Anglican Communion News Service

I have just returned from London where I had a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding the forthcoming Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops from all over the world. This conference, held every 10 years, will be held at the University of Kent in Canterbury in July this year.

Decisions taken at the Conference are not statutorily binding on the participating Anglican Provinces from all parts of the world. Nonetheless, its significance lies in the moral force of the decisions and the direction that is given to the Church for the first part of the next millennium by the most influential gathering of Anglican leaders.

During my meetings in London, discussions were held on the work of section 1 of the Conference, of which I have been invited to be the chairperson. The theme for the section is "Full humanity". This part of the conference will deal with the real issues of the world that will be with us for the next 10 years and, indeed, as we move into the new century.

The world-wide Anglican Communion embraces a tradition of rich diversity of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, access to resources and individual personality among the 800 bishops who will attend Lambeth. Such divisions are a fact that is accepted in this Conference and dealt with in a creative manner. For they open the door to deeper insights on what is common. The tension between difference and commonality, or of the particular and the universal, will be a constant thread in our deliberations.

On the brink of a new millennium, we in the Anglican communion are faced with some crucial issues that touch on these questions:

• The sub-human experience of people who live in debt-induced poverty;
• The denial of the humanity of our neighbour through racial, gender and ethnic arrogance;
• The implications of biomedical technology for the meaning of human life;
• The relationship between the future of the planet and the future of its inhabitants;
• Questions of sexuality and the humanity of gay and lesbian people; And
• The protection of the weak and powerless by safeguarding human rights.

I will only refer to only four this afternoon, not in any order of importance.

1. Environment

For thousands of years the earth's land, atmosphere and oceans have provided human beings with goods, resources and services that we need for our health and survival. But now population growth, economic growth for its own sake and an inappropriate choice of technology threaten the very future of our ecosystems and of humanity.

There is a need for the people of the world to develop an earth ethic, as opposed to a global ethic, to ensure the sustainability of humanity.

The world is faced, among other things, with the threat of global warming. Some scientists believe that humankind's impact could be such that extinctions of whole species could occur within a generation. These are all problems that have far-reaching consequences.

It is of fundamental importance that people the world over understand that the continuing lifeblood of the world depends on all living organisms and ecosystems. The world-renowned Albert Schweitzer's words are apposite in this regard; "If life is not regarded as intrinsically valuable, then man's relations to nature and his fellow man will dissolve."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. It is against this background and the need to preserve the world and to celebrate that we are people made in the image of our Creator that I call for world bodies to enshrine the rights of future generations in a similar declaration. This would contribute to some assurance that a sustainable environment could ensue.

As a Church, our concern for these issues arises from our reverence for life as a fundamental principle upon which the ethics of civilised human beings depend.

2. International debt and economic justice.

This is an issue that is high on the agenda at the Lambeth Conference. International debt is seen as an issue that is hampering development in the developing world. It has been described as a modern form of slavery.

There is a growing movement throughout the world, epitomised by Jubilee 2000, to cancel the debt of developing countries so that the world can have a fresh start in the next century.

A full discussion will take place on this issue. This will involve finance ministers from developed and developing countries, theological reflection, as well as discussion revolving around the principles and mechanisms that should be applied in dealing with the cancellation of such debts. This will also take cognisance of ways in which to ensure that such a situation never again arises.

There will also be an opportunity for a select group of bishops to meet leading government and bank officials at Lambeth Palace to discuss the debt issue. Among those who will be present is the British Chancellor of the Exchequer.

President Nelson Mandela has been invited to address bishops on world poverty at Lambeth Palace on July 28.

3. Human sexuality

This is another issue on the agenda. There are various divergent views in the Anglican Communion on this subject, especially with regard to the question of homosexuality, as has been evidenced in continuing media reports. The Conference will seek, under God, to approach this matter in a sensitive, caring and responsible manner. Gay and lesbian Christians will be afforded an opportunity to share their own experiences in a sub-section dealing with this. The possibility exists that an international commission will be established to study further the issues related to homosexuality, and to report back to the different structures of the Communion.

I have invited the Bishop of Johannesburg, the Right Revd Duncan Buchanan, to chair this sub-section.

4. Modern Technology

The 21st century will see a society emerging which will be more influenced by technology advancement than any previous one. The startling developments in biotechnology that have resulted from genetic science in the last two decades suggest the prospect of enormous changes in the last two decades suggest the prospect of enormous changes in agriculture and in the treatment of human disease and incapacity.

Many also fear that these biotechnological developments will also bring negative as well as positive changes, reducing biodiversity, risking harmful mutations and manipulating human destinies. Some believe such development could be as potentially destructive for future generations as the development of nuclear weapons.

Amidst wide diversity of views we must never lose sight of the nature of our humanity, which is founded on Jesus Christ, the real person.

Conclusion

All the work of the section that I am chairing will be approached constructively by a theology grounded in four key Christian values:

• Justice, which seeks to create and preserve right relationships;
• Love, as the greatest human challenge;
• Respect for an appreciation of the dignity, integrity and sacredness of the human person (as protected by human rights; and
• Freedom in Christ as the promise of release from captivity which Christians are called to proclaim and protect.

These matters are being communicated today to all bishops in the worldwide Anglican Communion. This section of the Lambeth 1998 Conference promised to provide considerable insight and direction as to the way in which the Anglican Church throughout the world will minister, grow and develop as our present century draws to a close, and in the fledgling years of the 21st century.