wfn.org | Canadian Anglican Primate not yet willing to let go the word 'partner'

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

Primate not yet willing to let go the word 'partner'

Leanne Larmondin
Website Manager

Waterloo, Ont.
It is doubtful that the Anglican Church of Canada's Partnerships department
would change its name to "Friendships" but the Anglican primate
raised the alternative to the partnerships concept in his opening address
to General Synod.

Speaking to the 400 Synod members, gathered in Waterloo, Ontario from July
4-11, Archbishop Michael Peers noted that the expected approval of full
communion between the Anglican and Lutheran churches in Canada is a
friendship, not a merger.

"That decision is in our hands and in the hands of the Lutheran convention,
as we each vote on the Declaration," said Archbishop Peers, referring to
the two churches' vote on Friday, July 6. "We have come to this in a
particularly Canadian way - allowing for convergence rather than insisting
on it. That is what friends do."

Explaining that one of the root words for friend is the old English word
freond, meaning both to "love" and "be free", Archbishop Peers said full
communion is not a merger in which two partners lose their identity in the
creation of something new.

"We each remain free to be who we are."

An emerging concept among many so-called partner churches, he said, is a
questioning of whether the rich and the poor, or unequals of any kind, can
truly be partners.

"I am not yet willing to let go the word 'partner' - it is found often in
the reports and resolutions that are before us, and I don't intend that we
rewrite all those documents!" said Archbishop Peers. "'Partnership' has
helped us move to a richer understanding of communion."

Continuing the theme of the need for a clear vision, begun the evening
before in Archbishop Steven Charleston's sermon, Archbishop Peers listed
for synod members the issues they were facing, asking them to "think of
them through the lens of friendship".

Among those issues:

* friendship between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples;

* the celebration of full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada;

* restorative justice around the world.

Archbishop Peers also offered encouragement to the synod members, telling
them that "perhaps the gift we best can share in the communion is that of a
style of dealing with difficult and divisive issues."

On its first day of business, synod had a refresher course on the church's
last three years since General Synod 1998. Some significant resolutions,
including one on human rights, were also introduced, to be voted on at a
later date.

A panel of three church leaders, Archbishop Michael Peers, Toronto
chancellor Robert Falby and Cariboo Bishop James Cruickshank made a
presentation on the past 10 years history of the residential schools
situation. Bishop Cruickshank reported that his diocese, Cariboo, expects
to be forced into insolvency on or before Oct. 15, 2001, because of
liability from residential schools litigation.
- 30 -

Links:
Transcript of Archbishop Michael Peers' address
<http://www.anglican.ca/news/online/news.html?newsItem=2001-07-05_mi.news>

Archived video footage of Archbishop Michael Peers' address
(you will need RealPlayer to open this file; this is streaming video,
approximately one hour long, and does not need to be downloaded; if you
don't have RealPlayer, you can download it free at
<http://scopes.real.com/real/player/player.html?src=downloadr,010613rpchoice
_c1&dc=767574>

Residential Schools update #10
<http://anglican.ca/ministry/rs/reports/rsupdate10.html>

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Leanne Larmondin
Web Manager
Anglican Church of Canada
600 Jarvis St.
Toronto ON  L5E 2G1
(416) 924 9199 ext. 307
ll@anglican.ca
http://www.anglican.ca
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