Nobody, not even Professor Ian Douglas of the Lambeth Design Group, can say what’s going to happen this week. Rumours abound and red herrings come and go. There has been one hearing of the Windsor Continuation Group and two presentations. The hearing on part C is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
The indabas get to grips with the Covenant, the ongoing Windsor processes and Communion matters in general on Friday and Saturday. All are feeding back into the final Reflections document which the Archbishop of Canterbury will present at the conclusion of the Conference. Self-select sessions are continuing to run on related matters.
Any kind of substantial recommendation about ecclesiastical structures and processes would have to be done through the provinces and the ACC. Ian Douglas describes both Windsor and the accompanying Covenant processes as separate strands weaving into the Lambeth programme. Bishops present can share their mind on the Covenant: all bishops, including absentees, will complete a questionnaire. All provinces will be invited to respond again at the end of this year; round three begins in early 2009, with a third draft taken to the ACC meeting in Jamaica in May.
Read it all. I agree emphatically with that first line. Yesterday in the parish where I serve I was asked constantly about what is really happening at Lambeth 2008 and I said no one–not even those who are there–really knows. All you can do is get glimpses. This is a time for perserverance, patience and prayer–KSH.