Canterbury Calls “Make or Break” Summit of Anglican Leaders

Canterbury Calls “Make or Break” Summit of Anglican Leaders   Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has invited the top bishops (primates) of the Anglican Communion to a January gathering intended to head off potential schism in the third largest branch of global Christianity.

The agenda of the gathering, which will be held January 11-16, “will be set by common agreement with all Primates encouraged to send in contributions,” according to the announcement today from Lambeth Palace.

“It is likely to include the issues of religiously-motivated violence, the protection of children and vulnerable adults, the environment and human sexuality,” the statement reads.

While no group is openly discussing separating from the Anglican Communion, several Anglican provinces (national churches) have ceased relations with one another, effectively “living in the same house” but no longer on speaking terms. The Anglican Communion Primates officially last met in a 2011 meeting in Ireland, but a large majority has not convened together since at least 2005. Tensions in the Anglican family have been growing since the mid-1990s centered upon disagreement on scriptural authority and the person of Jesus Christ. A crisis point was reached in 2003 with the consecration of an openly partnered homosexual bishop by the U.S.-based Episcopal Church. In 2008, over 200 bishops, mostly from growing and traditionalist Global South churches, effectively boycotted the decennial Lambeth conference that brings together bishops from the Communion of churches descended from the missionary activities of the Church of England.

The Global South bishops instead convened an alternative gathering to the Lambeth Conference known as the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). It first met in 2008 in Jerusalem and again in 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya... IRD

Archbishop calls talks over divisions in Anglican communion ...A spokesman for the archbishop said the meeting would be an opportunity for the 38 leaders of national churches to talk face to face and decide together their approach to the next Lambeth Conference - a once-a-decade gathering of the worldwide Anglican bishops in Canterbury... BBC

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for primates' gathering  ...Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby today wrote to all 37 primates inviting them to attend a special primates’ gathering in Canterbury to reflect and pray together concerning the future of the Anglican Communion.
The meeting, to be held in January 2016, would be an opportunity for primates to discuss key issues face to face, including a review of the structures of the Anglican Communion and to decide together their approach to the next Lambeth Conference.

The agenda will be set by common agreement with all primates encouraged to send in contributions. It is likely to include the issues of religiously motivated violence, the protection of children and vulnerable adults, the environment and human sexuality... ENS