Archbishop’s Letter to Lambeth Bishops Still Not Sent

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams discussed his hopes and called on all Anglicans to pray for the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in a seven-and-a-half minute video published on the internet on April 23.

“Yes this is a conference for bishops, not for bishops with their clergy and laity as so often happens, but primarily for bishops,” Archbishop Williams said. “We don’t want at the Lambeth Conference to be creating a lot of new rules, but we do obviously need to strengthen our relationships and we need to put those relationships on another footing, slightly firmer footing, where we have promised to one another that this is how we will conduct our life together. And it is in that light that at this year we are discussing together the proposal for what we are calling a covenant between the Anglican Churches of the world.”

A spokesman for Archbishop Williams told The Living Church the internet video presentation was “not related” to his forthcoming letter to the bishops of the Communion. In that letter, the archbishop is reported to ask that they predicate their attendance at the Lambeth Conference upon their willingness to accept the Windsor Report and Anglican Covenant processes.

The video presentation, titled “Better bishops for the sake of a better church,” was a pastoral didactic tool, the spokesman. The presentation broadcast on the internet video service, outlines the archbishop’s hopes for the conference.

The title of the “Better bishops” video, whose alliterative qualities mimic Country Life’s popular “better butter” advertisements on British television, speaks to the cause of some of the divisions within the church, and follow upon Archbishop Williams’ concern for stronger clerical formation and closer cooperation among the bishops of the Anglican Communion.

The letters affirming support for Windsor and the covenant processes had not yet been mailed, but would go out presently, the spokesman said.

(The Rev.) George Conger and Steve Waring

We invite your response to this article through a Letter to the Editor. Email your letter to tlc@livingchurch.org. Please include your name, city and state.