The Lead

After issuing their statement on the horror that is occurring in Zimbabwe and calling for the resignation of President Robert Mugabe, the Primates spent time on the Windsor Continuation Group report. The experiences of The Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba and The Rt. Rev. Albert Chama are here.

According to Episcopal News Service:

The primates spent more time than expected February 3 reviewing a report from the Windsor Continuation Group (WCG), which Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has asked be kept private until the primates have concluded their meeting.
.....
The group, which last met in December 2008, is charged with addressing questions arising from the Windsor Report, such as recommended bans on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate.

The Primates also discussed the report of the Theological Education in the Anglican Communion working group and in the evening addressed the issues of climate change.

Responding to Archbishop Aspinall's report on the work being done on the Covenant, one of the drafting committee members, the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner wrote at Titus 1:9:

[Aspinall] doesn’t know what he is talking about. Why do I say this? He is not on the drafting committee. What inside scoop has he managed to garner into the minds and intentions of people he barely knows? Indeed, the only Primate on the drafting Committee now is Abp. John Chew, and HE certainly has another idea.

Furthermore, the drafting committee has not yet met for its drafting meeting (end of March). Aspinall doesn’t speak for me,and I am on the drafting committee, and I have no intention of “pulling back” from the need to articulate covenant in the concreteterms of its mutual accountability. If the Archbishop thinks that this amounts to “hitting people over the head with sticks” he is both theologically and ecclesially ignorant as well as seemingly malicious in his characterizations of what we are about and should be about. This is all irresponsible posturing, presenting private and ill-informed wishes as if they were a common and faithful decision, and hoping people believe it as a fact.

Changing Attitude is blogging the conference here. CA reports that it looks like "the Primates are more interested in reconciliation than schism."

The idea of another province in North America has not come forward yet but probably will be discussed at some point. The supportive primates have asked the principals involved in ACNA to stay away although Thinking Anglicans is reporting that at least one person from CANA is at the hotel and with Abp. Akinola. Changing Attitude has more on this person here.

More links to stories on the meeting can be found at Thinking Anglicans

Comments (5)

Well, now we know where Fr Radner stands as well as Abp Aspinall. Take your choice, Communion...

Posted by tobias haller | February 4, 2009 9:43 AM

I was under the impression that Archbishop Aspinall was reporting on the how the Primates were feeling about the proposed convenant based on conversations they had had in Alexandria. I also wonder about the political utility of these comments. Taking pot shots at an archbishop who has perhaps more credibility within the primates meeting than anyone other than the archbishop of canterbury can only undermine Radner's position.

Posted by Jim Naughton | February 4, 2009 9:55 AM

Here, from a reporter on the scene,is a bit about what Archbishop Aspinall said today. It isn't clear to me if this was in response to questions about the Rev. Radner's remark or not:

"Aspinall said he is not speaking on behalf of the covenant drafting group but on behalf of the primates as a whole, which is pulling back from that punitive language in the same way that Lambeth did. He said he doesn't believe the primates are pulling back from mutual accountability though. He also realizes that there are some individuals who are not in favor of pulling back from that language."

Posted by Jim Naughton | February 4, 2009 11:43 AM

It seems the reporter was relaying to me comments Archbishop Aspinall made at the press conference, and not in response to Rev. Radner. So he had already been clear about whose sentiments he was expressing before Rev. Radner criticized him for attempting to speak for the the design committee.

Posted by Jim Naughton | February 4, 2009 11:57 AM

The new CANA person has an interesting background. He is from New Zealand and used to be executive director of the Barnabas Fund. The president of the Barnabas Fund is Patrick Sookhdeo. If you google his name, you will find that his views on how Christians should respond to Islam are very much in line with Archbishop Akinola's.

Posted by Jim Naughton | February 4, 2009 4:48 PM

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