Primates from across the Anglican Communion arrived today at the Emmaus Retreat and Conference Centre in Dublin for the first day of their six-day Primates’ Meeting.
The Primates, who are the senior bishops or archbishops of a province of the Anglican family of churches, were invited from all 38 Provinces. The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, was also invited to allow the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to fulfil his role as the President of the meeting.
Several Primates, including Archbishop Maurício José Araújo de Andrade Primate of Brazil & Bishop of Brasilia, said they were looking forward to a positive meeting.
“It is important that in this meeting dialogue continues between the different parts of the Anglican Communion,” he said. “If it is possible to sit together with different ecumenical and interfaith partners, how much more do we need to continue to sit down and dialogue with bishops from other parts of the Communion.”
The Dean of the Province of Central Africa, Bishop Albert Chama* said he believed God would enable the Primates to remain in unity and to love one another as the body of Christ.
“My hope is that in this meeting we will be able to continue the conversations that have been happening in terms of pulling the Communion together,” he said. “It is my hope that our meeting will be fruitful and that we will continue to discuss matters with openness and we will be able to listen to one another.”
Barring any last minute changes, 24 Primates are able to attend the meeting. As anticipated, some were unable to attend because of health reasons, others for personal reasons and a few because of issues in their Provinces, such as the referendum in Sudan.
Seven Primates said they were not coming because of recent developments in the Episcopal Church, but in their responses they have reiterated their commitment to the Communion and to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Canon Kenneth Kearon, who is Secretary of the meeting, said: “It is obviously regrettable when a Primate is unable attend because it means that that particular perspective is not represented, but it is ultimately the decision of each individual Primate in consultation with their Province.”
The Primates’ Meeting January 25-31, 2011
Those who are present, on their way or are expected:
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia The Most Revd Winston Halapua
The Anglican Church of Australia The Most Revd Phillip John Aspinall
The Church of Bangladesh The Rt Revd Paul Sishir Sarkar
Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil The Most Revd Maurício José Araújo de Andrade
The Episcopal Church of Burundi The Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi
The Anglican Church of Canada The Most Revd Frederick J Hiltz
The Church of the Province of Central Africa Represented by The Dean of the Province The Rt Rev Albert Chama
Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America The Most Revd Armando Roman Guerra Soria
The Church of England The Most Revd Rowan Douglas Williams
Also represented by The Most Revd John Sentamu
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Most Revd Paul Kwong
The Church of Ireland The Most Revd Alan Edwin Thomas Harper
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan) The Most Revd Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu
The Anglican Church of Korea The Rt Revd Paul Keun-Sang Kim
The Church of the Province of Melanesia The Most Revd David Vunagi
The Church of Pakistan (United) The Rt Revd Samuel Azariah
The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea The Most Revd Joseph Kifau Kopapa
The Episcopal Church in the Philippines The Rt Revd Edward Pacyaya Malecdan
The Scottish Episcopal Church The Most Revd David Robert Chillingworth
The Church of South India (United) The Most Revd Suputhrappa Vasantha Kumar
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Most Revd Thabo Cecil Makgoba
The Episcopal Church The Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori
The Church in Wales The Most Revd Barry Cennydd Morgan
The Church in the Province of the West Indies The Most Revd John Walder Dunlop Holder
Those who are unable to attend:
For reasons of visa difficulties:
Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo The Most Revd Henry Kahwa Isingoma
For reasons of health:
La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico The Most Revd Carlos Touche-Porter
The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma) The Most Revd Stephen Than Myint Oo
For reasons of diary commitments:
The Anglican Church of Kenya The Most Revd Eliud Wabukala
The Church of North India (United) The Most Revd Purely Lyngdoh
For personal reasons:
The Anglican Church of Tanzania The Most Revd Valentino Mokiwa
For reasons of Provincial matters:
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan The Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul Yak (the referendum)
L’Eglise Episcopal au Rwanda The Most Revd Onesphore Rwaje (two days after his installation)
Those who have chosen to stay away over recent developments in The Episcopal Church:
The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean The Most Revd Gerald James (Ian) Ernest
The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & The Middle East The Most Revd Mouneer Hanna Anis
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) The Most Rt Revd Nicholas Dikeriehi Okoh
The Church of the Province of Uganda The Most Revd Henry Luke Orombi
Church of the Province of South East Asia The Most Revd John Chew
Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America The Most Revd Hector Zavala
The Church of the Province of West Africa The Most Revd Justice Ofei Akrofi
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