THE ARCHBISHOP of Jerusalem and the Middle East has welcomed Dr Rowan Williams’ decision to hold the 2009 Primates’ Meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, telling The Church of England Newspaper the witness of Egypt’s embattled Christians in the face of persecution can serve to strengthen the Anglican Communion.
While the agenda and locale remain to be settled, the Bishop of Egypt, Dr Mouneer Anis, said he was proud to be able to host the conference. However, suggestions by the Archbishop of Canterbury that he would use the Indaba process to manage the Primates’ Meeting has prompted private scorn from the primates contacted by CEN, and public criticism from evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics unhappy with the ”˜manipulation’ and management of the Indaba process at Lambeth.
“I want [the primates] to see, to feel the history of the Church as they walk through Alexandria,” Dr Anis said on Nov 11. For in Alexandria one “steps in the blood of the saints shed in obedience to the faith, a faith that has been watered by the blood of the martyrs.”
I had the honor of meeting Archbishop Anis last weekend at a lecture by the former ABC, George Carey.
I have deep respect for +Anis and I hope that +Cantuar listens to him and that +Cantuar lets the primates say what is on their hearts and minds and work to bring about some resolution to the issues facing the communion.
Another managed meeting may lead to the distingration of the communion.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
A perfect example of the Delphi Technique. It has no place in decision making bodies such as the Primates Meetings -nor was it appropriate as the principal means of ‘communication’ at Lambeth.
Indaba groups are a ploy to use indecisive collective dialogue of many small groups to avoid the coalescing of orthodox and traditional Anglicans into effective negotiating clusters intent on preserving and promoting “…the Faith once given….”
Phil, just how many mismanaged meetings do we need?
That’s “managed” meetings.
[i] For in Alexandria one “steps in the blood of the saints shed in obedience to the faith, a faith that has been watered by the blood of the martyrs.†[/i] —Bp. Mouneer Anis
Watered by the blood of the martyrs. Not indabalated into some churchy form of secular culture.
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The faux-indaba imposed on Lambeth 2008 was a cynical fraud. Sounds like the perpetrators want to do it yet again—if they can get away with it.
Orthodox primates should insist on having real meetings at which the primates can deliberate over and respond to the issues now besetting the Anglican Communion. They’ll need to organize themselves in advance of the Alexandria meeting so that Abp. Williams doesn’t catch them disunited or off guard.
Williams has in substance aligned himself squarely with ECUSA. He is not our friend. He is not benign or even neutral. He is, in his charming and indirect way, ECUSA’s most powerful protector—and the single greatest force for tying the communion to rich-country revisionism.
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Is it mere coincidence that Lambeth Palace recently released survey results from the Lambeth Conference indicating substantial misgivings about the role of the primates? http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/17755/
Is it that, Irenaeus, or does he know that the Communion is going to divide regardless and is just trying to run out the clock on his disastrous tenure?
I think it’s B, and he’s indifferent to the fact that the divisions are becoming deeper, more numerous and rancorous with his dithering. He wants to convince himself he managed to hold the whole shebang together and that the next ABC was the one who let it all go down the drain.
Br. Michael,
I think you were right the first time. “Mismanaged managed meetings”.
Mr. Obama would make a better See of Canterbury. His behavior sickens me.
Intercessor
does he know that the Communion is going to divide regardless and is just trying to run out the clock on his disastrous tenure?
—Jeffersonian [#7]
Maybe so. But I believe Williams is still enough of an idealist to hope the communion will hold together. In any event, he certainly looks like a willful man playing for time.
You guys are great mind readers (re Rowan Williams)
Rob,
Consider it the same as presidential vote polling — based on past preformance and expected outcomes.
ISTM (and I hope will actually play out so) that the majority of the Primates have a very different Primates Meeting than does
—Rowan Williams, and they intend to conduct the meeting on a very different agenda, written and unwriten, than at Lambeth08. They simply don’t want to give —RW, Kenneth Kearon and the ACC any advance notice to begin the propoganda campaign that they waged before Lambeth that saw —RW jump according to every pull of –KJS on his puppet strings.
Rob K [#11]: No mind reading necessary. Abp. Williams’ past conduct gives us ample grounds for making inferences about his future conduct. Think of how he repeatedly stymied primatial action regarding ECUSA. Think of the busywork agenda he attempted to impose at Dromantine. Think of how he took 17 months to appoint his Panel of Deference, made the chairman Abp. Carnley (who immediately proclaimed supine deference to diocesan bishops), and then delayed in sending cases to the panel. Think of how Williams had Kenneth Kearon working hand in hand with 815 at the New Orleans meeting of the House of Bishops—counseling them about just how much they could get away with. Think of the hypocritical farce perpetrated this summer at Lambeth, with orthodox bishops told to come with open minds and an orientation towards people and process even as ECUSA bishops in each indaba group worked from a common set of daily talking points. And that’s just for starters.