Issue No. 15Saturday 6 August 1998
The Official Newspaper of the Lambeth Conference

Web highlights provided by Anglicans Online from the official edition.

CONTENTS
Communion `stronger' for for Lambeth experience (below)
Conference condemns bombing in Africa
Bishops offer support to gay Anglicans
Leadership videos offered
Bible focus for final plenary today
'Crowning Glory'
A word from the Anglican Indigenous Peoples Network
Gathering of Afro-Anglican bishops built bridges, focused efforts
Pakistani court prevents consecration of an elected Anglican bishop
Burmese evangelism effort symbolised in sacred tree
How many Anglicans are there?
Prayer cycle debuts

Briefly
Letters
The Daily Question: "What was a highlight of the conference?"

Hard to forget
Thank you, Canterbury local committee

From the editor, and the Gershwins, "Farewell" (100KB image)
Signing off (with an interpolation)

Communion `stronger' for for Lambeth experience by Jan Nunley Calling the Anglican Communion ``significantly stronger'' because bishops from around the world have shared stories and worship together at Lambeth 98, the Archbishop of Canterbury met the press yesterday morning to offer his reflections as the Conference winds to a close. TONIGHT: Closing Eucharist at 6pm, in plenary halls; barbeque dinner, big-band dancing and fireworks (at 9.45pm) will follow. Dr George Carey thanked the press for their ``stamina'' and for the quality of their reporting, while challenging those who have questioned the ultimate usefulness of a Conference engaged in prayer and study. ``I hope that few people will take any gathering of Christians to task for that,'' Carey rejoined, citing the Conference's resolutions on international debt and human sexuality as positive achievements. ``The voice of the churches has certainly encouraged the G8 nations to look seriously'' at international debt, Carey said, promising to press governments in the developed world to look seriously both at outright debt forgiveness as well as the World Bank's HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) instrument. Bishop Dinis Sengulane (Lemombo, Mozambique) added that churches in developing countries must also press their governments to engage in moral decision-making about debt. Bishop Sengulane said that what developing countries need is ``not just cancellation of debt but a monitoring group'' to keep a close watch on the debt issue. ``The Church has an important role to play to avoid corruption,not just on one side but on all sides,'' Sengulane said. ``On human sexuality, we have been quite open about acknowledging our differences,'' Dr Carey stated, praising the resolution adopted by the Conference. ``We specifically included the commitment to continue to listen to the experience of gay and lesbian Christians. I am sad that our resolution has caused them such pain. I can only try to assure them of my commitment to continue to listen, to try to understand more of their experience of the Church, and I invite them to continue the journey with us, however painful, and I ask them to listen to the voice of the Church as much as the rest of us must listen to them.'' Asked to sum up their experience of the Conference, a team of Primates and bishops who have served as the Conference's ``episcopal communicators'' led by Ireland's Archbishop Robin Eames offered a variety of responses. ``I've been stretched by the profound differences in worldview and culture,'' remarked Presiding Bishop Griswold. Archbishop Harry Goodhew of Sydney (Australia) said he is ``humbled by the faithfulness'' of persecuted Christians and encouraged by the ``reassertion of biblical foundations'' in the vote on human sexuality. ``I've met the suffering'' known in many places of the world, Bishop Victoria Matthews (Edmonton, Canada) said. The resolution affirming those opposed to women's ordination as loyal Anglicans was applauded by Bishop Paul Richardson (Newcastle, England) as ``putting bitterness and discord behind us.'' Bishop Nigel McCullough (Wakefield, England) says he is generally ``renewed and encouraged.'' ``God is smiling,'' Bishop Sengulane said,``as he looks at the Lambeth Conference.''