Pastoral Visitors are unveiled, but traditionalists are sceptical: CEN 3.06.09 p 5.

Written with Matt Creswell

AMERICAN Church leaders claimed this week that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s new group of Pastoral Visitors is ‘too little, too late’. As the number of lawsuits between the Episcopal Church (TEC) and breakaway conservative groups approaches 60, some say the initiative – intended to help repair the torn fabric of the Anglican Communion- lacks integrity.

On March 2 Lambeth Palace announced that the team of three retired bishops, two clergymen, and a retired British army general had their first meeting from Feb 25-28 at the Virginia Theological Seminary outside Washington.

Created in response to the recommendations of the Windsor Continuation Group, on Feb 5 Dr Williams told a press conference in Alexandria the “pastoral visitors” would “act as consultants in situations of stress and conflict” across the Communion. But the Rev Philip Ashey, Chief Operating Officer for the American Anglican Council, a grouping of conservative Anglicanism, was deeply concerned about Lambeth’s response. Speaking from Atlanta, Georgia, he said: “Every pastoral visitor programme suggested so far has admitted the participation of the parties who have been aggrieved, those people who have left TEC.”

He continued: “Still no contact has been made by any Pastoral Visitors so we have no reason to believe that a seminar they attended at Virginia Theological Seminary by the people who are, in part, the leadership of TEC, will make much difference.”

Ashey went on to say: “We have no confidence that the process is going anywhere.” In addition he said that the timing proved troublesome as both Archbishops Venables and Orombi had hoped that the visitor process would have been completed before the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meets in Jamaica this May; this now seems unlikely. Ashey said: “We are deeply concerned that the Pastoral Visitor scheme is too little, too late.”

His concerns were echoed by Canon Chris Sugden, the coorganiser of the Gafcon conference in Jerusalem. He said: “Until and unless they meet and talk with the people who actually have these grievances the whole process lacks integrity.”

At their first meeting, the visitors attended a briefing facilitated by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price, with presentations on the Anglican Covenant process led by the Dean of Wycliffe Theological Seminary in Toronto, Dr Ephraim Radner, and on the Windsor Continuation Group led by the Bishop of West Texas, the Rt Rev Gary Lillebridge.

The canon to Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, Dr Charles Robertson and the Presiding Bishop’s Deputy for Anglican Communion Affairs, Bishop Herbert Donovan, along with the Principal Secretary to Canadian primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Ven Paul Fehely, spoke to the issues facing their churches. Canon Robertson told the Episcopal News Service he was encouraged by “open and honest communication” with the pastoral visitors and that the Episcopal Church would “participate in any conversation that helps promote greater clarity and mutual understanding in the Anglican Communion.”

The leaders of the Anglican Church in North America learned of the creation of the pastoral visitor’s programme when contacted by The Church of England Newspaper, prompting Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker to say that “it’s always comforting to know that others meet to talk about you, while avoiding talking to you.”

Appointed by Dr Williams to the Pastoral Visitor team were:

The Rt Rev Santosh Marray, the former Bishop of the Seychelles retired in 2008. A native of Guyana, Bishop Marray served in the Diocese of Florida at the time of his election in 2005, and is presently a member of the Anglican Covenant Design Group.

The Rt Rev Colin Bennetts, the former Bishop of Coventry retired in 2008. Bishop Bennetts also serves as chairman of the International Centre for Reconciliation (ICR) based at Coventry Cathedral. Formed after the bombing of the Cathedral in 1940, the ICR is “committed to reconciliation in various situations of violent conflict, some related to religious dispute and others fuelled by different factors.”

The Dean of Liverpool, the Very Rev Justin Welby. Appointed Dean of Liverpool Cathedral in 2007, Dean Welby also is affiliated with ICR, serving as its co-director from 2002-2005, and then as Sub-Dean and Canon for Reconciliation Ministry at Coventry Cathedral from 2005-2007.

The Rt Rev Simon Chiwanga, the former Bishop of Mwapwa retired in 2007. For 18 years Bishop Chiwanga served on the Anglican Consultative Council successively as delegate from Tanzania, vice-chairman and chairman, stepping down at ACC-12 in 2002.

The USPG’s Regional Desk Officer for Africa, the Rev Canon Chad Gandiya. A native of Zimbabwe, Canon Gandiya was the former Dean of Bishop Gaul Theological College in Harare.

Major General Tim Cross, CBE. The former chief logistics officer of the British Army, Gen Cross was deputy head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq. Active with several charities in his retirement he is also a Visiting Professor at Nottingham and Cranfield Universities and the Army Adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee.

The template for the pastoral visitor programme was “informally” laid down in 2006 “between the province of Brazil and the Southern Cone over the question of Recife,” Dr Williams said on Feb 5. Bishop Patrick Harris of Southwell and Bishop William Godfrey of Peru “were appointed to go and investigate the situation in the Province, discuss with various people and propose some ways forward,” he said.

“And although it’s taken a couple of years to move things on, some of those recommendations are bearing fruit,” the archbishop said, adding that it “in some cases” a pastoral visitor scheme “could be helpful.” The pastoral visitor will report to Dr Williams. No funds have been appropriated for the programme at this time from the budget of the ACC, and the pastoral visitors, like the ill-fated Panel of Reference, have the authority only to recommend solutions to the divisions of doctrine and discipline within the Anglican Communion.