Every ten years every bishop in the Anglican Communion attends theLambeth Conferenceto share ideas and discuss church policy. The 1998 conference was held in England from 18 July until 9 August.

THE LAMBETH CONFERENCE ENDED ON 9 AUGUST1998, but we'll keep this page online.

You might be interested to know that during the Lambeth Conference we received more than 11,000 hits on our web server per day. A lot of you were stopping by! We're very pleased and grateful for your support and readership. It means more than we can say.

Cynthia McFarland, Brian Reid, and Simon Sarmiento
for Anglicans Online

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Latest
Lambeth Conference Resolutions
'A Pastoral Statement ....'
Primates and diocesan bishops' reports
Lambeth Daily in HTML
Official web sites
Photos
Background
Events
News and Reports : press coverage of the conference.
Prayers

Latest
All the resolutions, all the years
If you'd like to see just what Anglican Bishops have passed during the years, browse these pages put up by the Anglican Communion News Service. It may make you feel better about the church and politics. Or perhaps worse.

Bishops Behaving Badly
A reflexion at Ship of Fools, by 'Sister Mary Diocletian, SPP (Sisters of Perpetual Persecution)', which has inspired a response by Faith McDonnell, and a further essay by Sister Mary Diocletian.

Primates and Diocesan Bishops' Reports
More and more diocesan bishops are writing and distributing reports on the Lambeth Conference. As we learn about them we'll link them here, listed by diocese.

Canada, Bishop Peers, Primate

Atlanta, Bishop Allan
California, Bishop Swing
Colorado, Bishop Winterrowd
Dallas, Bishop Stanton
Eastern Michigan, Bishop Leidel
Easton, Bishop Townsend
Europe, Bishop Hind
Los Angeles, Bishop Borsch
Maine, Bishop Knudsen
Maryland, Bishop Ihloff
Massachusetts, Bishop Shaw
Montreal, Bishop Hutchison
New Westminster, Bishop Ingham
New York, Bishop Grein
Northern Indiana, Bishop Gray
Pittsburgh, Bishop Duncan
Southwest Florida, Bishop Lipscomb
Texas, Bishop Payne
Toronto, Bishop Finlay
Vermont, Bishop McLeod
Western Michigan, Bishop Lee

Other Bishops' Reports

Massachusetts, Suffragan Bishop Harris
Nova Scotia, Suffragan Bishop Hiltz
St Albans, Suffragan Bishop Smith
Sydney, Area Bishop Barnett
Toronto, Area Bishop Tottenham

'Lambeth Daily'
We did it! We converted virtually every Lambeth Daily to HTML format. Here's the complete index of the issues available in HTML:

21 July 22 July 23 July 24 July 25 July (no issue was published) 26 July (no issue was published) 27 July 28 July 29 July 30 July

31 July (no issue was published) 1 August (no issue was published) 2 August (no issue was published) 3 August 4 August 5 August 6 August 7 August 8 August

For more on the Lambeth Daily and what it was--and its Adobe Acrobat format--see below under the category 'News and Reports: Web (official sources)'.

Official
Official online copy of 1998 Conference Resolutions
One month after the end of the conference, the official texts of the conference resolutions have been placed on the web, though not all in one place. We have not yet found any changes from the unofficial version that we published on 21 August, though mechanized comparison is impossible. We do not know of a single URL that will locate all parts of the official texts. Link here to Section 1 , Section 2 , Section 3 , and Section 4 , then link here for the other material. If you need a subject index , or if you need it all in one place, you'll have to use our copy , which is of course unofficial.

Resolutions of all the Lambeth Conferences since 1867

Archbishop Carey's Pastoral Letter to the Communion
On August 13 the Most Rev. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote a letter with the intention of having it read aloud in every Anglican church in the world on Sunday, 28th September, 1998 (sic). You may read a copy of it here , or look at a photographic scan of the original ( page 1 and page 2 ).

http://www.lambethconference.org This official home of Lambeth Conference contains basic information and background documents The main interest here is the official news releases, which are actually posted at the anglicancommunion.org site. (See below in the news section for more.)

http://www.anglicancommunion.org The current official web site for the Anglican Communion Office in London.

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/souvenir.htm Souvenirs, apparently official

There's another yet another apparently official Lambeth web site set up at http://www.lambeth98.org apparently primarily to showcase a particular software and server programme to bishops at Lambeth. We think you can send a message to any bishop through this, but we're not entirely certain. Explore the site and see what you think. (Sorry, you can't. Web access from the outside seems to have been disabled. We've no idea why.)

The conference apparently has an email address: lambeth98@lambeth98.org We don't know who's answering the mail, but it's an address.

A personal domain for the ABC: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org , which points to the preexisting pages that most of you have probably seen.

A set of official Lambeth Conference web pages sponsored by the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Church in Japan), only in Japanese. Even if you don't have a Kanji character set on your computer, you might like to have a look at the photos scattered throughout the pages.

Photos
Official photos and candids as well on the Lambeth Conference site.

Daily reports from St Cosmus and St Damian in Blean, Kent contain some very nice photos, quite quick loading as these things go.

Background
Official introduction to the conference (on the older but still apparently official Anglican Communion Office website, http://www.aco.org

From Australia to the Arctic A virtual tour of our 70-million worldwide Anglican Communion (somewhat outdated, but useful as an overview, and hosted on an even older but still possibly official Anglican Communion Office website, http://www.quest.org.uk ).

Bishop Basics, a whimsical collection of miscellaneous episcopal links assembled by the BishopCam group at the University of Kent at Canterbury .

Canterbury Cathedral, an unofficial site, but very interesting.

Events
The general Lambeth Conference calendar on the Anglican Communion Office site is a quite skeletal outline of what's on.

The Lambeth Conference 'Market Place' and Diary of Events If you're in the neighbourhood of Canterbury, you might want to stop in, have a look round the stalls, and stay for the evening events. August 4 would be our choice. Update on Market Place arrangements, from the Revd Bob McCloskey, coordinator.

Miscellaneous
'BishopCam' A light-hearted project by the Computer Science department at the University of Kent at Canterbury to provide some real-time video of the conference. Alas, the fixed camera is stationed in a window overlooking at crosswalk between two buildings, not perhaps the most ideal place for it to be pointed. We'd prefer the plenary hall. But now and then you can indeed espy a purple shirt.
On the other hand, because the camera system is so automatic, the BishopCam Cabal have some time on their hands and are doing a smashing job of scouting Lambeth-related news stories. Have a look.

News and Reports

Web (official sources)
The Anglican Communion News Service is the primary reporting group for Lambeth. Go here for ACNS news releases about Lambeth; at present, these contain text only, no photos.

The official Lambeth Conference site offers 'The Lambeth Daily', a four-page mini-magazine (text and photos) in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). But with some of them weighing in at nearly 1 megabyte per issue and available only in PDF format, the information may not be readily accessible for people with dial-up connexions.(Approximate downloading times for a 1M file at 9600 baud would be from 11 to 20 minutes and for 28.8 from 3 to 6 minutes.)

The Lambeth Daily in HTML
Anglicans Online have converted highlights of The Lambeth Daily News to web format for your viewing convenience. We don't promise to have the strength to keep up these conversions every day, but we'll give it our best shot. The index page shows the dates for which we have such files available.

• 19 August
• 'Bishop shelves Labour career to fight for gays: Church swing to right dismays Scots Primate', Ruth Gledhill and David Calhoun, The Times (See our page on reading The Times if you've not tried to access a Times web page before.)

• 18 August
• 'Gays and St Paul' , Letters, The Independent

• 16 August
• 146 bishops apologise to gays over Lambeth', The Telegraph

• 15 August
• 'The place to dance the mitre away', The Times (See our page on reading The Times if you've not tried to access a Times web page before.)
• 'A lean and hungry look', 'At Your Service', Ruth Gledhill, The Times
• 'Joining hands across the boundaries of Christianity', 'Credo', Nigel McCulloch,The Times (Not strictly Lambeth-related, but we'll put it here anyway.)
• 'He turns the great into the good', 'Faith', Damian Thompson, The Times (ditto about Lambeth relevance, but it's handy to tuck in here.)
• 'Rector comes out in gay vote protest', The Sunday Times

• 14 August
• 'Church of Africa', Letters, The Independent
• 'Summing up the Lambeth Conference,' Church Times
• 'Bishops seek to reassure homosexuals', Church Times
• 'Debt, death, youth and unity join sex in the list of resolutions', Church Times
  
  
• 13 August
• 'Gays in the Bible...', Letters, The Independent
• 'Anglicans get literal', Op-ed, The New York Times
• '150 bishops support gay Christians', The Independent
  
  
• 12 August
• 'Turbulent bishops', Letters, The Independent
• 'Terence Blacker - James Taylor, the C of E's answer to the credit-card rosary', Columnists, The Independent
• 'Web does the Lambeth talk', The Times
• 'New bishop flies to the rescue', The Times

• 10 August
• Simon Sarmiento's (Society of Archbishop Justus) report about Resolution III.2 , which was entitled 'Unity of the Anglican Communion' but which was more specifically about the position in the church of those who oppose the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate.
• 'Bishop and the showgirl who rocked the Church', The Times [Not strictly Lambeth-related, but it is about an English bishop and the appointments procedure for filling episcopal vacancies...]
• 'Don't demonise colleagues for views', The Times
• 'A divisive debut by African bishops', The Independent

• 9 August
• 'A Surprising Conservative Surge Among Anglicans', The New York Times, Week in Review
• 'Rid us of the canker of compromise', The Sunday Independent
• 'Bishops plot against 'pathetic' Carey in gay vote backlash', The Sunday Times

• 'A Pastoral Statement to Lesbian and Gay Anglicans from Some Member Bishops of the Lambeth Conference '

• 8 August
• 'No women, please, we're British', The Times
• 'Carey apologises to gays for pain caused by the Church', The Telegraph
• 'Carey apologises to Christian gays', The Independent
• 'Hardline on gay sex "strengthens ecumenical bond"', The Guardian
• 'Marriages made in heaven? They want more sex and they aren't role models. Meet the bishops' spouses', The Independent
• 'Straight and narrow: Homosexuals should seek a church which offers more generous love', Opinion,The Times
  
  
• 7 August
• Andrew Brown: 'How fear of Islam forced the church to attack gays', Daily Express, London (An Anglicans Online exclusive; the Express has no web site.)
• Simon Sarmiento's (Society of Archbishop Justus) overview of Lambeth's last Friday: 'No vote on Kuala Lumpur'
• 'Liberal bishops reject anti-gay vote', The Telegraph
• 'Liberal bishop 'felt lynched' in gays debate', The Times
• 'Anglicans must listen to gays - Carey' , BBC (with RealAudio clips)
• 'Fierce euthanasia debate adjourned', The Irish Times

• 6 August
• National Public Radio (RealAudio only), Michael Goldfarb reporting from London, 6 August
• 'Articles of Faith: A surprisingly trenchant verdict from the Lambeth Conference', The Times
• 'Liberal bishops routed in vote on homosexuals', The Times
• 'Anti-gay bishops crush liberals', The Guardian
• 'Rightwing alliance seen behind gay defeat', The Guardian
• 'Intervention by Carey helps sway bishops', The Guardian
• 'Bishops vote to condemn gay sex', The Telegraph
• 'Hardline bishops ban gay priests', The Independent
• 'How I felt the wrath of a bishop... ' The Independent
  
  
• 5 August
• 'Anglicans condemn gay relations', Breaking News via A.P. (New York Times) ,
• ' Lambeth Conference condemns gay sex', BBC
• 'Confrontation at Lambeth Conference', BBC
• 'Bishops draw battle lines in homosexual debate' The Times
• 'Unholy and unreal: Expect a parade of homophobic opinions from the bishops today' , The Guardian
  
  
• 4 August
• 'Liberal bishops urged to repent on gay rights', The Times
• 'Bishops urge gays to repent', The Independent
  
  
• 3 August
• 'Could the Church split?' The Telegraph
• 'A Church that is a world apart,' The Times
  
  
• 1 August
• Andrew Brown's take at Lambeth's midpoint, in The Independent
• 'Bishops call for ban on ordination of gay priests', The Times
• 'Anglican summit split on gay rights', The Independent

• Late July
• 'Homosexuality is neither a white man's disease nor a sin', 28 July, The Independent
• 'Bishops deadlocked over gay Christians', 25 July, The Independent
• 'Bishops in deadlock on gay priests', 24 July, The Independent

Sexuality - House of Lords

• Archbishop Carey's statement in The Times (London) 22 July 1998 about lowering the age of consent
• The title on the archbishop's own website ( http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speeches.htm ) is given as 'We Must Protect Our Young People' which is, oddly, not what the Times used.
• The House of Lords speeches delivered by the Bishop of Winchester and Lord Habgood, the retired Archbishop of York (both against lowering the age) and by the Bishop of Bath and Wells (in favour).

World debt

• Lambeth Conference debates debt, BBC, 28 July
• Poorest countries are enslaved by debt, says bishop', Telegraph, 25 July
• World Bank 'not to blame for debt', The Independent, 25 July
• Simon Sarmiento's overview (Society of Archbishop Justus news)
• Three bishops tell of living and dying in debt (ACNS)
• Debtor nations call for justice, not forgiveness (ACNS)
• Remarks of Jim Wolfensohn, World Bank President
• Remarks of Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane

The matter of other faiths

• C of E bishop wants Muslim state schools, 25 July, The Independent
• Plenary will probe the varied nature of Muslim-Christian relations (ACNS)

Miscellaneous

• Videotapes of Lambeth plenary sessions: Christ Church in Red Hook, New York is offering a full roster of unedited videotapes (NTSC or PAL format) of the sessions, taped by their rector, the Revd Fred Cartier. Their Lambeth web page carries a detailed listing of what's on each tape (generally one plenary session per tape). Each costs US $14.95, plus US $5 shipping and handling. In his email to Anglicans Online the rector notes: 'I was there for most of the conference (40 hours) and these are the only videos that will be available'. We've heard of no others.
• 'Old black magic', Andrew Brown, Church Times, 14 August (only in the paper edition, not on the web site)
• ' Carey to be given role as a troubleshooter', The Times, 8 August
• 'Dizzy clerics--Anglicans need a minister of spin', The Guardian, 8 August
• The Church Times, in its print edition but not online, reviewed the online coverage of the Lambeth Conference. We have transcribed that article here.
• 'Conference to back "death with dignity"', The Times, 7 August
• 'Church 'less good at listening' than Marks and McDonald's' The Guardian, 4 August

Wrapup: stories summarizing Lambeth

• Bishops Behaving Badly: a reflection at Ship of Fools, by 'Sister Mary Diocletian, SPP (Sisters of Perpetual Persecution)', which has inspired a response by Faith McDonnell, and a further essay by Sister Mary Diocletian.
• Is Reception Really Open? Mary Tanner reflects on living with difference from Lambeth 1988 to Lambeth 1998 . She was until recently Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity of the General Synod of the Church of England. This article first appeared in New Directions, August 1998.
• Anglicans Online have placed a copy of the Resolutions passed by the conference on the web; as of 29 August we believe our copy is still the only one available. We've provided you with a basic subject index as well.
• Martin L. Smith SSJE, superior of the Cambridge monastery of the Society of St John the Evangelist , delivered a talk on the Lambeth Conference during the Eucharist at the monastery on Tuesday, 25 August, 1998.
• The Rev. Dr. Stephen Noll, Professor of Biblical Studies at the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry , wrote a letter published in the Letters section of the 28 August 1998 Church Times .
• The Tablet published a letter on 21 August 1998 from Canon James Rosenthal in response to the Ruth Gledhill article "My Lambeth Hell". Since this letter appeared only in the print edition of The Tablet , we have transcribed a copy of that letter here at Anglicans Online, so that you may read it. Do read Ms. Gledhill's article first.
• 'Dr Carey Triumphant', Ruth Gledhill, The Catholic Herald, 14 August 1998 (reproduced here at the kind suggestion of Ms Gledhill)
• 'More talk than listening', Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, The Tablet, 14 August 1998
• 'Lambeth lessons', from the Notebook column of The Tablet, 14 August 1998
• ' My Lambeth Hell' , Ruth Gledhill, in The Tablet, 14 August 1998, but not on their web site. We have transcribed a local copy.. Don't miss Canon James Rosenthal's reply .

Archive: stories at the opening of Lambeth

• 'Anglican brethren meet among divisions' , BBC News, 19 July
• Andrew Brown's pulls-no-punches look at the Lambeth Conference, The Telegraph, 18 July 1998.
• An article on Lambeth perhaps surprisingly in the Financial Times (18 July 1998). You'll need to register to read the FT, but there's no charge to do so. (If you lose the URL, look for the story in the 'World' section, under 'Columnists'.)
• The Guardian (UK) considers the Lambeth Conference (19 July 1998) and Bishop Holloway's scheme to toss biodegradable mitres into the Thames.
• The Times (London) on 18 July features two lead stories on Lambeth in its news of Britain section. We explain in full how to read an article in the Times; it can be worth it, but it's a bit tedious.

Integrity has a Lambeth News section.

The Society of Archbishop Justus offers a read-only news wire with postings during the conference. To be added to the list and receive posts at your email address, email majordomo@justus.anglican.org In the body of the message type
subscribe news.

Or you can read the the Society of Archbishop Justus releases on the web: http://justus.anglican.org/newsarchive/lambeth 98/

Prayers
A booklet of prayers for Lambeth, by Bishop Roger Herft, the Chaplain of the Lambeth Conference .

A Lambeth Conference prayer, in the seven languages of Lambeth. (The prayer was composed by Janet Morley of Christian Aid.) The HTML code of this page is a bit scrabbled, and an image intrudes into some of the translations, affecting one's ability to read the various versions clearly. But it's worth trying to do so.

Lundi-Lambeth prayers, composed by the Reverend June Maffin in preparation for the Lambeth Conference.

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