The Archbishop of Canterbury has conceded that the Lambeth Conference expected to take place in 2018 will be delayed, possibly by two years, amid continuing division concerning gay clergy and women bishops.
The conference – a gathering of primates from 165 countries in the Anglican Communion – has taken place every decade since 1948 but the last meeting in Canterbury in 2008 was marred by boycotts by African and other bishops.
Archbishop Justin Welby, whose recent tour of the Communion was in part to assess the likelihood of a boycott-free conference, told BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme that it was unlikely the conference would take place as planned.
He explained that details of the conference may not be finalised for a couple of years, adding: “The reality is that by then it will be too close to 2018 to hold one in 2018. I am never going to say definitely, but it would be enormously difficult simply to book a place big enough [in time].”
Pressed on divisions in the Church, he said: “The Anglican Communion is alive and incredibly vigorous. It is noisy, argumentative, diverse. It has churches in 165 countries, 37 provinces, it would be bizarre if there were not tensions in something that was so incredibly diverse, but all the indications are that they want the Communion to flourish, that they want to have meetings to discuss the issues that face us: how we live as a communion in a way that demonstrates that we have very important differences over issues of sexuality, how we deal with power, with money, with cultural customs in all parts of the world that we have inherited.”
He continued: “The Lambeth Conference needs to be called collegially by the primates together, with real ownership of the agenda and a real sense of what we are trying to do with such a large effort. So we when meet as primates, we will decide together on the details.
“If it’s 2019 or 2020 is a decision for the primates. There is no Anglican Pope, decisions are made collectively and collegially and I am absolutely committed to not pre-empting what the primates choose to do.”
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