The Real News from Canada: Lambeth is On.

The Globe and Mail created quite a twitter in the Anglican blogosphere yesterday with a report that the Archbishop of Canterbury does not approve of the current draft Covenant because of its disciplinary measures. Note the unease here, for example.

However, note on the same link comments from one Trinitymatthew, who actually attended the meeting in question. It appears that the Globe and Mail may have gotten it wrong, that +++Rowan made no such comments about the draft Covenant. So as for that “news”, Blame Canada.

However, there is very significant news from Canada. And on that the Global and Mail got it right as confirmed by an interview over at the Anglican Journal – the Archbishop will not cancel Lambeth ’08.

There had been speculation +++Rowan would dodge the issue of who to invite to Lambeth, traditionally taken as indicating who is in and out of communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, by canceling it. And he has now acknowledged canceling it was indeed considered. But he has decided to go forward. Lambeth is on.

And that is good news. However he and others may try to “keep people at the table” and drag this out, he will choose whom to invite to Lambeth. He will not dodge that pivotal decision. And kudos to him for that. (Although he has indicated he’ll let the Primates make that decision, the choice is ultimately his even if he shares it.) And that coming decision is perhaps the most important signal of both communion and discipline many Anglicans are waiting for in deciding how to proceed.

So 2008 may be – Please, Lord – for all practical purposes, the year that the Anglican Communion decides how to realign – keeping TEC and allies on board or keeping orthodox conservatives on board.

(No, as much as +++Rowan tries, I don’t think everyone can be kept on board. No matter what he does, a substantial block of the Communion will walk. The question is which block.)

As for that all important question of whom +++Rowan will invite to Lambeth, it’s, in his own words, “a genuinely open question.”

The drama continues.