The bishops returned to Canterbury last night with some good publicity for their march in support of the Millennium Development goals and still basking in the glow of royalty at the Queen's garden party (her third this week I'm told.) Here's one comment from the Thinking Anglicans Web site about the march:
"We marched not simply as well-fed bishops of the west but as bishops
and spouses from (we were told) some 130 or so countries. Many of those
marching live in places torn by war, depleted by poverty, threatened by
climate change. They come from dioceses where children have no schools,
curable diseases kill many and harvests fail. Physically it was a march
of 1500 churchmen and women, symbolically it was a march of the 80
million Anglican worshippers we represent and a march for the sake of
the billions in whose countries we live and work. Crowds lined the
streets and applauded. Some stopped what they were doing and joined us
as we journeyed past the great departments of state in Whitehall, past
Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, past the Abbey and over
the river to Lambeth."
Our President +Philip Poole and his wife Karen and Secretary General Kenneth Kearon and his wife Jennifer were among those who met the Queen at the garden party. I'm told that there was some talk about, among other things, chapeaus.
I asked seveal bishops today rhe open ended question, "How's the meeting going?" One bishop of my acquaintance told me that his indaba group was having trouble "jelling" while another said that they had developed enough trusy in the group to begin discussing the "elephant in the room, sexual identity."
From the 40,000 foot level, however, two interesting reports: First this from The Guardian's Theo Hobson titled "The Anglican Communion Has Never Been Stranger" and this from the Times, Lambeth Voices: A Panel of Anglican Bishops Shares theirViews... .
I'm also told by a "highly placed source" that the pronouncements of the Windsor Continuation Group are important to pay attention to so I refer you here.
Norris Battin
Compass Rose Society Communications Committee
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