Rise of the Roman umpire

Lambeth Conference

The biggest Vatican delegation ever to attend the Lambeth Conference will be heading for Rome this weekend following a fortnight in Canterbury where their ideas were sought to help impose discipline and unity on the Anglican Communion

Close at hand to the Archbishop of Canterbury, during the tumult of the last two weeks, has been a Catholic Dominican friar and an Italian monk, invited along with Cardinal Ivan Dias by Rowan Williams as his personal guests to provide spiritual succour and guidance as he struggles to hold his Communion together.

Fr Timothy Radcliffe, former master of the Dominicans, and Fr Guido Dotti, a monk from a community of men and women in Bose, Italy, are part of a large and powerful Catholic delegation at the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury. Never before have so many Catholic clergy been invited to play a full part in the Anglican family's discussions. In addition to Dr Williams' three personal guests was a 10-strong Vatican team of two cardinals, two archbishops, four bishops and two monsignors.

Bizarrely, the only Nigerian bishop at the conference is the Catholic Bishop Lucius Ugorji from Umuahia. More than 100 Anglican bishops from Nigeria have boycotted the conference along with 200 others, mostly from Africa, because of the American Church's consecration of a gay bishop, Gene Robinson.

Of course, ecumenical guests are always asked to the once-a-decade conference but Archbishop Rowan Williams has set a very different tone to this Lambeth Conference. He has spoken openly of the crisis in the family and pleaded for close engagement and prayer; and he has called on the relatives for help.

As the conference reaches its conclusion this weekend it is evident Rome has had influence. There is a strategy for a Faith and Order Commission - like the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - to deal with theological disputes. A "common law" has been put in writing for the first time, similar to the Roman Code of Canon Law although it has only "persuasive authority" over the 38 provinces. The archbishop's own position will be strengthened by a pastoral forum - appointed by him - to swoop in where there is a crisis.

The Bishop of New York, George Packard, said he was "nervous" of the innovations. "We don't function like the Roman Catholic Church. We function in relationships. Those relationships are strained and there is so much misunderstanding but we will lose the genius of Anglicanism if we codify too many things."

There was also concern from the Bishop of Lincoln, John Saxbee, who said he thought imprecision was one of the strengths of the Anglican Communion: "People complain that we do not know who we are but part of what it means to be Anglican is not being able to say precisely who we are."

The Catholic contributions have been abrasive at times. Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, told the bishops that disagreements hampered mission. There was "spiritual Alzheimer's", he said, and "ecclesial Parkinson's" in Christian communities. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, said of women's ordination: "If Anglicans disagree over this development, and [you] find yourselves unable fully to recognise each other's ministry, how could we?"

The Anglican Bishop of Puerto Rico, Peter Alvarez, was infuriated by both cardinals' references to women bishops and said good relations between the two Churches had been spoiled under Pope Benedict XVI. "They are the ones who are the obstacles," Bishop Alvarez said, contending that Pope Benedict was placing too much emphasis on women priests and homosexuality.

Armed with a metaphorical black marker pen, Archbishop Williams is determinedly drawing an outline around the blur of his Communion this week. He remains in good humour, even cracking jokes about schism at one press conference, and doing his utmost to make his bishops like each other. He called the former primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East, Clive Hanford, out of retirement to do the messy business of coming up with a rescue plan. The Windsor Continuation Group announced its strategy this week - no more gay blessings, no more gay bishops and no more cross-border interference from conservative bishops, or the Communion will fracture.

There are no votes at this Lambeth but they will try to agree on a Covenant that will set the boundaries for membership and define the common principles of Anglicanism. There is also to be a "Reflections Document" to be issued on Sunday, which will express the mind of the conference. The "mind" has been gathered through Zulu-style "indabas" or listening groups of 40, with the 76 ecumenical delegates mixed in with the bishops for 90 minutes each morning.

A first draft of the Reflections Document was appeasing in its tone, speaking of "a strong desire to stay in communion with one another" and a concern for "the lack of restraint and self-limitation in some provinces". But while the bishops are doing their best to be polite to each other, their pain is almost tangible at times. The conduct of both the liberals in America and Canada, and that of the conservatives who have boycotted Lambeth under the banner of the Global African Future Conference (Gafcon), has left deep wounds. "I think both sides should be thrown in a pot of boiling oil so we in the middle can get on with the work of the Church," said one Western bishop.

While the family feud continues, the chat is easy between the black-shirted Catholic delegation and the purple-clad Anglicans. Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, walked alongside the Archbishop of York in the sunshine and was invited to speak on the Roman Perspective on Anglicans at one of five "indabas" led by Catholics.

"Relations have matured," explained Canon Gregory Cameron, deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion, "These are not strangers, they are friends."

Anxious not to appear to be on a fishing expedition or, worse still, gathering round a hospital bed hoping for a corpse and a windfall, the Catholic delegation have repeatedly said they want the Anglican Communion to be united. And what is emerging out of Canterbury this week is an Anglican Communion that bears a closer resemblance to its Roman cousin in form if not in content.