Whither the Primates Meeting? (Or Here We Go Again.)

There is not a little confusion in the Anglican blogosphere, summarized well here, about whether the Archbishop of Canterbury will convene the Primates Meeting in January and, if so, in what form.

One thing is somewhat clear. Rowan Williams is thinking (or has thought) about pulling another indaba on the Primates by having small group meetings instead of one big Primates Meeting. If he does so proceed, the GAFCON Primates must not allow him to pull that off with any success. For to do so would allow Dr. Williams continued success in two aims:

1. Dr. Williams has bent over backwards over the years to avoid disciplining The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. This is a big reason he turned Lambeth into a big indaba. It is a big reason for his current deliberations about the January Primates Meeting.

2. Since the Primates Meeting has been the Instrument of Communion most desirous of actual church discipline (in part because it is not stacked toward the West like the other instruments), he has worked to undermine it in his typical passive-aggressive manner. Indabaing the Primates Meeting would further serve that end.

I therefore hope the GAFCON Primates require either that --Schori not be invited to the Primates Meeting or that there be a vote of the Primates on expelling her. And, yes, “require” means walking out or not coming if that condition is not met.

They should also insist that ++Canterbury’s continual undermining of the Primates Meeting end forthwith. Though there may be nothing wrong with small group meetings beforehand, disintegrating the Primates Meeting itself into small groups should be a non-starter.