. “It began in some graciousness. We heard from three other bishops of The Episcopal Church—the whole meeting did. That was a difficult time for some, to hear the diversity and intensity of viewpoints. The primates were clear, a number of them were clear, about wanting additional clarity in the responses The Episcopal Church made at its General Convention last summer.”

The highlight of the primates’ meeting for her was the visit to Zanzibar's Christ Church Cathedral, built on the site of a slave trading outpost.

“To see underground cells where people were held for sale was really quite shocking,” she said. “But also to know that the Anglican Church, especially through the ministry of David Livingstone and Bishop Steer and others, were instrumental in ending slavery in Zanzibar is a great reminder of the power of the witness of our faith.”

When asked what message she had for those Episcopalians who might be confused by what is happening, Bishop Jefferts Schori urged them to be of good faith.

“We’re entering Lent and there’s probably not a better time for us to receive this communiqué from the primates’ meeting,” she said. “It will be hard news for a number of members of this church; it will be welcome news for other members of this church. This is the season to remember who is the focus of our faith--and it is not we ourselves.”

More on the Primates' Meeting

• Primates Elect New Standing Committee Members and Alternates

• Overtime Required for Primates to Agree on Communiqué

• Divisions Remain as Deadline for Communiqué Approaches

• Inside the 'Ring of Steel,' Primates Under Intense Pressure to Reach Agreement

• Amid Lowered Tensions, Primates Review Draft Covenant

• Communion Broken, Says Global South

• Cordial Day of Listening Marks Opening Sessions in Tanzania

• Presiding Bishop Attends Primates' Orientation Session

• On Day 1, Spotlight on The Episcopal Church

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