Archbishop of Canterbury: Lambeth Conference won't solve church's problems

From The Telegraph (UK):

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent

Last Updated: 6:39PM BST 17/07/2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted that the crises in the "wounded" church will not be ended by the gathering of Anglican bishops which began this week.

Dr Rowan Williams said at the start of the ten-yearly Lambeth Conference that he felt "great grief" that one in four church leaders are boycotting it because of deep divisions over homosexuality and women bishops.

But he added that he still respected the conservatives who are staying away, and urged delegates at the first session of the meeting in Canterbury on Wednesday night to "mend relations that have been hurt".

More than 200 Anglican bishops from around the world, including many from Africa and at least three from within the Church of England, have refused to attend Lambeth because of the presence of liberal leaders from America and Canada who broke with tradition and church guidelines by electing an openly gay bishop and by blessing same-sex unions.

Some Anglo-Catholics who are attending say they cannot attend services presided over by women clergy.

Church leaders who are at Lambeth will spend the next two weeks discussing the issues that have led the 80-million-strong Anglican Communion to the brink of schism, including sexuality and female bishops.

Work will be carried out on a set of rules to govern the churches, but no binding declarations are likely to be made.

Dr Williams told bishops his hope and prayer "is not that after two weeks we will find a solution to all our problems but we shall in some sense find the trust in God and one another that will give us the energy to change in the way God wants us to change."

He described the church as a "wounded body" and went on: "It's a great grief that many of our brothers and sisters in the Communion have not felt able to be with us for these weeks, a grief because we need their voice and they need ours in learning Christ together.

"I respect and accept the decisions that have been made, but together we need in prayer to acknowledge the wound that that makes in our fellowship and to acknowledge that we still have to mend relations that have been hurt.

"I hope that in these weeks we shall daily be remembering those who are not with us upholding them in our prayers, in our respect and love.

"I don't imagine that simply building relationships solves our problems, but the nature of our calling as Christians is such that we dare not pretend that we can meet and discuss without attention to this quality of relation with each other, even if we disagree or find ourselves going in different directions."

The bishops are now on a "retreat" of silent prayer and reflection and the conference will begin in earnest on Sunday.