Welby meets conservative bishops over Lambeth 1.10

Justin Welby speaks to reporters at the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, Kent, 29 July 2022.(Photo: Lambeth Conference)

The Archbishop of Canterbury has reportedly offered to write a letter affirming Lambeth 1.10 as the official stance of the Anglican Communion on human sexuality.

According to Anglican Ink, the offer was made during a meeting between Archbishop Justin Welby and bishops belonging to the Global South Anglican Fellowship (GSFA) on Saturday. 

The GSFA is reported to have accepted the offer of the letter but still plans to table a separate resolution affirming Lambeth 1.10's position on marriage and sexuality after wording to this effect was pulled from the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity. 

The Call on Human Dignity will be debated by the 650 bishops attending the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, Kent, this week. 

A draft of the Call was amended after a backlash by liberal bishops. 

Archbishop Justin Badi, Chairman of the GSFA and Archbishop of South Sudan, said, "For too long the Anglican Communion has been driven by the views of the West. We often feel that our voice is not listened to, or respected.

"We invite each primate and bishop to sign up to our resolution, and then with the majority of the Communion in favour, for the Instruments of the Anglican Communion to find ways to put faith and order back at the heart of what the Archbishop of Canterbury describes as 'walking together'." 

Commenting on Saturday's meeting with Welby, a Lambeth Palace spokesperson said: "The Archbishop of Canterbury had a planned meeting on Saturday with Archbishop Justin Badi, Chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GFSA), and some other Primates from the global South.

"This was one of several meetings that the Archbishop is having with Primates and others during the Lambeth Conference. It was a constructive conversation in a spirit of mutual listening about the concerns that the GSFA has already publicly shared.

"We won't be commenting on speculation from unnamed sources not present at the meeting, other than to say that these should not be seen as reliable accounts of a conversation between primates conducted in the spirit of prayerful dialogue.

"The Archbishop remains focussed on the Lambeth Conference and committed to ongoing dialogue to ensure that we continue walking, listening and witnessing together in shared discernment of our calling to be God's Church for God's world."

GSFA spokesman Paul Eddy said, "It is always disappointing when partial details of a private discussion are leaked by one party.

"As with all leaks, there are part truths, but not the whole story.

"From the start, GSFA has publicly, and privately been respectful of the difficult position that the Archbishop of Cantetbury is in.

"Full details of the way the GSFA will move forward with this priority will, as planned, be set out in due course to all media, rather than leaks."