Lambeth

Over 500 bishops descended on Canterbury, England, last month for the Lambeth Conference.

Hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and named after his residence, Lambeth Palace, the decennial conference has been held since 1867. As the Anglican Communion is an international association and not a governing body, Lambeth serves as a collaborative and consultative function, expressing 'the mind of the communion' on issues of the day. Resolutions which a Lambeth Conference may pass are without legal effect, but they are nonetheless influential.

Both Archbishop Jeffrey Driver and Assistant Bishop Stephen Pickard were at Lambeth 2008. Archbishop Driver has welcomed a number of decisions from the conference, including calls for a moratorium on both the consecration of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same sex unions.

The two issues have caused a significant controversy.

Following the consecration of an actively gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in the US and the blessing of same sex unions in both the US and Canada, several bishops refused to attend Lambeth, including Sydney’s Archbishop Peter Jensen. Archbishop Jensen was one of the leading organisers of the GAFCON conference, held in Jerusalem for those Anglican leaders who consider themselves to be in impaired communion with the Anglican Communion. Some 291 bishops attended GAFCON and a portion of that number also went to Lambeth.

Bishop Robinson was not invited to Lambeth, but went to Canterbury and hosted a number of events that gave other bishops the opportunity to meet him.

Archbishop Driver said there were many powerful moments from Lambeth 2008, including a march of all attending bishops past Westminster calling for an end to poverty and the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals. You can read more in the Archbishop’s statement— click here

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