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Anglicans Gather Despite Boycott

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The Associated Press

Published: July 20, 2008

CANTERBURY, England - The world's Anglican bishops turned Saturday to the enormous task at the heart of their once-a-decade summit: trying to keep the Anglican family from breaking apart over the Bible and homosexuality.

With its private prayer phase over, the business of the Lambeth Conference begins, but it is hobbled by a boycott: About one-quarter of the invited bishops - mostly theological conservatives from Africa - are not attending the event.

The 650 bishops who came include a mix of traditionalists, moderates and liberals, all with divergent ideas about what Anglicans should believe and how their fellowship should operate.

The conference's opening public worship is set for today in Canterbury Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, has led a three-day closed-door session this week focused on the role of the bishops as seen through the Gospel.

The 77 million-member Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when the Episcopal Church, the U.S. Anglican body, consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Last month, Anglican conservatives - frustrated that Williams hasn't done more to keep the U.S. church and other liberal Anglicans in line with traditional Bible teaching - formed a new global church network that circumvents Williams' authority but stops short of schism.

A few leaders of that movement are attending Lambeth, but most have stayed away. They released a statement ahead of today's service condemning "false teaching which justifies sin in the name of Christianity."

Williams barred Robinson and a few other problematic bishops from the Lambeth Conference to ensure broader participation. But he invited U.S. leaders who consecrated Robinson and bishops from other Anglican provinces that accept gay relationships.

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