The bishops of the worldwide Anglican Communion meet in July and August at Canterbury for what is known as "The Lambeth Conference". I wrote about it in the March issue of St George's News.
The Anglican Communion is a world-wide church and you see from the middle pages of this issue where the branches of the church can be found. The Conference is a meeting every ten years of Anglican bishops for consultation on major issues and other matters which affect the church. It does not have power to decide on any matter, as each and every province (branch) of the Anglican Communion is self governing and only its own provincial synods can make decisions for the local church, unlike the General Councils of the Church, like the First Council of Nicea in 325.AD or the Vatican Council in 1869 and 1962, which did have power to legislate for the whole of the Roman Catholic Church (Anglicans were invited to attend as observers in 1962).
The bishops are called together by the Archbishop of Canterbury and he is the focal point of the conference, but he is not called a patriarch' as the Orthodox Churches call their presidents, nor is he called a 'pope' as the Roman Catholic Church calls its spiritual head. He is simply a visible symbol of the worldwide communion and has no authority or power over the conference or any of its churches (except the Province of Canterbury).
Let us hope that with the approach of the Christian Millennium the bishops will have something positive to say to the world in the new century, instead of the internal squabbling that has beset the Anglican Communion for so many years.
With our prayers for the bishops in their work and my blessing to you.
Your priest and friend.
written by Fr Malcolm Ferrier
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