All of Bishop Katharine's essay is well worth reading. She GETS it!

During the interminable long mid-western winter, I have been wasting time watching old television re-runs of a horrible campy sci-fi series popular in the U.S. of late 1960's, "Lost in Space" which hearkens back to my first childhood. It is astonishing and outright breathtaking to see how the females of this continuously marooned family inter-react, as the "girls" (3) know their place in the gardening, cooking, and staying back on the wrecked spaceship, while the "guys" get tough and go 'exploring'.

Definately a male supremacy thing.

"THE Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, has dis­missed the Primates’ Meeting in Alex­andria this month as having “trivialised” the situation" - article, 'Church Times' -

And, so obviouisly, Archibshop Akinola did not -'get it' - not what HE wanted, anyway. (we are not allowed Alleluias in Lent - otherwise....)

Re ++KJS's observation: it's apparently going to take a little more time, for the Purple-Shirted Old Boys Club to realize that they are NOT just boys anymore!

The Gazette catches the ACO spin machine out, again.

Even though Lambeth Conferences did make such requests the experiment we have had with “rule by Primatial Communique” over the past few years has been a disaster. Indeed the problems have been exacerbated by Primates and some caused by them – their intriguing has been an open scandal.

No wonder then the last Lambeth Conference found the experiment to be largely dissatisfying, and the Primates got the thumbs down.

The question to be asked then is:
“Can this lot sort themselves out and act in an appropriate way and even if they could, is this what we want?”

Perhaps Alexandria was an attempt at “behaving”. The American conservatives and their allies who had been increasingly making the presence felt at Primates meetings since their “pure chance” arrival in Ireland for the Dromantine, were now thin on the ground and not obviously redrafting the Communiques.

But the fact remains that many Provinces and many Primates themselves remain deeply unhappy with this “enhanced responsibility” some seek for them.

Yet Dr Williams and the staff at Lambeth Palace and the ACO press on regardless of the unpopularity and failures of the Primates – arguing that the enhanced Primates group remains the only hope of giving the new Anglican Church a backbone and preventing anarchy in the present Communion.

I believe the Primates group as envisaged will be the undoing of the Anglican Project.

"There is a slippery slope here, and it is important that the Primates’ Meeting should remain essentially for the purposes of consultative fellowship. The Anglican Communion should avoid a formal College of Primates.
- Leader in the Church of Ireland Gazette -

Perhaps, in its special relationship to the C.of E. and other Churches in the Anglican Communion, the Church of Ireland is able to give a more objective view of the Statement of Intent that came from the Alexandra Meeting of the Primates.

In the above staement from the C.of I. Gazette, the writer enunciates what is probably a rather common fear in the minds and hearts of some of the far-flung provinces of the Communion, whose task it has been to integrate the cultural and spiritual needs of their congregations into the practice and teaching of their respective Church bodies.

For the Primates of USA and Canada, for instance, to have to fall into line with the Primates of Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and the Cone of South America - in their repression of women and the LBGT minorities in their communities - would be counter to the USA and Canadian Churches' understanding of their prophetic role in bringing about the emancipation of the Gospel to such people.

Having already agreed to the constitution of the Anglican Consultative Council, surely the best way forward it to at least allow them to be consulted on major issues of human justice? We do not need to copy the Roman Catholic idea of a sort of papal court, like the Vatican.

"Definately a male supremacy thing."

As an aside, my neighbour was listening to her daughter and friends playing house a few years ago. There was an initial debate over who would be Mommy and who would be Daddy. Others had already chosen their places, so it was up to two boys to decide on the parent roles. After much heated discussion, in which neither boy would agree to be "Mommy", it was decided that the play family would have two Daddies! Girl cooties are obviously worse than gay ones! At least till we grow up.

"..Canadian Churches' understanding of their prophetic role in bringing about the emancipation of the Gospel to such people."

Fr. Ron, I agree with most of what you say. I would like to point out, however, that Canada has had same sex marriage for two years now, and in the mid 90s my partner was included in my workplace health insurance, like any other spouse, without any kind of agitation at all. As far as I am aware, the Matrimonial Property Act, which covers common law relationships and defines when such relationships have the full rights and responsibilities as formal marriages (after at most 6 months cohabitation, I think is the definition) applies to same sex couples as well. The actions of the Canadian Chruch are really a game of catch up. One cannot be "prophetic" about some thing that happened a good while ago. Whether it is right or wrong to do this is another matter entirely, but to call the actions of the Canadian Church "prophetic" seems a bit self aggrandizing, they are after the fact, not leading the charge. I don't recall hearing a Canadian cleric refer to this as "prophetic" by the way, which is just as well, since it ain't.

Ford,

I suppose I was speaking, rather, of the US and Canadian Churches' leading the way in Anglicanism for recognising the rights of the LGBT community -as regards their membership of the Church, and being accepted by the Church. It is in this context that I believe TEC and the A.C.of C. have been - to some degree - prophetic.

I think you will agree, Ford, that no other Churches in the Anglican Communion have yet come to any substantial agreement on the propriety of Same Sex Blessings? This is why many of us in other parts of the Communion are happy to applaud what we might regard to be the prophetic ministry of TEC and A.C.of C. in that important area of our common life.

"One cannot be "prophetic" about some thing that happened a good while ago."

Can't one? Think Maccabees and the statue of Zeus in the Temple, the "bdélugma of destruction" put up by the Hellenist King of Syria ;=)