More Lambeth 2008 Fallout

The Church of Uganda has announced that it will not attend Lambeth 2008 if the American Bishops who voted to approve Bishop Robinson also attend. Here is the statement:

On 9th December 2006, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, meeting in Mbale, resolved unanimously to support the CAPA Road to Lambeth statement, which, among other things, states, “We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.”

We note that all the American Bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration as bishop of a man living in a homosexual relationship have been invited to the Lambeth Conference. These are Bishops who have violated the Lambeth Resolution 1.10, which rejects “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture” and “cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.”

Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth.

Read it all. The Church of Nigeria has already threatended no to atend if Bishop Minns does not attend. Sounds like Lambeth 2008 is coming into place just as Father Greg Jones predicted on his blog yesterday:

There is no reason to suspect the leaders of the 'Global South' group will do other than a boycott. According to the Telegraph (UK), "Archbishop Akinola was enraged that Bishop Martyn Minns, who leads a conservative group in America, was also excluded from the conference by Dr Williams last week." Akinola said, "The withholding of an invitation to a Nigerian bishop, elected and consecrated by other Nigerian bishops, will be viewed as withholding invitations to the entire House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria."

Moreover, just last year, the Global South coalition issued a paper in which they stated that they would not go to Lambeth 2008 unless significant punitive measures were taken against the Episcopal Church before that time. Notably, the paper 'The Road to Lambeth' specifies that any bishops who have violated the Lambeth 1.10 Resolution on human sexuality should not be invited to Lambeth until they repent. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, has affirmed that his church will uphold the 'Road to Lambeth' requirements. He said:

“We note that all the American Bishops who consented to, participated in, and have continued to support the consecration as bishop of a man living in a homosexual relationship have been invited to the Lambeth Conference...Accordingly, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda stands by its resolve to uphold the Road to Lambeth."

Almost certainly, if the Global South coalition does boycott Lambeth it is pretty likely that this will signify their departure altogether from the Anglican Communion. If they leave the Communion -- they are very likely to form their own communion. My sense is -- and I've said this all along -- Anglicanism will then consist of two global bodies. The 'traditional' Anglican Communion will in fact be the one we are in -- with England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Central America, and probably the majority of the current provinces. I'm going to guess that roughly two-thirds of the member churches of the Communion stick with us. The 'new' Anglican Communion will be the one led by Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Southern Cone, and perhaps two or three other provinces.

Read it all.