Ah, and see how these Christian Bishops love one another!

This is the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester. He doesn't look it in this picture, but he's a very unhappy camper. He recently wrote in the Church of England Newspaper at the weekend that if Presiding Bishop Schori is allowed to attend, ‘I am in no doubt that this would destroy the authority of the communion ... the Episcopal Church and its new presiding bishop are increasingly departing from basic Christian belief in the lordship and uniqueness of Christ.’

Meanwhile, "Big Pete" has told "Little Rowan" that he "objects to the presence of John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, at the meeting." Suspecting that Dr Sentamu, despite his African and evangelical credentials, is too accommodating to the liberal Americans, Mr Akinola has called for him to be barred from the meeting.


Ah, me thinks "Blood Mary" is singing in her grave!

And, they're off and running in Tanzania.

I'm reminded of the story told by John Claypool in his "wee bookie" MENDING THE HEART:

"I recently heard about a scuffle on an elementary school playground. The teacher in charge finally was able to restore order and said, "All right. I want to get to the bottom of this. How did all of this commotion break out?" With that, one child pointed to another and accused, "It all started when he hit me back!" The truth of the matter is that no real progress can be made in healing our sense of imperfection as long as we point to reasons outside ourselves and evade our own responsibility."

Here's a prayer for the meeting of the Primates from the Franciscan tradition:

O my God, you are here.
O my God, I am here.
O my God, we are here.
And always, always you love us.
Always, always you love us.

May the angels of God watch over you. May Mary and all the Saints pray for you, and all those whose lives you touch, now and forevermore. Amen.

Archbishop battles to ward off final Anglican split on homosexuality


· Rival faction plots tactics before Tanzanian meeting
· Conservatives refuse to meet US pro-gay bishop

Stephen Bates in Dar es Salaam
Monday February 12, 2007
The Guardian

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s hopes this week of preventing the 78 million-strong worldwide Anglican communion from finally sliding into schism over the issue of homosexuality appeared slim yesterday as he prepared to fly to Tanzania for a meeting of the church’s primates.

Conservative archbishops, mainly from the developing world, have gathered in Dar es Salaam for a separate two-day conference in advance of a formal meeting on Wednesday to plot tactics and agree a strategy before Rowan Williams arrives tomorrow.

If the meeting does split, the divisions within the third-largest Christian denomination would have repercussions for the ‘mother’ Church of England, some of whose bishops have weighed in on the side of the conservatives.

Archbishops from the developing world have told Dr Williams privately that they are opposed to his invitation to Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the US Episcopal Church, to attend the meeting because she supported its election of the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, in 2003.

Presiding Bishop Schori is the first female primate of a leading Christian denomination in church history and some Africans have threatened that they will not sit down in the same room with her or recognise her authority.

‘I think it is going to be a very bloody meeting and it is impossible to predict which way it will go,’ said one primate who will be attending what is scheduled to be a four-day meeting.

Archbishops, particularly those from Africa, want the American Church to be thrown out of the Anglican Communion because the church has been supportive of gay relationships, which they see as being in defiance of biblical injunctions.

They are being supported and lobbied at the meeting by English and American conservative, mainly evangelical, factions who also want to overthrow the US church’s liberal leadership and claim it for themselves.

In a further uncompromising sign, the Most Rev Peter Akinola, the primate of Nigeria and leader of the so-called ‘global south’ archbishops opposed to any accommodation with the church’s homosexual members, has told Dr Williams that he objects to the presence of John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, at the meeting.

Dr Williams invited him to speak for the Church of England at the meeting, but also to give himself extra support. Dr Williams chairs the meetings of the primates but finds it difficult independently also to represent the position of the English church.

Suspecting that Dr Sentamu, despite his African and evangelical credentials, is too accommodating to the liberal Americans, Mr Akinola has called for him to be barred from the meeting.

One senior English bishop has criticised the Americans.

The Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester, wrote in the Church of England Newspaper at the weekend that if Presiding Bishop Schori is allowed to attend, ‘I am in no doubt that this would destroy the authority of the communion ... the Episcopal Church and its new presiding bishop are increasingly departing from basic Christian belief in the lordship and uniqueness of Christ.’