Saturday 2nd February 2008
Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen - speaking after the service of ordination of 48 deacons at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney -
‘With regret, the Archbishop and Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July. They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the Conference at this time will not help heal its divisions. They continue to pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference.’
Good decision.
9 comments:
really? why?
What with peak oil and all that, only important trips should be made by aeroplane. I know for a fact that Rowan Williams would agree with me on this.
but they are carbon offsetting...
so that reason won't pass muster.
You got me there. But just off the top of my head, I can think of 27 other things that the bishops could be doing with their time. Let's see...
oops. Fifi just stuck her head through the door and told me the cricket is on.
I'll get back to you on the 27, but clearly one of them is going to be watching some form of cricket in its many incarnations. Back soonish.
OK, so here we go...
1. Watching test cricket
2. Watching 1 day limited-over internationals.
3. Preaching the gospel to a local congregation.
4. Organizing and helping run a gospel outreach in their local churches.
5. Watching 20-20 cricket.
6. Going to the art gallery.
7. Attending a classical music concert.
8. Having a bit of a sleep-in.
9. Spending time with their families.
10. Attending their local churches.
11. Attending GAFCON.
12. Getting haircuts (except Al Stewart).
13. Getting fit again (except Al Stewart).
14. Praying.
15. Doing a bit of 1-1 evangelism in their local shopping centres.
16. Kicking a few Anglo butts in some of the churches in Muslim areas.
17. Reading Nothing in my hand I bring by Ray Galea.
18. Planting a church.
19. Running some evangelistic missions in Newcastle, Melbourne, Perth, or anywhere else where the local bishop is farting around at Lambeth.
20. Catching up on some old episodes of West Wing.
21. Getting celebrity make-overs.
22. Seeing who's fattest trying to enter them onto The Biggest Loser.
23. Something social justicey like campaigning about peak oil or threatening to self-immolate outside the Villawood Detention centre.
24. Getting on to facebook and finally figuring it out.
25. That big family holiday to Uluru that they've always been meaning to take.
26. Learning to cook.
27. Making a start on giving up smoking.
There's a lot more, but I only had 5 minutes to think between the end of the cricket and now, so that'll have to be enough to be going on with, and maybe there are other things you could think of too, JJ. Or some of your friends.
Anyway, what lies behind your initial question? It seems to me if you think going to Lambeth matters, you could duck in disguised as a bicycle courier or something ('I've got an express package, is there a Mr. R. Williams here, or can you sign for it?—oh hang on I've seen him just over there, I'll just be a minute') and lodge a few reports on your own blog.
That way we could all find out what gives, and you could cc. in the Sydney bishops on your posts. Better than a U2 concert blog for sure.
Sorry, 22. should have read
22. Seeing who's fattest and trying to enter them onto The Biggest Loser.
My bad.
Well, I was just trying to see if you had anything serious to say to back up your confident 'good decision'.
Evidently not.
Sounds like you wouldn't have advocated going to Lambeth even under ordinary circumstances.
Not that I disagree with the decision, of course.
I do have a few thoughts of a more serious nature, but I'm going to hold off on this, as the bishops will probably say a bit more in due course.
Gordon, do you know if any other bishops are not attending? Such as the Africans? I know that last year the Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali mentioned he wouldn't be. BTW we all need to pray urgently for his safety as he has had death threats.
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