Primates Meetings News

The Archbishop of Canterbury  has written to Anglican Communion Primates and members of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC)  with a summary of their individual responses to the outcome of September House of Bishops meeting of the Episcopal Church (USA).   He made it clear that he was not at this stage advancing his own  interpretation of these responses. 

20th February 2007

May I echo the thanks for your patience which Philip has already shared with you – we’re very appreciative of the fact that it is late and we’re all tired.

Also before I start, I went from one session just to check the BBC news and heard more details about he appalling bombing on the train in India and I know that all the Primates will want to put on record their grief and shock about this and their prayers for all involved and their families.

The Communiqué of the Primates’ Meeting in Dar es Salaam
19th February 2007

The Covenant Design Group, appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, held its first meeting in Nassau, the Bahamas, between Monday, 15th and Thursday, 18th January, 2007.  The Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, chaired the group. The meeting discussed four major areas of work related to the development of an Anglican Covenant:  its content, the process by which it would be received into the life of the Communion, the foundations on which a covenant might be built, and its own methods of working.

In mid-afternoon (16th February), the Archbishop of Canterbury made a courtesy call on President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and paid tribute to the progress the country has made in recent years. The Rev. Jonathan Jennings, Archbishop Williams' press officer, quoted him as saying that 'Tanzania has been a symbol of hope and stands for what can be achieved through democratic development.'

Given by Archbishop Philip Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane and Primate of Australia
(designated by the Primates as the official spokesperson for the Primates’ Meeting)

Accompanied by the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies.

Archbishop Aspinall

It’s good to be with you again to give you a brief update on today’s proceedings; as I anticipated with you last evening, we spent the morning today considering further the Primates’ responses to The Episcopal Church’s reactions to the Windsor Report and the Dromantine requests from the Primate.

In the days running up to the meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion (15-19 February), the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and the Primates will meet in the White Sands Hotel for their regular annual meeting

The following photograph is from the Dromantine Conference Centre in Country Down, Newry, at the end of the five-day Anglican Communion Primates Meeting.

The following photographs were taken during the Primates Meeting at the Dromantine Conference Centre, County Down, Northern Ireland, between 21-25 February 2005.

There are four instruments of unity that serve the world wide family of Anglican/Episcopal churches. They are: The Lambeth Conference (meets every 10 years, for bishops); the Primates Meetings (regular meetings for the senior archbishops and bishops of the 38 Provinces); the Anglican Consultative Council (meeting every 3 years or so, includes laity, bishops, priests, deacons); and the Archbishop of Canterbury in his international role as primus inter pares

As Primates of the Anglican Communion and Moderators of the United Churches, we gathered at the Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre, Newry, in Northern Ireland, between 20th and 25th February, 2005

For accredited journalists, the press briefing for the Primates Meeting currently underway in Northern Ireland is to be held at 230pm on Friday 25 February at the Dromantine Centre, County Down, near Newry. The briefing will take place at the front of the main house - not the conference centre - and the entrance to the briefing rooms will be indicated by staff

Photographs from Armagh.

The Primates of the Anglican Communion attended Armagh Cathedral for Evensong on Tuesday 22 February after the day's meetings at the Dromantine Conference Centre in County Down, near Newry, Northern Ireland. The Primates Meeting lasts until Friday 25 February. This photograph shows the 35 Primates who are at the meeting at Dromantine

From our first reading this evening, 'you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation'. These words spoken to the people of Israel in the wilderness are spoken again to the church in the New Testament. And spoken to us today. But what is it to be called to be a kingdom of priests? In the understanding of those who wrote our Old Testament lesson, the priest was the focus of everything that God's people gave to God

The Primates of the Anglican Communion today met in Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre near Newry for a five-day conference. In welcoming the Primates to Northern Ireland, the Most Revd Robin Eames, the senior primate in the Anglican Communion, said, "I pray that this week will be of great benefit to us in our roles as leaders of the flock of Christ and I assure you all of the very warm welcome to the Church of Ireland."

The Primates of the Anglican Communion are to hold their regular meeting at the Dromantine Conference Centre near Newry, Northern Ireland, between 21-25 February 2005. The meeting of the 38 provincial Primates of the Anglican Communion will be centred on Bible study, Eucharist and retreat led by the Archbishop of Canterbury

I returned home from our meeting at Lambeth grateful for the spirit of candor in which we shared our thoughts and feelings. I thank God for the opportunity to come together in Christ's name and for the strong bonds and mutual affection that exist between us.

 have just returned several hours ago from the meeting of the Primates in London. It was a difficult but very truthful meeting in which our understanding of one another's contexts and the burdens each one of us must bear were made abundantly clear.

John Humphrys, a BBC radio broadcaster, interviewed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, yesterday about the outcome of the Primates' Meeting and its implications.

I'd certainly like to underscore the Archbishop's point about it being a difficult but truthful meeting. I think one thing that became very clear early on is that we seek to embody and proclaim the Gospel in very different contexts and what may, in fact, be good news to a majority in one province may, in fact, be bad news somewhere else in the world.

We are so grateful to God for hearing the prayers and cries of his praying people to preserve both the truth and the unity of the Anglican Communion.

These developments included the election of a priest in a committed same sex relationship as a bishop, and the authorisation by one diocese in Canada of a public Rite of Blessing for Same Sex Unions.

Good evening everyone. Thank you very much for joining us. I hope you've had a chance, at least, to glance at the statement which has been produced by our meeting which has, in fact, been unanimously agreed by the meeting of the primates.

The Primates of the Anglican Communion and the Moderators of the United Churches, meeting together at Lambeth Palace on the 15th and 16th October, 2003, wish to express our gratitude to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for calling us together in response to recent events.

Archbishop Robin Eames, Primate of All Ireland, delivering an unscripted statement .

Archbishop Rowan Williams greets Archbishop Peter Akinola.

The Anglican Communion Office can confirm that Dr Zahl was briefly handed two documents in error at the recent meeting of the Inter-Anglican Theological Doctrinal Commission in Virginia Theological Seminary at the beginning of September.

The Anglican Communion Office and Lambeth Palace have announced the proposed media arrangements for the Primates’ Meeting being held in London 15th -16th October 2003.

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Revd Canon John L. Peterson, encourages churches of our Communion to use this prayer.