Anglican Communion News Service

Respect was the focus of Archbishop Rowan Williams' Presidential Address at the Church of England's General Synod in York, on Monday morning. "The Latin Bible," he said, "often uses the word which is at the root of 'respect' to describe God's attention to his creation; and there perhaps is our best clue as to what it might entail."

The Archbishop began his address with a brief reference to last weeks bombings in London. News of the bombings had just broken when he arrived in West Yorkshire for a day of visits to local Islamic institutions and meetings with clergy involved in interfaith dialogue.

This confluence of events proved an "extraordinary opportunity" to underscore the importance of respect for, and attentiveness to, the needs and concerns of others - even those with whom we seem to have the most striking differences. "But why not," the Archbishop said, "think of respect as loving attention? To give time to following through why another believes and acts as they do, to treat this as a serious vocation, to assume that what is humanly significant for me is not going to feel completely different from what matters to my neighbour - this is a form of love, surely."

The Archbishop then spoke of the importance of respect for local communities when financing, developing and implementing public assistance projects. Projects without substantial grounding in the communities which they strive to serve, he said, were likely to be inappropriately rigid and prescriptive, and tended to promote a ponderous and ineffective "culture of conferencing and brainstorming."

Faith communities, and especially the parish church, he said, have an important role to play in "revitalizing communities". "The value and resourcefulness of the parochial system," he said, "is that it fosters respect for the reality of a local community; it demands that the body of worshipping believers give loving attention to this particular locality or group, and offers the possibility that there will be, in the heart of an area, a body of people prepared to encourage local voices and visions without patronizing."

While speaking on this subject, Archbishop Rowan acknowledged what he called the "very good debate" which had taken place the previous evening regarding the refinancing of the Church Urban Fund. Much of that discussion had centered on the importance of local initiative for, and implementation of, public assistance projects. Similarly, following the Archbishop's address, General Synod undertook a wide ranging debate on financial resources for mission.

From Church of England matters, Archbishop Rowan moved to the context of the world-wide Anglican Communion, considering, in particular, how these same themes were reflected at the recent Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Nottingham. Despite the admitted tensions of that meeting, the Archbishop found some hope in the respectful attention that opposing factions were "obliged" to afford each other. Conservatives were obliged "to hear the North American case as one grounded in some serious thought and prayer, with some theological substance. The North Americans were obliged "to encounter face to face the reality of those situations in the world where their own actions had created actual cost and risk to others."

On a more overtly positive note, Archbishop Rowan emphasized the tremendous potential of the Communion for social action and transformation. For churches in the developing world, access to those in power in the West through "other churches in the family" is an invaluable resource. Referring to a meeting which took place in Nottingham between Hilary Benn and the president of the Communion's Mother's Union, he said: "For a Mother's Union president from Africa to be able to speak at length face to face with a British Secretary of State for International Development is a significant thing. I have sat in on that meeting and I have heard how significant a thing it is." Furthermore, he said, an organization like the Mother's Union has a unique capacity for constructive local intervention on behalf of women throughout Africa and the developing world.

Reiterating that "situations here and in the developing world have things in common", the Archbishop highlighted the unifying work of the Communion - work which is too often hidden behind stories of conflict - and said that he was particularly impressed by the Communications and International Anglican Women's programmes.

Archbishop Rowan concluded by stating that "love is no easy option", though we "sometimes talk as if it were 'softer' than a principled schism." He said, "If we are to be effective in the social and spiritual dimensions of our mission," we must, "learn again and again what it actually is to be under the loving attention of God"

"Respice, Domine, populum tuum," the Archbishop prayed, "Look attentively on your people, Lord; and teach them to look as patiently and hopefully at one another."

Women bishops

Singing at Synod: a small group gather outside the synod hall to urge synod members to supprt women bishops

Photo Credit: ACNS

On Monday afternoon, 35 speakers participated in a nearly four hour debate on the future of women as bishops in the Church of England and the possibility of removing legal obstacles to such consecrations. Bishop Stephen Venner of Canterbury chaired the session and indicated at its onset that over 100 people had requested to speak Synod delegates from all traditions, opinions, ages and orders of ministry spoke during the well-ordered and respectful debate. An amended resolution which initiated the "process for removing the legal obstacles to the ordination of women to the episcopate" passed in all houses - clergy, laity and bishops - by the necessary two-thirds margin. A full report on the debate will be forthcoming on ACNS this week.

By Robert Bergner, ACNS Intern. Jim Rosenthal contributed to this report.