Anglican Identity, Heritage and Schism
The Archbishop of Canterbury has recently invited the 37 Archbishops of the world-wide Anglican Communion to gather in January. The purpose of this gathering is "to reflect and pray together concerning the future of the Anglican Communion." Justin Welby's statement about this invitation is here. The big questions are Who will actually come? (A similarly meeting in 2011 had significant absentees) Will it be of any value and if so what and how? Some media reactions to Archbishop Justin's initiative have called it a "summons". It is not a summons. It is an invitation. The Archbishop of Canterbury does not have the authority of a pope. In relation to the other Archbishops he is 'primus inter pares' (first among equals) - in other words a symbolic leader. The Anglican Church is not a global institution with corporate governance. Each province operates independently and is loosely linked as a Communion. The Anglican Communion was descri...