SA国际传媒

By SA国际传媒 staff reporter

Some 600 Anglican bishops from the 165 countries,  representing over 85 million faithful across the world, are gathered in England for  the fifteenth Lambeth Conference,  the most important event of the Anglican Communion, which is held  every ten years.

The Conference, which was postponed for two years in 2018, due to disagreements over some controversial issues, and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic,  kicked off on Tuesday, July 26. It wil run until 8 August,  with meetings taking place in Lambeth Palace, London, and at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

"God鈥檚 Church for God鈥檚 SA国际传媒"

With the theme 鈥淕od鈥檚 Church for God鈥檚 SA国际传媒",  the gathering will  explore what it means for the Anglican Communion to be responsive to the needs of a 21st Century world. The bishops will spend time praying and studying the Bible together (focusing on the Book of 1 Peter), as well as discussing major challenges faced by their global communities 鈥� ranging from climate change and environmental sustainability, to child abuse in the Church;  human dignity; Anglican identity; to Christian Unity and inter-faith relations.

Walking, listening and witnessing together

The postponement in 2020 enabled the Conference plans to be reorganized as a three-phase process, designed to create lasting outcomes, both for the churches of the Communion and for the communities they serve. The period since 2020 has been a time of 鈥渨alking together鈥� when bishops have been meeting together for online conversations about themes relevant to the Conference.

The phase of 鈥渓istening together鈥� is the full event in Canterbury beginning this week. For the first time there will also be a further phase of 鈥渨itnessing together鈥� 鈥� when outcomes from the bishops鈥� conversations are shared, and further action taken around the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Welby: need for unity

In a letter to delegates , the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, describes  this fifteenth  Conference as a 鈥渉istoric occasion鈥� and speaks  of Jesus鈥� call for his followers to be united. 

鈥淎s we gather for the fifteenth Lambeth Conference, the privilege and responsibility of meeting feels even more significant鈥�,  he  wrote. 鈥淭he business of this conference is to discern the Holy Spirit鈥檚 directing in what it means to be 鈥楪od鈥檚 Church for God鈥檚 SA国际传媒鈥�, as we seek to 鈥榳alk, listen and witness together.鈥欌��, says the head of the Anglican Communion,  remarking that 鈥渁t a time where there is much to fragment and divide the world鈥� Christ 鈥渃alls his Church to be one in witness and in worship so that Jesus is presented to the world鈥�.

His words are echoed by Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, in his foreword to the Conference guide:   鈥淭he drumbeat to our conference is 鈥榳alking, listening and witnessing together鈥�. These words reflect perhaps Christ鈥檚 greatest challenge to the Church: To be one. To live as a united body, in service to Christ and to one another鈥�, Archbishop Idowu-Fearon wrote.