From Episcopal Life Online-Hopes for renewing relationships and recommitting to common mission ran high May 1 as members of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) began gathering here for their twelve-day meeting.
Diocese of Southern Malawi Bishop James Tengatenga, who represents the Province of Central Africa, told ENS May 1 that he hopes that this 14th meeting of the ACC will mean "a recommitment to each other as we meet again and, of course, welcome those that are coming for the first time. Fellowship is important. My hope is that we will truly have fellowship and therefore a helpful interaction."
Canon Elizabeth Paver, one of the Church of England's ACC members, referring to conflicts about homosexuality and other theological differences, said in an interview that while "many things within the communion seem to be dividing us," the meeting is "our opportunity to say that there's huge possibility of a positive way forward to bring people together, rather than to divide them."
The outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus in Mexico has prevented Sarai Osnaya-Jimenez from attending the meeting as the only representative of La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico. The Ven. Paul Feheley, ACC media relations officer, said that Osnaya-Jimenez withdrew over her concern about the spread of the virus.
She is among nine of the ACC's 82 delegates who will not attend, for various reasons. Visas are still pending for three other participants.
The ACC is the Anglican Communion's most representative decision-making body and includes bishops, clergy and laity. It makes policy, approves the Anglican Communion Office's budget and guides the communion agenda for mission and ministry.
While it has no jurisdiction over the 38 individual provinces of the communion, its constitution says that among the council's duties is a mandate "to develop as far as possible agreed Anglican policies in the world mission of the church and to encourage national and regional churches to engage together in developing and implementing such policies by sharing their resources of manpower, money, and experience to the best advantage of all."
More here-
http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_107248_ENG_HTM.htm
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