The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, announced he intends to visit the United States this autumn in response to the invitation from the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church."I look forward to some sharing of our experiences as pastors as well as discussion of the business of the Communion. These are complicated days for our church internationally and it's all the more important to keep up personal relationships and conversations," he said. "My aim is to try and keep people around the table as long as possible on this, to understand one another, and to encourage local churches on this side of the Atlantic and elsewhere to ask what they might need to do to keep in that conversation, to keep around the table."
Williams said the meeting will take place during the House of Bishops' previously scheduled fall gathering in New Orleans September 20-25.
[I am glad Rowan was able to meet with the HoB well before the September 30 deadline from the Primates.]
This will be the first time Williams has met with the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops or attended a meeting of any of the church's leadership bodies such as General Convention or Executive Council.
The House of Bishops said on March 20 "there is an urgent need for us to meet face to face with the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Primates' Standing Committee" and requested and urged Jefferts Schori and Williams to negotiate a meeting "at the earliest possible opportunity."
"I won't speculate on outcomes, but I don't think it takes rocket science to work out that (a positive decision) will pose some problems," he said. Anglican churches in other areas of the world, particularly in the southern hemisphere, are vehemently against liberalizing attitudes toward homosexuality, believing it contrary to Scripture.
[Well, at least he is going into the meeting open-minded.]
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