Although sexuality was the most time-consuming topic on the Anglican Consultative Council’s agenda, participants discussed and took action on a wide range of other issues during the 10-day meeting.
In his opening 45-minute address, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams called attention to other world problems and asked council members not to let the issue of sexuality overwhelm the gathering’s proceedings.
“While I have been speaking, on a conservative estimate, 1,200 children have died of poverty-related causes,” he said. “By the end of our meeting, the number will be 3,000,000.
“I say this not to induce guilt, but to remind us of the world to which we have to speak, the world in which we have to make the good news sound credible.”
If the church manifests itself as nothing more than a pressure group of the right or left, it shows to the world nothing more than a religious version of the world’s own quarrels and tensions, Williams said.
Holy Land report
Recognizing the suffering on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a report from the Anglican Peace and Justice Network included personal experiences and passionate debate about peace, justice and coexistence in the Holy Land. The report outlined concerns about provinces investing in companies that support the “occupation” of Palestinian lands.
Reading from the 35-page report, Jenny Plane Te Paa, dean of an indigenous school at an Anglican college in New Zealand, explained how a group representing 23 of the 38 Anglican provinces was “exposed to the draconian conditions of the continuing occupation under which so many Palestinians live.
“We heard from Israeli Jewish voices and from Palestinians, both those who reside in Israel and those who live under occupation,” she said. She noted the policies of home demolitions, detentions, checkpoints and identity-card systems and the presence of Israeli military “that make any kind of normal life impossible.”
Many people are ignorant of the facts and indifferent to the plight of those who suffer in the Holy Land, said Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican bishop in Jerusalem. Ignorance breeds indifference. This ongoing conflict can be stopped.”
Te Paa concluded the network presentation by dispelling claims that the delegation did not speak with any Jews. “Our report recognizes the suffering of all,” she said. “It recognizes that all — Israelis and Palestinians — have to live in dignity.”
The network asked the ACC to approve and endorse “appropriate action where corporate investments support the occupation of Palestinian lands and violence against innocent Israelis ... and to encourage investment strategies that support the infrastructure of a future Palestinian state.”
Concerned about the call for disinvestment, John Moses, dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, said that adopting the resolution would be such a major statement of policy that he would have to be absolutely sure of the credentials of all the participants.
“I hesitate because of my own lack of confidence,” he said. “I do not know the whole truth, and the little I do know leads me to believe that ignorance does not breed indifference ... but it does breed diffidence.”
Williams voiced his concern about using the language “receives and adopts” when voting to endorse a statement based on a visit made last fall. The council adopted alternate wording to “welcome” the report.
The network, which also addressed care for refugees in Africa and offered recommendations on theological education, interfaith relations and environmental issues, was one of several networks to report.
For the work of others, visit http://www.episcopal-life.org/ or www.episcopalchurch.org/ens.
