Rochester, not Canterbury, is the voice of authority in the Anglican Communion

Damian Thompson
Nov 16, 2008

Moral authority in the Anglican Communion is rapidly passing from the floundering Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to the braver and more perceptive Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali.

As Jonathan Wynne-Jones reports, Dr Nazir-Ali is not afraid to state the obvious: that the Anglican leadership (ie, Dr Williams) has failed to provide leadership in the struggle over homosexuality and other issues. Indeed, although Dr Nazir-Ali does not point this out, the Archbishop's failure goes way beyond mere muddle or excessive caution: it arises from his habit of misleading both sides into thinking he supports them.

I don't see eye to eye with Michael Nazir-Ali on homosexuality. But, when he says that liberal Anglicanism is quietly detaching itself from Christian orthodoxy, he is spot on. And he is particularly to be applauded for his refusal to sit around in Lambeth Indabas, engaging in fruitless (and shockingly expensive) soul-searching. the rest