Lambeth Press Conference: 1,000 Bishops invited to Lambeth, 650 will attend including 480 spouses
by David Virtue, VOL:
In a first online pre-Lambeth Press Conference, media from across the globe heard planners and speakers including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby confirm a VOL tip that Kenyan Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit would not be attending the Lambeth conference. This makes four African archbishops not coming to next month’s decennial conference over unresolved sexuality issues. Together, the four provinces represent over 35 million Anglicans, nearly half of all Anglicans.
Welby said there is nothing new. “We need to keep praying and loving them. There is not a lot more we can do if they don’t want to come. They shouldn’t come out of loyalty…we are not getting into a panic about it. This has been developing for a long time and we regret it.”
Questioned about whether Lambeth Resolution 1:10 and other sexuality issues would be on the table, Welby said key and important questions about human identity and human sexuality and the nature of being God’s people will be addressed by the bishops. He described it as “both challenging and hugely exciting.”
Welby said it was “difficult” to invite spouses in same-sex marriages. When pushed, Welby said the Anglican Communion at Lambeth ’98 made it clear they could not recognize same-sex marriage. “That is the position of the communion. The focus of unity is myself; I cannot pretend that is not the case.”
Questioned about the exchange of letters between he and three African primates described as an “ongoing conversation,” which they described as little more than “virtue-signaling and the need to obey the clear word of God,” Welby said he was glad that they were clear and robust…it was very proper. “My response is to say there should not be dialogue.”
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