The trouble, he said, is that the Anglican Communion, with its 80 million members, is at a complex and crucial point in its history.
Issues that have dogged the church for the past decade continue to threaten Anglican unity, dividing liberals, many in North America, and conservatives, many based in Africa.
The split between liberal and conservative regions set in after the United States consecrated its first openly gay bishop. Since then, disputes over homosexual priests and same-sex marriages have become a major stumbling block.
Professor Barney Pityana is a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle and tends to have liberal views on Christianity. But his comments here are plain common sense. I hope someone at Lambeth Palace is listening.