The regular meeting of the Senior Archbishops and Presiding Bishops of the Anglican Communion will be held in the Diocese of Southern Brazil, 19-25 May 2003, at the Serrano Conference Centre, Gramado.
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Canon John L. Peterson, said, "The meeting is being held in Brazil by a long standing invitation of the Anglican Episcopal Province of Brazil at a previous Primates Meeting, in anticipation of the retirement of their Primate, Archbishop Glauco Soares de Lima, and in tribute to him."
The meeting allows the Primates of each of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion to come together for an opportunity to engage in conversation and discussion on their ministry in their own Province and within the Communion. This gathering will take the form of a retreat, with Eucharist and Bible Study being the framework of their being together.
It will be Archbishop Rowan William's first Primates Meeting as Archbishop of Canterbury, though he attended the last three meetings of the group as Archbishop of Wales. He is well known to the Primates and many attended his enthronement in February.
The meeting, as in past years, is private. There will be no special provisions for guests or members of the media/press. The Communications Office staff will be on site from 20 may to handle any enquiries or receive messages (Tel: +55 54 3036 3901 and Fax: +55 54 3036 3902).
Press/media enquiries regarding the Archbishop of Canterbury should be addressed to the Lambeth Palace Press Office in London as usual.
Photos will be made available via the www.anglicancommunion.org web site throughout the week. Also check ACNS for any other information coming from the meeting or from individual provinces.
We regret to share the news that Archbishop Peter Kwong of Hong Kong will be unable to attend the meeting owing to the situation relating to SARS.
Contact person:
Canon Jim Rosenthal
+44 (0)20 7620 1110 (until May 18)
Email: oldpalace@anglicancommunion.org