Primates Meeting Rescheduled for London
The March meeting of the Primates from around the Anglican Communion has been rescheduled for London. The original plan was for the meeting to take place in Rome.
The forty-two senior bishops for the official Anglican Provinces intend to gather from 28-31 March in what is being billed as a “spiritual retreat”. It will also include time for discussion of the upcoming Lambeth Conference in late July and early August.
The meeting had to be moved from Rome to the UK where Covid restrictions would not interfere with the travel plans of the bishops.
The last Lambeth Conference met in 2008 and the one scheduled for 2018 was cancelled due to the non-participation of most orthodox provinces because of biblical doctrinal differences over sexuality matters. The conference was rescheduled for 2020 but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
If the Lambeth Conference does take place, it will be the fifteenth since the once a decade meetings started in 1868.
It is uncertain as to how many senior bishops who are part of GAFCON and the Global South Conferences will be in attendance at either the meeting in March or at the Lambeth Conference.
Soon to be retiring Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon stated:
“It is not feasible to gather in Rome due to Italy’s COVID-related restrictions that would prevent a significant proportion of primates – including virtually all primates from Africa – fully participating in the meeting in person.
“I would like to thank everybody who has worked hard to facilitate a meeting in Rome, especially the director and staff of the Anglican Centre in Rome and our colleagues at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,” he said. “It will be possible for all primates to gather in England and to participate in person and we now shift our focus to preparing for that.”
