Friday, September 15, 2006

More from Canterbury

Archbishop - prayers for the 'ordinary people of God' as covenant plans progress -- 15th September 2006

[Today's Press Release from the ABofC's office]

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has spoken of his prayers for ordinary churchgoers who are ‘puzzled, wearied, or disoriented’ by the present controversies within the Anglican Communion.

In a Pastoral Letter to the Anglican Communion’ s Primates and Presiding Bishops, Dr Williams says that the 'ordinary people of God' do not want to see division as the consequence of the Anglican Communion’s difficulties:

“Many say they simply do not want to take up an extreme or divisive position and want to be faithful to Scripture and the common life. They want to preserve an Anglican identity that they treasure and love passionately but face continuing uncertainty about its future.”
In his letter, Dr Williams updated the Primates on the Windsor process, reporting the initial thinking of a group set up to advise in the wake of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (formerly ECUSA) held last June.

“It is … clear that the Episcopal Church has taken very seriously the recommendations of the Windsor Report; but the resolutions of General Convention still represent what can only be called a mixed response to the Dromantine requests. The advisory group has spent much time in examining these resolutions in great detail, and its sense is that although some aspects of these requests have been fully dealt with, some have not. This obviously poses some very challenging questions for our February meeting and its discernment of the best way forward.”

Read it all here ... including the full text of the Archbishop's letter to the Primates.

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