Monday, March 2, 2009

Pastoral visitors appointed by Archbishop of Canterbury


From Episcopal Life Online-

An initial group of pastoral visitors has been named by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to assist in healing and reconciliation given the current tensions in the Anglican Communion.

Those appointed by Williams to the pastoral visitors team are:

the Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, bishop of Seychelles (Indian Ocean);
the Rt. Rev. Colin Bennetts, retired bishop of Coventry (England);
the Rt. Rev. Simon Chiwanga, retired bishop of Mpwapwa (Tanzania) and former chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council;
Major General Tim Cross, a retired British soldier who was the U.K.'s senior-most officer involved in the Pentagon's post-war planning in Iraq;
Canon Chad Gandiya, Africa desk officer for the U.K.-based mission organization USPG; and
the Very Rev. Justin Welby, dean of Liverpool Cathedral (England).
The Anglican primates, at their February 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, affirmed the recommendations of the Windsor Continuation Group and called for the development of a "pastoral council" and the appointment of "pastoral visitors."

Both the primates and the continuation group supported Williams' plan to appoint an interim group of "pastoral visitors" who could be called upon in any dispute or situation of tension until the May 1-12 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion's main legislative body. Despite that time limit, the continuation group noted that Williams suggested an initial 12-month appointment.

The group's recent report, which was presented to the primates at their February meeting, also noted that the visitors would be required to act in a manner "consistent with the constitutions and canons of those provinces" in which they operate. Further, the group said it welcomed what it called Williams' decision that the visitors "would not have any authority to make dispositions or proposals for structural solutions to any situation, unless expressly authorized to do so by the primate or other lawful authority of the particular provinces with which they have been asked to work."

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_105528_ENG_HTM.htm

Living Church is here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/3/2/pastoral-visitors-hold-inaugural-meeting

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