wfn.org | ACNS3593 What Price Unity? Archbishop Robin Eames examines

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3593     |     IRELAND	|     26 SEPTEMBER 2003 

What Price Unity? Archbishop Robin Eames examines questions facing the
Anglican Communion 

[ACNS source: Church of Ireland Gazette] The Archbishop of Armagh and
Senior Primate of the Anglican Communion, the Most Revd Robin Eames,
examines some of the questions currently facing the world-wide Anglican
Communion prior to the forthcoming special meeting of Primates at
Lambeth Palace:

"The decision of the Episcopal Church of the United States to endorse
the appointment of Canon Gene Robinson as bishop of the diocese of New
Hampshire has provoked a crisis for the Anglican Communion. Irrespective
of individual or collective opinions on the election of a practising
homosexual to be an Anglican bishop this event has once more brought
into question the nature of unity and relationships of the diverse
Provinces which make up the Communion to which the Church of Ireland
belongs by bringing to light very deep divisions on this question which
have existed within Anglicanism and beyond. Those sharp divisions of
opinion currently obvious within individual Provinces and between
Provinces, the expressions of strong opinions by clergy and laity and
the widespread media speculation in advance of the forthcoming special
meeting of Primates at Lambeth Palace compel a careful examination of
the nature of the Anglican Communion and its structures. The demand by
some for the expulsion of ECUSA from the Anglican Communion raises the
question: What does expulsion mean and how if at all could it take
place?

"In any relationship corporate or individual it is often the case that
only when a crisis arises is the structure or meaning of that
relationship examined in any depth. So it is with the Anglican
Communion. The ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate
forced such an examination before, during and following the Lambeth
Conference 1988. The media even forecast the end of the Anglican
Communion. Questions were raised then about the same structures where
fundamental differences of opinion existed across Anglicanism and I was
privileged to chair the international Commission set up by the late
Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury. That Commission produced
pastoral guidelines which were geared to encourage the 'highest degree
of communion' between differing Provinces, guidelines which may well be
appropriate at this time. My experience then and since has convinced me
that the fundamental issue for our Communion is: How do we live together
with differing opinions, differing cultures but maintain some semblance
of active communion? I believe Anglicanism will survive this current
controversy. The question is: in what form?

"The truth is that the Anglican Communion has lived through generations
without basic regulations, rules or legal structures. Anglicanism has
consistently rejected any move to create a curia such as we see in the
Roman Catholic tradition. This desire has manifested itself time and
again at Lambeth Conferences, Primates Meetings and gatherings of the
Anglican Consultative Council. I have witnessed consistent rejection of
such a move. The autonomy of individual Provinces has been jealously
guarded. Provincial government usually through synodical structures and
the exercise of episcopacy has enshrined this degree of individuality.
Provincial contributions have centred on the aspirations and historical
developments of individual Provinces or Churches. The common tie has
been 'communion with the See of Canterbury' and 'communion with other
Churches maintaining the same ethos.' But I am unaware of any agreed
rules governing such relationships beyond the desire to be 'in
communion'. Therefore when we talk of expulsion the question arises -
expulsion from what?

"In the blitz of opinion and counter argument over the election to New
Hampshire I believe we need to be clear what we are talking about.

"This election undoubtedly challenges the Resolution 1.10 of the last
Lambeth Conference. It is clearly in breach of the majority opinion of
the bishops in 1998. It is clearly contrary to the view of a large
number of Anglicans. But the question still remains: Is there a tangible
manner within the structures of our Communion as present constituted to
do more than express concern and criticism and adopt attitudes within
our own Provinces towards those others with whom we disagree?

"To put it plainly - if no constitutional or legal rules exist for what
constitutes membership of the Anglican Communion there are no rules for
expulsion of a member Church.

"The focus must therefore turn to the practices and customs which do
exist.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury is primus inter pares at any meeting of
Primates. As 'first among equals' he calls and normally presides at such
gatherings. Equally it is at his invitation that bishops attend the
Lambeth Conference. In theory there is nothing to prevent disapproval on
any issue being expressed at a meeting of Primates. It is also open to
the Archbishop of Canterbury to withhold invitations should he so wish
to either a Primates Meeting or to the Lambeth Conference itself. But
the fact remains that no constitutional basis exists for the expulsion
of any Province from the Anglican Communion. Given that the traditional
'instruments of unity' of Anglicanism are the See of Canterbury, the
Lambeth Conference, the Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative
Council, our Communion has existed as a 'communion of like-minded
Provinces' where provincial autonomy is preserved. It is that
'communion' which has been questioned and challenged by the recent
events in the United States.

"On the other hand Anglicans refer to the historic Lambeth Quadrilateral
which addresses the concept of Communion even more directly than the
Instruments of Unity. We have traditionally placed a high value on the
ordering, the forms and the expressions of worship. In this we have
expressed doctrine in a more explicit manner than doctrinal statements.
Here in the Church of Ireland it is the way we worship and pray that
shapes our identity. Soon we will celebrate the launch of a new Prayer
Book. Such is for us a standard of doctrine as much as a basis for
worship. This standard expressed through the Book of Common Prayer has
been recognised by successive Lambeth Conferences as being grounded in
Scripture, the Catholic Creeds, the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist
and the historic Ministry of Bishop, Priest and Deacon.

"A Church which describes itself along these lines does not seek to
define more of its ethos than is absolutely necessary. Provincial
autonomy permits different attitudes to discipline and to ways of
presenting the Gospel. Anglicans seek to preserve the identity or
communion of a world family. This does not prevent disagreements between
members of the family on what Scripture says - but it is far from saying
we do not care about the primacy of Scripture. We can disagree about the
frequency of the celebration of the Sacraments - but we cannot discard
the Sacraments. As we have seen Anglicans can differ on the ordination
of women to the priesthood or episcopate but we do not deny there should
be priests and bishops if we wish to remain Anglicans. The Creeds may be
only an outline of the faith but we cannot reject them and remain part
of the Catholic Church.

"Such are just some of the ingredients and dilemmas of 'communion' as we
have sought to be a world Church family.

"As the Archbishop of Dublin and I stressed in our recent statement the
Church of Ireland addresses that communion in the Declaration: 'The
Church of Ireland will maintain Communion with the sister Church of
England and with all other Christian Churches agreeing in the principles
of this Declaration.'

"Laws apart, opinions apart and sensitivities apart diversity of
culture, practice and life-styles have been and will most likely
continue to be the experience of a world family such as the Anglican
Communion. Perhaps the main question arising for us at this time is
simply: How do we live with and how do we understand difference?

"What price unity?"

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