Welby acts to avert Anglican schism

The Archbishop of Canterbury has summoned the leaders of the Anglican Churches to an emergency meeting in Canterbury in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a split in the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Justin Welby on Wednesday wrote to all 37 Primates inviting them to a special gathering in January 2016 to discern the future of the Communion, which spans 165 countries.

If they all attend it will be the first time some primates will be in face-to-face talks since the Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC) ordained as a bishop the openly gay Gene Robinson in 2004. In a statement Welby said that he had gathered the bishops to “look afresh at our ways of working as a Communion and especially as primates.”

In recent years the Anglican Communion has been plagued by divisions over issues such as gay clergy and the ordination of women. The heads of the 37 provinces are supposed to meet every 10 years at the Lambeth Conference but almost a third boycotted the last meeting in 2008.

A spokeswoman for Archbishop Welby said that with this latest attempt the archbishop was “taking the bull by the horns” but she acknowledged that following the meeting the Anglican Communion could nevertheless split. But, she added: “That’s the last thing that the archbishop would want. That’s why he’s called this meeting.”

The archbishop, who last October was forced to delay indefinitely the Lambeth Conference scheduled for 2018, said in a statement that the Communion had to find a way forward – but acknowledged that this could mean different things in different provinces.

“The difference between our societies and cultures, as well as the speed of cultural change in much of the global north, tempts us to divide as Christians,” he said. “We have no Anglican Pope. Our authority as a church is dispersed, and is ultimately found in Scripture, properly interpreted.”

The relationship going forward was described by sources within Lambeth Palace as “separate beds, not a divorce.” “This is the thing that’s keeping the archbishop up at night,” the spokeswoman said. “With the schisms about sexuality and changing wording around marriage certain decisions have to be made.” She stressed that the agenda for the meeting, due to be held between 11 and 16 January, would be set by the primates, not Archbishop Welby.

Division has already emerged within the Anglican Communion between conservative bishops in most countries in Africa, who formed a group called Gafcon, and liberal elements.

Controversially, Welby has invited to the primates’ meeting Archbishop Foley Beach, head of the American conservative organisation “Acna”. This group split from TEC and is not a member of the Anglican Communion.

One source said that both the American and African Churches now had settled positions but despite their cultural and theological differences it could still be possible for them to have some sort of relationship.

“They can still live in the same house and sit down to Christmas lunch together. Archbishop Welby wants them to arrive at that position.” The source added that it was helpful that the American Church this year elected an African-American primate, Bishop Michael Curry – something that might defuse accusations of a colonial mentality made in the past by African church leaders.