Letter from Sydney bishops to Archbishop of Canterbury - July 2007

Archbishop Jensen and Sydney's five assistant bishops have written a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury explaining why they have not replied to their Lambeth 2008 invitations.

July 30, 2007

  The Most Rev & Right Hon. Dr Rowan Williams
  Archbishop of Canterbury
  Lambeth Palace
  London   SE1 7JU
  UNITED KINGDOM
  Dear Archbishop Rowan,

As Archbishop and Assistant Bishops of the Diocese of Sydney, we send our thanks for your kind invitation to attend next year's Lambeth Conference. Your invitation has been received with pleasure and it would give us a great deal of joy to be able to join you.

Unfortunately the timing of the invitation has proved difficult. We have been looking for the response of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church to the Primates' Communiqué from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. We understand that this response is due by 30th of September.

In view of the real hesitations that we experience in joining with those who have consecrated Bishop Gene Robinson, and with others who have allowed for the blessing of same-sex unions, and given the significance of these events, we feel that we cannot give an answer to your kind invitation until later in the year.

We hope that you understand this delay and we look forward to communicating with you further on this matter at the earliest opportunity.

  With our best wishes,

  Yours sincerely,

  The Most Rev Dr Peter F Jensen " Archbishop of Sydney

  The Rt Rev Robert C Forsyth " Bishop of South Sydney

  The Rt Rev Dr Glenn N Davies " Bishop of North Sydney

  The Rt Rev Peter J Tasker " Bishop of Liverpool

  The Rt Rev Ivan Y Lee " Bishop of Western Sydney

  The Rt Rev Alan J Stewart " Bishop of Wollongong