wfn.org | Episcopalians: Archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the Bishops of the Church of England

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

June 23, 2003

2003-147

Episcopalians: Archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the Bishops 
of the Church of England

The following letter was posted on Anglican Communion News 
Service today:

LAMBETH PALACE

I have today sent the following letter to the diocesan and 
suffragan bishops.

Dear Brothers in Christ

None of us will need any persuading that the recent appointment 
of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading has proved a 
controversial and challenging one. It has become a focus for a 
great deal of debate, in which differing views of the 
appointment and its significance have been widely aired, inside 
and outside the Church here, and indeed much further afield.

At this point in the debate - particularly since some of you 
have already voiced serious concerns - it is important that I 
try to clarify basic issues, in my capacity as Archbishop of 
Canterbury and Chairman of the House of Bishops.

First, about the appointment process. As you know, the 
appointment of a suffragan bishop is made by the Crown, on the 
advice of a diocesan as forwarded by the Archbishop of the 
province. And that is what has happened on this occasion. It is 
not for me to recount the diocesan process. But so far as my own 
involvement is concerned, you should know it is an appointment I 
have neither sought to promote nor to obstruct.

I was informed that Canon Jeffrey John was regarded as a highly 
gifted candidate, was acceptable to the diocese, that he had 
given explicit assurances on various matters, including his 
personal circumstances and his willingness to work loyally 
within the framework of doctrine and discipline as expressed in 
Issues in Human Sexuality. With these assurances, since repeated 
very publicly, and in keeping with the principle that the 
integrity of the process within the diocese should be respected, 
I raised no objection to forwarding his name.

Despite what some have claimed, I do not believe this overall 
process weakens the commitment of the House of Bishops to what 
we have declared as our common mind. Nor do I believe that Canon 
John's appointment either subverts current discipline or 
forecloses future discussion. It would certainly be deplorable 
if it were assumed that the existing approach has been abandoned 
by stealth, or that the forthcoming guide to the debate on 
sexuality that we have agreed to publish, was slanted towards a 
change in that policy. So, let us be clear: there can be no 
question of trying to pre-empt, undermine or short-circuit the 
reflection of the Church as a whole.

It is also important here, to stress to the wider Anglican 
Communion that we are not embarking on or colluding with any 
policy of unilateral local change, which I have more than once 
deplored elsewhere.

Two final and important points. The concerns of many in the 
diocese of Oxford are theologically serious, intelligible and by 
no means based on narrow party allegiance or on prejudice. They 
must be addressed and considered fully. Confidence in the 
ability of a new bishop to minister to those in his pastoral 
care is a centrally important matter, and it is clear that 
serious questions remain in the diocese. To consider these with 
prayerfulness and maturity needs time and a measure of calm. It 
is not for anyone outside the diocese to override or pre-empt 
what is obviously a painful and complex process, and I can only 
ask your prayers for the diocese as it struggles with this and 
tries to find a right discernment.

Finally, it would be a tragedy if these issues, in the Church of 
England and in the Communion, occupied so much energy that we 
lost our focus on the priorities of our mission, the priorities 
given us by Our Lord. What we say about sexuality (and not just 
on the same-sex question) is a necessary part of our 
faithfulness, but the concentration on this in recent weeks has 
had the effect of generating real incomprehension in much of our 
society, in a way that does nothing for our credibility. In the 
world where we are called to offer the Good News of Jesus, we 
need to reflect on this dimension of the situation - not to 
surrender to alien standards, but to keep our eyes on those 
central revealed truths without which other matters of behaviour 
and discipline will never make sense.

In a few weeks, I shall be making a pastoral visit to West 
Africa. Some of our local issues are there too, of course, but 
so are most of the greatest wounds of our age, afflicting 
millions - violent conflict, epidemic disease, instability and 
poverty. Faithful Christian witness shines through all this, and 
we are deeply thankful for it. It does us no harm to think about 
our own priorities against such a background, and perhaps to 
learn in some matters to give each other a little more time and 
space for thought as we try to find how we can walk in step as 
the Body of Christ - not falling over ourselves because of 
anxiety and suspicion.

+Rowan Cantuar

Lambeth Palace

23rd June 2003

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