Global Anglican Primates Meet With Archbishop Welby In Rome

Archbishops from South Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria, the Seychelles, the GSFA, ACNA, GAFCON Europe have publicly declaimed against the ABC in ringing tones of disapproval and disappointment. They say he has betrayed the communion and the faith he swore to uphold.

So, what exactly will they discuss in Rome? Well, you can be sure that climate change will be high on the list of world changing events that demands full on urgent attention. It was the central issue at the last Lambeth Conference.

Conceived as a pilgrimage, an expensive one, bearing in mind all the carbon-producing flights from the US, Africa, and Asia; the bishops will pray, study scripture together, visit holy sites in Rome and reflect on the mission and witness of the church in the world.

Will this be an opportunity for the bishops to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ, or beat up on Bibi Netanyahu for not declaring a ceasefire in Gaza, to allow Hamas to live and breathe another day.

Will the bishops declare Islam the number one enemy of the Christian Faith and call on the government of Nigeria to destroy Fulani Tribesmen and Boko Haram so they will stop attacking school children and murdering other Christians. Don’t count on it.

Will Welby list all the countries that persecute Christians throughout the world and call on the presidents of said countries to stop killing Christians. What about a public declaration to Prime Minister Modi of India, about his dangerous Hindu nationalist rhetoric that isolates Muslims and Christians making them vulnerable to assassination. If you want to see a list of persecuted countries read this from the Gatestone Institute. “You have a Beautiful Daughter”: the Persecution of Christians: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20605/persecution-of-christians-march

Or will the bishops, led by Welby, roll out the same old ecumenical platitudes about unity, especially, when, after 500 years the Roman Catholic Church still thinks it is the one true church and will never recognize Anglican orders.

Fifty-five years of ARCIC talks has produced nothing. Ten years ago, Lord Carey of Clifton said Catholics and Anglicans involved in formal ecumenical dialogue might as well be “talking on the moon” because no one is listening to them. Carey said the work of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) was “irrelevant” to most Christians, who were motivated by relations at grassroots level. He suggested that financial grounds alone might justify the abandoning of the ecumenical project in favor of local projects underpinned by good will and a shared commitment to charity.

Thus, it will be with these talks. Lots of hand-wringing about the state of the world and the church. There will be veiled references to absentee friends, and prayers for unity (but not presumably for uniformity).

This is the first gathering of Anglican Primates to be held in Rome, we are told. The Primates’ program will include a meeting with Pope Francis and conversation with Cardinal Mario Grech about the meaning and promise of synodality for the whole church, we are told.

Well, how will that go? The promise of synodality will only go so far. Even making known the “good news of salvation in Jesus” is defined differently by Rome and Canterbury!

There will be a lot of talk about “listening”, “Communion”, “Participation”, and “Mission” …all vaguely defined, offering little substance, with everyone going home feeling a little bit more righteous than when they left.

Here is what a group of GSFA bishops meeting in Entebbe earlier this year focused on; Economic Empowerment, encouraging fellowship in their ministries with biblical teaching and practical advice from seasoned and respected leaders. Each day began with outstanding bible expositions on biblical leadership from 2 Timothy providing a deeply encouraging mixture of godly practical wisdom, equipping for mission and orientation about Anglican ecclesiology, including the current crisis in the Communion.

This is a far cry from what the primates will churn out in Rome. There the topics will include prayerful conversation about areas of conflict in the world and regional meetings to discuss issues of local concern.

Will there be calls to evangelize the lost; how to evangelize Muslims; how to disciple the nations. One doubts it.

Each group now has its own “instruments” for how to do mission. The western church’s left approach to racism, reparations; transgender issues; homosexual marriage; blessing same-sex unions et al, are falling flat on the ears of the secular left, they really don’t care what the church thinks. They are not filling pews to find out what TEC bishops and the presiding bishop of TEC thinks about anything, and his call to ‘everlasting’ love is now approaching laughable levels as campus and city riots threaten the nation’s entire Jewish population.

Will the primates in Rome even mention the rise of antisemitism in the world. Will they call for the condemnation of Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and antisemitism that is rearing its ugly head across the globe?

One discussion that looks promising is looking at the “structure and decision-making in the Anglican Communion and offers proposals to help address difference and disagreement in the Anglican Communion.”

TRANSLATION: Will the primates say they are fed up with a failing white western archbishop whose province is sinking faster than the titanic, and demand that the next leader be from the Global South? If they do, it might be the ONLY reason for the Anglican Communion to hang together. Little else will save it. When the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meets in 2026, we will know more.

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GLOBAL ANGLICAN PRIMATES MEET WITH ARCHBISHOP WELBY IN ROME

COMMENTARY

By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
April 29, 2024

This week Archbishop Justin Welby will meet with his primates in Rome in the hope of rectifying the world’s wrongs, then putting them to right with various resolutions, aided by a beleaguered Pope.

What is most significant is the absence of primates who represent some 75 percent of the Anglican communion which must come as something of a shock to the deep thinkers and spinmeisters at Lambeth Palace.

There will be no GAFCON primates and perhaps a small handful of GSFA primates, but Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi has already signaled his displeasure with Archbishop Welby over human sexuality issues, that it might just be enough to dissuade them from attending.