Archbishop of Canterbury pleads for prayers for Lambeth Conference

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times
April 23, 2008

For more click here to read Ruth Gledhill's blog on the lead up to Lambeth

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has issued a plea for prayers to be said all over the world to prevent this summer’s meeting of hundreds of Anglican bishops from being “besieged by problems”.

Dr Williams, whose communion of 75 million Anglicans is facing a rift over the issues of gay ordinations and same-sex blessings, says in an online broadcast that the three-week Lambeth Conference in Canterbury in July is intended to equip bishops for their “mission”.

In a video message to the entire church posted on YouTube, Dr Williams says his aim in planning the conference has been to make it essentially a “spiritual encounter”. He says this the conference should not be “a time when we are being besieged by problems that need to be solved and statements that need to be finalised, but a time when people feel that they are growing in their ministry.” the rest