Archbishop Peter Jensen in the Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Jensen“On Saturday I had the pleasure of ordaining 49 men and women who were officially starting their ministries in Anglican churches in Sydney and beyond. Amid their joy and enthusiasm, I charged them to be faithful servants of the biblical message. I did so aware that I had to announce later in the day our painful decision that we will not go to the Lambeth Conference.

I have characterised this debate not just as one of sexual ethics but of faithfulness to the very message those ordinands had promised to uphold.

There has been a long road leading to this. …”

Raed the full article in The Sydney Morning Herald.

See also “Primate laments snub by bishops” in The Australian. “Dr Aspinall, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, said yesterday he failed to understand the motivation of the dissenting bishops…”

Archbishop aims to save divided Church

Drexel GomezThe Anglican archbishop in charge of drawing up the document intended to reunite his warring Church said he believes that schism can still be averted in spite of divisions over the issue of homosexuals.

The Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, said that a new formula had been found that would allow the disciplining of errant churches while respecting the traditional autonomy of the 38 worldwide Anglican provinces. …

But he indicated that the Episcopal Church of the United States was unlikely to face discipline or any form of exclusion from the Anglican Communion … The new draft is expected to introduce greater autonomy for individual provinces to do what they believe to be right. …

Full report by Ruth Gledhill in The Times Online.

See also the earlier Draft Covenant (April 2007)

and an analysis of it by The Church Society’s General Secretary David Phillips (PDF file).