Rowan Williams Indabas the Primates

I do not think Rowan Williams a liar, but I think he engages in some sanctified horse manure in his latest letter to the Primates. In it, he explains why the Primates Meeting suddenly has no power:

In recent years, many have appealed to the Primates to resolve the problems of the Communion by taking decisive action to enforce discipline on this or that Province. In approaching the Dublin Meeting, we believed that it was essential to clarify how the Primates themselves understood the nature of their office and authority. It has always been clear that not all have the same view – not because of different theological convictions alone, but also because of the different legal and canonical roles they occupy as Primates. Some have a good deal of individual authority; others have their powers very closely limited by their own canons. It would therefore be difficult if the Meeting collectively gave powers to Primates that were greater than their own canons allowed them individually, as was noted at the 2008 Lambeth Conference (Lambeth [Real African Word] 2008 #151).

The unanimous judgement of those who were present was that the Meeting should not see itself as a ‘supreme court’, with canonical powers, but that it should nevertheless be profoundly and regularly concerned with looking for ways of securing unity and building relationships of trust.

Oh yes, we must be profoundly concerned. Churchly weasel words.

Let me cut through His Grace’s . . . fog for you. Since 2003, the instruments of the Anglican Communion most under the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury and allies have consistently strung along the orthodox and given a pass to The Episcopal “Church” and the Anglican “Church” of Canada. Those instruments that better represent the broader worldwide communion have been the biggest threat to that policy. And those instruments are (or were) the Lambeth Meeting of all bishops and the Primates Meeting.

So Rowan undermined those instruments. He indabaed Lambeth, making it toothless. And he time and again undermined the Primates Meeting, which previously had made comparatively robust calls for discipline. When many of the orthodox primates finally had enough and did not attend the Dublin meeting, Rowan took advantage of that to strip the Primates Meeting of what little power remained. So now that meeting, too, is now a sanctified indaba (although those who know what the word really means will tell you it is not even that).

In short, Rowan Williams has neutered those more representative instruments that might stand in the way of his intent to give the apostates pass after pass after pass ad infinitum. Must not let the savages, er I mean, the colonies run the Communion, you know.

And no amount of fog from His Grace can hide what he has done.