Press Releases01 Sep 04

Lambeth Commission to meet

LAMBETH COMMISSION MEETS NEXT WEEK

Wednesday 1st September 2004

The Lambeth Commission established by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, to face up to the crisis in the Anglican Communion over sexuality issues, meets next week in St George?s, Windsor to draw up its Final Report.

Under the Chairmanship of the Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, the Commission has been working since October 2003 when an emergency meeting of the Anglican Primates requested the setting up of an international commission to suggest ways forward out of the current crisis. Apart from meetings in the United States and England members of the Commission have undertaken many contacts with the 38 Provinces or Churches of the Anglican Communion and have received hundreds of written and oral submissions.

Dr Eames will present the Report of the Commission to the Archbishop of Canterbury in October when it will be released for study throughout the world Church.

The consecration of a practicing homosexual, Bishop Gene Robinson, in the United States and the practice of blessing same sex unions in Canada have provoked a storm throughout the Anglican Communion. Commentators have described it as the most serious divisions ever to emerge in the Church. Already some leaders and Provinces have declared themselves alienated from or ?out of communion? with the Episcopal Church, U.S.A. and the Anglican Church of Canada.

While the Commission has not been asked to pronounce on sexuality issues it is expected that its Report will recommend radical changes in the ways Anglicanism relates to its different constituencies. The crisis presents major problems for the Archbishop of Canterbury who is by tradition the leader of the Anglican Communion.

Click here to visit the Commission's website.