Four diocesan bishops met with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori Feb. 21 to outline an “Anglican Bishops in Communion” plan that was developed in consultation with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
 
The plan builds upon the “Episcopal Visitor” concept announced last fall by Bishop Jefferts Schori, according to the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, who was one of the group that met with the Presiding Bishop. The existence of the plan was reported Feb. 22 by the British Telegraph newspaper. Bishop Howe subsequently released a summary of the plan and a partial correction of the Telegraph article. The actual plan has not been released.
 
“Our purpose in meeting with Bishop Jefferts Schori yesterday was to apprize her of this plan, seek her counsel, and assure her that we remain committed to working within the constitution and canons of The Episcopal Church, and that the primates involved in this discussion are not involved in ‘border crossing,’ nor would we be,” Bishop Howe wrote. “We will visit no congregation without the diocesan bishop’s invitation and permission.”
 
Discussion of the plan will be included on the agenda for the spring House of Bishops’ meeting, according to Neva Rae Fox, public affairs officer for Episcopal Life Media. She did not say whether Bishop Jefferts Schori had given her endorsement.
 
According to the summary released by Bishop Howe, the “Anglican Bishops in Communion” plan envisions a way for dioceses and congregations to “be assured” of their connection to the Anglican Communion. The communion partners will be informally gathered and the group does not anticipate a formal charter or structure, Bishop Howe said. Participants are committed to transparency, which includes respect for “canonical realities, integrities and structures,” as well as communication of activities with both the Presiding Bishop and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Howe wrote.
 
“The bishops who have been designated Episcopal Visitors, together with others who might well consider being included in this number, share many concerns about the Anglican Communion and its future, and we look to work together with primates and bishops from the Global South,” he added. “The bishops will work together according to the principles outlined in the Windsor Report and seek a comprehensive Anglican Covenant at the Lambeth Conference and beyond.”
 
During the last week of January while the Covenant Design Group was meeting in London, the Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton, Bishop of Dallas; Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies along with Prof. Christopher Seitz, and the Rev. Ephraim Radner, two members of the Anglican Communion Institute, Inc., met with members of the Archbishop of Canterbury's staff to complete plans for the participation of five primates: Archbishop Gomez; Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis of Jerusalem and the Middle East; Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Indian Ocean; Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of Burundi; and Archbishop Donald Leo Mtetemela of Tanzania. Some of the primates want assurances from both Archbishop Williams and Bishop Jefferts Schori before they agree to participate.
 
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