Press Releases23 Jul 08

Interviews from Lambeth: The Archbishop of Armagh

Interviews from Lambeth: a series of interviews with the Church of Ireland bishops attending the conference

The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper OBE

The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, shares some thoughts on the first days of the Lambeth Conference with the Church of Ireland Press Officer, Paul Harron.

PH: Archbishop, what are your reflections on the opening days of the Lambeth Conference?

AAH: We spent the first three days on retreat within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral. The addresses at these were given by the Archbishop of Canterbury and were deep, thoughtful and provocative. He concentrated on what it means to be a bishop in the modern world, of the Anglican tradition and engaged in mission. The first day was one of some real personal pain, saddened as I was by the fact that not all the bishops are kneeling before God together here. Having named that pain, as it were, my sense of distress lifted and I found the second and third days of retreat very valuable and a good way to begin the Lambeth Conference.

PH: Tell me about the opening service on Sunday.

AAH: This was a magnificent occasion with wonderful elements from all over the world. A highlight was the reading of the Gospel, with the Gospel Book carried in on a boat by a group of Melanesian dancers in traditional dress, which I viewed from my place with the other Primates in the Presbytery. The sermon from the Bishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, was also moving. I was struck by the sheer exuberance and dignity of the occasion, linking people and cultures from right across the world.

PH: You are now into the conference proper - how does it work?

AAH: Very differently from pervious conferences. The model is based on small morning bible study groups followed by ‘indaba’ sessions. In my bible study group I'm joined by two bishops from the Lutheran tradition, one Finnish, one Canadian, and bishops from England, Wales, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. It is interesting to see how people who don’t know each other gradually feel able to talk freely in a safe space. Our bible study notes concentrate on the Gospel of John, particularly the ‘I am’ sayings which we are studying in depth.

PH: What are ‘indaba’ sessions?

AAH: These are based on a Zulu model of talk-based group consultation. They aim to take the ‘mind’ of people, so that all are heard even if consensus is not actually achieved. They are made up by joining together the smaller bible study groups and have a facilitator and an independent scribe who records the sessions. A printed record is viewable the following day so that there can be collective ownership, and all these reports will be brought together at the end of the conference to shape the final communique. Each group also nominates three ‘listeners’ one of whom will be nominated to join a final listening panel to ensure that what is being said is also received and passed on. There will be about 13 indaba sessions for us over the conference and we have all committed to attend both the bible studies and the indaba groups. Tuesday’s session discussed matters very relevant to us in Ireland, including issues around evangelism among migrant workers and asylum seekers. For my part, I referred to the position in Ireland, with migrant workers from Eastern Europe, Africa and Portugal etc to Ireland. My colleague from South Africa relayed the experience of refugees first from Mozambique and now Zimbabwe, while another bishop from Texas described those coming to the USA from Mexico and several African countries.

PH: There must be a wide range of other events too?

AAH: There is a vast array of other possible sessions. Monday night’s plenary was led by Brian McLaren, an expert on the theology of mission and church engagement with the three layered world in which we live: pre-scientific, modern and post modern. All three of these ‘worlds’ exist somewhere on the globe. For me, he helped my thinking about church engagement in post-modern contexts where the authority of the church has diminished with hints about how we can be effective evangelists in our cultural context.

PH: What have been the highlights so far?

AAH: A memorable highlight was the worship at Monday morning’s Eucharist. This was led by the Anglican Church of Korea, with part of the liturgy in Korean (with English commentary!). The Korean Church is seeking peace in a divided country (North/South) and trying to address issues of unification and peace-building. There is also a legacy of damaged relationships with neighbouring Japan. The Primate of Nippon Sei Ko Kei (the Anglican Communion of Japan) mounted the stage and offered an apology to Koreans who had suffered ill treatment from the Japanese in conflicts in the recent past. This was hugely moving as well as requiring great courage and grace. This moment was extremely emotionally charged - a genuine high point, demonstrating the need for grace in order to achieve genuine reconciliation: a need we can all own.